The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-20

the greatest pirate who ever
ivedr and the answer will be
-Captain Kidd" There will be no
hesitation. The moment the word
pirate" is uttered the answer will
be- ready.
Captain Kidd has been dead more
than 200 years. Thousands of pirates
lived before his day, thousands since.
How many of them are remembered
by the world of to-day? Few. How
many names of men who we're fore
most in the highest walks Of life 200
years ago are familiar to the world
p-day? Very few.
= Who or what Is or was pirate
{ There are, of course, pirates to-day,
but the smoothness Of manners and
the niceties Of language permit them
\ to 60 their vtSSF, chins up, under a
less terrifying tSesagh a less honest
emblem than the skull and crossbones.
A pirate of the olden kind was pic
tured always as combination OF
brute and devil; as savage with
natural lust for blood and pelf; as one
who had ali the vices and none of the
virtues of men and whose life was a
succession of orgies and privations.
"walking the plank was a form
Of funeral invented by pirates Of an
ancient type 1t Is still in favor to-
day. In old days 1t was practiced
only at sea. with the ingenuity Of a
more modern age 1t is practiced quite
a as easily on land as on water; per-
haps more so. No self-respectinS
pirate, prior to the nineteenth century,
would or could hold his own unless he
were more or less Of an adept in induc-
ing his victims to walk the plank.
The more numerous his victims the
firmer was his grip upon his authority
|, How many men, women and chill
dren did Capt. Kidd induce to walk
} the plank? Not one; not a man. or
woman. or a child. Perhaps he had
more satisfying and artistic style OF
butchery? No; he was neither a
butcher nor an assassin. The only
death laid at Capt. Kids door was
that of a mutineer In his own crew
Enraged by the insolence OF the mu-
theer he struck him with a bucket
that lay at hand, and there is even
d&ubt that the man died from the
blow. At the time OF this incident
Capt. Kidd was sailing under letters OF
nhrque granted by King William Ill
ofGreat Britain and a special commits
sian which was granted by the same
{onarch.
4 Also, at the time, Capt Kidd was
Commander of the Adventure Galley
lowned one-seventh of her, and his
.
) members Of his Government, few Oh
London's richest merchants and Col
Robert Livingstone of New York
King William. it should be remem
bered, while King of England, was
Dutchman, and thrifty. His share IN
the venture cost him nothing but
d, good will.
The .'Piracy" Corporation.
While many kings have been pirates
William III. was not OF this orano
He had much hatred for them. They
were destroyers to whom all prey
looked alike. Had they devoted theil
energies to the sinking Of French
ships, indeed ships OF any nationalit!
except Dutch and English, but espe
cialIy Dutch, ne might have shown
more tolerance; but when they bi
into his opportunities for making ant
borrowing money he was filled witt
wrath. The result Of this wrath wa
The formation of a small corporation
with King William at its head. Thu
chief object of this corporation wa
the obliteration of piracy in all part
OF the world.
But why make the king Of all pirates
the captain, with unexampled powers
OF such a worthy, II dangerous adven
ture. King William and his associates
were a canny lot They knew Capt
Kjdd's history as II 1t were an opel
hook. They knew that no man OF hi
day had done so much damage u
pirates or was so feared by them a
Cant. William Kidd. In fact when on
az his advisers limited to the King tina
Cant. Kidd's commissions gave him 81
much power that he might be tempted
to use the venture solely to his owl
adventure, the King replied: CAPT
Kidd is so hated by all pirates that
he forgot to carry out his promise n
would have nowhere to 60"
Capt. Kidd was not a pirate. He wa
n man of substance, liked and re
spected In shipping circles In NeS
York and London and other parts q
the world He was a natural leader o
men, a fine sailor and a gallant night
fng man. Also, he was the victim @
an amazing succession OF circum
stances, though nothing in his adven
furious career Is so amazing as tn
extraordinary injustice done to hi
memory.
The Press Gang of the British nav
hammered the first nail into bis cofiir
An impossible task was laid upon hin
He was commissioned not only to de
strNy all pirates. but to ravish fror
them ali their spoils that iS1ng Nilliar
might get his tenth and that his assO
ciAtes might profit largely. The reco
keec thhs double barreIied commissio
did more than stun. Out OF 1t spran
q scaffold.
In 1864 there was peace betwee
England and Holland. yet one day a
English squadron. In command c
Richard Eicolls. sailed into the uppe
bay of Nieuw Amsterdam. fired or
broadside at nothing In particular. an
the town fell without a blow. Pete
Stuyvesant. the brave old Governo
was for fighting but was overrulet
Nicolls made himself Governor.
seemed TO make little difference to tn
Dutch until they found their trad
diminished. flock Of English ha
followed Nicolls. War between Ho
land and England killed trade. Jane
Duke OF York, to whom Charles !