Posted on 05/23/2021 7:32:48 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1701, the pirate William Kidd hanged at London’s Execution Dock; his body was afterwards gibbeted at Tilbury Port.
Alhough his famous buried treasure and its subsequent literary afterlife has helped make Kidd one of history’s best-known buccaneers, the man more closely resembles a startup entrepreneur … just a monumentally unlucky one.
The Scotsman had done well enough as a relatively legitimate privateer raiding enemy French ships to settle down in colonial Manhattan in the 1690s. He made a prosperous marriage to a wealthy widow, and for several years he dwelt as a respectable burgher who helped underwrite construction of the still-extant landmark Trinity Church.
Induced by whatever reason of restlessness or cupidity, Kidd in 1696 came to captain the venture that would be his undoing: the voyage of the aptly if unimaginatively christened Adventure Galley. Backed by a who’s who of Whig worthies up to and including the king himself, Kidd set out for the Indian Ocean bearing letters of marque that authorized him not only to prey on the French, but to attack “Pirates, Freebooters, and Sea Rovers,” which is like when Willie Sutton explained that he robbed banks because that’s where the money is.....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
Bkmk
By Robert Lawson, he was a great favorite of mine when I was a kid.
His illustrations were very good too.
I had four of his books; “Captain Kidd’s Cat”, “Ben and Me”, about Ben Franklin and his good mouse Amos that lived in his fur hat, “Paul Revere’s Horse”, named Sheherazade and “I Discover Columbus”, told by his parrot, Aurelio.
I just sent copies to a friend that looks to a step-daddy again soon of a couple of 2nd or 3rd grade kids.
I used to tell my daughter as we sat on a Long Island beach about how Captain Kidd had sailed up to New York harbor and been warned that he was going to be arrested as a pirate. He then sailed the long way around Montauk into Long Island Sound and supposedly buried his treasure on some unknown beach. That would keep her digging for awhile. I also think I’m in the revisionist innocent man camp after reading a few books on Kidd. He robbed the wrong Muslim who had a private deal with one of the bigshot Lords. He was sentenced to death for hitting on the head one of his crew who was grumbling and fomenting a mutiny with a bucket. What else could he do.
I remember “Captain Kidd’s Cat” and “Ben and Me”, not the other two. I may have to find copies for the grandnephews and grandnieces.
Ah, Captain Kidd’s Trees.
Love, John Corey
He made a prosperous marriage to a wealthy widowShe would be called more than just a (thrice) widow these days.... was suspected of poisoning the 2nd deceased husband. Captain Kidd was her third. The pair were known for the clamor from their bed chamber.
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