Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1920-04-23
SPARED FAIR SEX
0Idtime knights of the Road"
Not Always Stern.
Even Notorious Freebooters Have
Been Known to Succumb to
Feminine Wiies-Captain Kidd
Among the Number.

Highwaymen, If ancient ballads and
traditions concerning famous knights
of the road" may be believed, have
often been polite to ladies'; but pirates,
rarely. Nevertheless. the late Eliza
Deth Christophers Hobson, In her de-
iightful "Recollections of Happy
Life" relates al instance of a polite
pirate who not only spared one of her
ancestresses from molestation but
made her valuable present. To be
sure, the lady In the case, who was
Airs. John Lion Gardine. of Gardeners
Isllnd, made the first polite advances.
and the pirate, who was none other
Than the notorious Capt. Kidd himself.
# The owner Of the Island was absent
when Kidd landed upon 1t, and Mrs.
Gardiner, terrified but keeping her wits
sntout her, invited the formidable free
6booter to dinner In the hope of placat-
Fing him. He accepted. and she SO
wisely and willy fed or charmed him,
or both, that he later sent to her two
4 rich gifts, both of which are still pre-
served by her descendants: the "Kldd
Iitcher." now strengthened by silver
tand bearing an Inscription recording
It's history, and the kidd blanket"
piece of superb embroidery two yards
long. In crimson, green and gold. When
the pitcher was presented, 1t was full
of rare East Indian sweetmeats.
Among the most famous names In
fhe reprehensible but picturesque roll
Of British highwaymen is that Of
fClaude Duval, who. along with his
French name, possessed dash of
French politeness, at least toward the
fair and easily frightened sex. He is
reputed on various occasions to have
spared pretty ladies their rings or
lockets. If they begged him winningIy
enough. or had the art. which one not
able belle Of his era professed such a
usefui one to woman. of "belng able
80 Weep knowingly. and that without
3 E<$fraokfng ef Cheeks OF Rednlng of
M 81 but zoe onely that Crate Teares
Il e<se viEEzl, 81 % softelx from LIDS
- Chime Like as Dew Droppes upon
Rose
A knight Of the road" of less note
than Duval-indeed. quite a minor.
modest figure in the annals of crime
nevertheless figured magnanimousiy In
an old. broad-sheet ballad. in which he
assisted, instead of despoiing, lady
In distress. She was, the story re-
lates, the poor but beautiful widow of
a riotous young nobleman just killed
In duel. Although of gentle blood,
she was beneath him In rank, and the
match had been secret. When the
coach was held up she was on her way
to seek out her husbands parents and
ask their forgiveness and protection
for herself and her baby boy. All she
had to prove her case was her wedding
ring and her certificate of marriage,
penned and signed In miniature and
carried In locket round her neck.
When these two precious trinkets were
demanded at the point of pistol, she
was In despair; but the robber hear
Ing her story, was moved to pity.
He gave her back her small gold ring,
He put II her finger on;
Says. yours and mine and yours arain
Though hardly II was won"
He gave her back her golden iocket;
Says. Now think we'll of me-"
And gold and rubies to fill her pocket
20 thanks. kind siri" says she.
If the grateful pocketing of such
dubious gold and rubies by an innocent
and lovely heroine In distress seems
somewhat strange, the reader must re-
member that broad-sheet ballads Of the
road are concerned only with glorifica.
tion Of their highwaymen heroes; con-
sistency, conscience and the heroines
themselves are alike unimportant and
incidental.-Youth's Companion.