The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-08-06
Theory Put Forward as Explana-
ton of Disappearance OF
American Vessels.
PIRACY FOLLOWS GREAT WARS
Island Dotted Areas Of the Oceans Of
fer Lurking Places for Sea Rovers-
Piracy Has Flourished Since
Early Days of History.

Washington, d. C.-The theory that
pirates are again infesting Atiahtic
waters has been put forward In con-
nection with the grounding OF the Car
roll Deering and the mysterious dis-
appearance of three other American
steamships.
IAN epidemic of piracy has followed
In the wake of nearly all Of the great
wars. Even as recently as 1913 rest
less souls who had smelled the blood
of battle and felt the intoxication OF
danger became loath to settle down In
to the peaceful ways of men ana
commerce, and chose the wide seas
as an asylum because they refused
to live under the law" says a bulletin
of the National Geographic society
from its Washington. d. c., headquar-
tiers.
Some Famous Pirate Bases.
beside the broad oceans which Of
fered infinite chance for escape there
have always been the island-dotted
areas which furnish excellent lurking
places from which these opponents OF
absolute freedom might take their
quarry for examination and long d.
vision among them. The Greek Archi-
pelago, the Barbary coast, the East
Indies. the China shores and the Span
ish Main, within the shadow OF our
own doors, have been pirate bases
for centuries and given to the world
a wealth of stories of GREATNESS In
terest.
.In ancient times these sea robbers
off the coast of Greece, Italy, and
Asia Minor with their thousands OF
light, swift vessels, or sea mice as
they were called, taxed merchant
shipping so heavily that they lightly
and rightly termed their base of op-
erations the Golden Gulf They
Haunted their black flag in the face
of mighty Rome, which remained I'M
potent against them until Pompey with
almost unlimited resources at his COM
mand curbed their operations.
Pandora's Box of Piracy.
ferdinand and Isabella ynwitting-
ly. in their decision to drive the Moors
from Spanish soil, let loose upon the
world and particularly upon Spanish
shipping, then at tine height OF its
pride, fearful horde of daring and
INSCRIPTIONS avengers.
in the early days of Moslem pow
er one of the caliphs wrote to his gen
eral and asked him what the sea was
like. The general answered. The sea
is a huge beast which silly folk ride
like worms on logs Consequently the
caliph gave orders that no Moslem
should voyage upon it. but they soon
learned that they must conquer Ii If
they were to hold their own among
other peoples, and they subsequently
furnished some of the most audacious
and picturesque of the pirate figures.
The James Brothers Of the Seas.
1.-TWO of the most daring and in
genious of these were the Barbarossa
brothers. Red Beard terrorized the
Mediterranean world from CONSTANT
nople to the Pillars of Hercules. The
excellent harbors and the island hid
ing places made II possible for him to
defy the fleets of England, Italy,
Spain and Holland, to levy tribute on
all the vessels that passed over the
highway, to capture the richly laden
Papal galleys bound for Rome in Mos
lem defiance of Christendom and
chain the Christians TO their oars. In
1910, at that time notorious and i'm
mensely wealthy. he changed the base
of his operations to the island of
Jerba. off the coast of Tunis, where
the Fates ceased to smile so kindly
upon him. After many hard-fought
battles and vicissitudes of fortune he
fell before the forces of Charles V
of Spain near Tremizan on African
soil. He had actually escaped. but
upon learning that his faithful fol-
lowers were close pressed he returned
to die with them. The career of his
brother Kheyr-er-din is scarcely less
romantic.
Piracy on the American coast
among the French and Spanish naviga-
tors began before the days of the Eng
fish colonists. Queen Elizabeth is said