We are now going to give an account of one whose name is better known in England, than most of those whose histories we have already related; the person we mean is Captain Kid, whose public Trial and Execution here, rendered him the subject of all conversation.

In the beginning of King William’s War, Captain Kid commanded a Privateer in the West-Indies, and by several adventurous actions acquired the reputation of a brave man, as well as an experienced seaman. About this time the Pirates were very troublesome in those parts, wherefore Captain Kid was recommended by the Lord Bellamont, then Governor of Barbadoes, as well as by several other persons, to the Government here, as a person very fit to be entrusted with the command of a Government Ship, and to be employed in cruising upon the Pirates, as knowing those Seas perfectly well, and being acquainted with their lurking places; but what reasons governed the politics of those times, I cannot tell, but this proposal met with no encouragement here, though it is certain it would have been of great consequence to the subject, our merchants suffering incredible damages by those robbers.

Upon this neglect the Lord Bellamont, and some others who knew what great captures had been made by the Pirates, and what a prodigious wealth must be in their possession, were tempted to fit out a ship at their own private charge, and to give the command of it to Captain Kid; and to give the thing a greater reputation, as well as to keep their seamen under the better command, they procured the King’s Commission for the said Captain Kid. Captain Kid had also another Commission, which was called a Commission of Reprisals; for it being then War time, this Commission was to justify him in the taking of French Merchant Ships, in case he should meet with any. He sail’d out of Plymouth in May 1696, in the Adventure Galley of thirty guns, and eighty men; the place he first design’d for was New York; in his Voyage thither he took a French Banker, but this was no Act of Piracy, he having a Commission for that purpose, as we have just observed.

When he arrived at New York he put up Articles for engaging more Hands, it being necessary to his Ship’s crew, since he proposed to deal with a desperate enemy: The terms he offered were, that every man should have a share of what was taken, reserving for himself and Owners forty shares. Upon this encouragement he soon increas’d his company to a hundred and fifty five men.

With this company he first sail’d for Maderas, where he took in wine and some other necessaries; from thence he proceeded to Bonavist, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, to furnish the ship with salt, and from thence went immediately to St. Jago, another of the Cape de Verd Islands, in order to stock himself with provisions. When all this was done, he bent his course to Madagascar, the known rendezvous of Pirates; in this way he fell in with Captain Warren, Commodore of three Men-of-War; he acquainted them with his design, kept them company two or three days, and then leaving them, made the best way for Madagascar, where he arrived in February 1696, just nine months from his departure from Plymouth.

It does not appear all this while that he had the least design of turning Pirate; for near Mahala and Joanna both he met with several Indian ships richly laden, to which he did not offer the least violence, tho’ he was strong enough to have done what he pleas’d with them; and the first outrage or depredation I find he committed upon mankind, was after his repairing his ship, and leaving Joanna; he touch’d at a place call’d Mabbee, upon the Red Sea, where he took some Guinea Corn from the natives, by force.

After this he sail’d to Bab’s Key, a Place upon a little Island at the entrance of the Red Sea; here it was that he first began to open himself to his ship’s company, and let them understand that he intended to change his measures; for, happening to talk of the Moca Fleet, which was to sail that way, he said We have been unsuccessful hitherto, but courage, my Boys, we’ll make our fortunes out of this Fleet: And finding that none of them appear’d averse to it, he order’d a boat out, well mann’d, to go upon the coast to make discoveries, commanding them to take a prisoner and bring to him, or get intelligence any way they could. The boat return’d in a few days, bringing him word, that they saw fourteen or fifteen ships ready to sail, some with English, some with Dutch, and some with Moorish Colours. He therefore order’d a man continually to watch at the mast-head, least this Fleet should go by them; and about four days after, towards evening, it appear’d in sight, being convoy’d by one English and one Dutch Man-of-War. Kid soon fell in with them, and getting into the midst of them, fir’d at a Moorish ship which was next him; but the Men-of-War taking the Alarm, bore down upon Kid, and firing upon him, obliged him to sheer off, he not being strong enough to contend with them. Now he had begun hostilities, he resolv’d to go on, and therefore he went and cruis’d along the coast of Malabar; the first Prize he met was a small vessel belonging to Aden, the vessel was Moorish, and the Owners were Moorish Merchants, but the Master was an Englishman, his name was Parker. Kid forc’d him and a Portugueze that was call’d Don Antonio, which were all the Europeans on Board, to take on with them; the first he design’d as a pilot, and the last as an interpreter. He also used the men very cruelly, causing them to be hoisted up by the arms, and drubb’d with a naked cutlass, to force them to discover whether they had money on board, and where it lay; but as they had neither gold nor silver on board, he got nothing by his cruelty; however, he took from them a bale of pepper, and a bale of coffee, and so let them go.

Soon after this he came up with a Moorish Ship, the Master whereof was a Dutchman, call’d Schipper Mitchel, and chased her under French Colours, which they observing, hoisted French Colours too: When he came up with her, he hail’d her in French, and they having a Frenchman on board, answer’d him in the same language; upon which he order’d them to send their boat on board; they were oblig’d to do so, and having examin’d who they were, and from whence they came; he ask’d the Frenchman, who was a passenger, if he had a French pass for himself? The Frenchman gave him to understand that he had. Then he told the Frenchman he must pass for Captain, and by God, says he, you are the Captain: The Frenchman durst not refuse doing as he would have him: The meaning of this was, that he would seize the Ship as fair Prize, and as if she belonged to French Subjects, according to a commission he had for that purpose; tho’, one would think, after what he had already done, that he need not have recourse to a quibble to give his actions a colour.

In short, he took the cargoe and sold it some time after, yet still he seem’d to have some fears upon him least these proceedings should have a bad end; for, coming up with a Dutch Ship some time, when his men thought of nothing but attacking her, Kid oppos’d it; upon which a mutiny arose, and the majority being for taking the said ship, and arming themselves to man the boat to go and seize her, he told them, such as did, never should come on Board him again; which put an end to the design, so that he kept company with the said ship some time, without offering her any violence: However, this dispute was the occasion of an accident, upon which an indictment was afterwards grounded against Kid; for Moor, the Gunner, being one day upon deck, and talking with Kid about the said Dutch Ship, some words arose betwixt them, and Moor told Kid, that he had ruin’d them all; upon which, Kid, calling him Dog, took up a bucket and struck him with it, which breaking his skull, he died the next day.

But Kid’s penitential fit did not last long, for coasting along Malabar, he met with a great number of boats, all which he plunder’d. Upon the same Coast he also lit upon a Portugueze Ship, which he kept possession of a week, and then having taking out of her some chests of Indian goods, thirty jars of butter, and some wax, iron, and a hundred bags of rice, he let her go.

The Adventure Galley was now so old and leaky, that they were forced to keep two pumps continually going, wherefore Kid shifted all the guns and tackle out of her into the Queda Merchant, intending her for his Man-of-War; and as he had divided the Money before, he now made a division of the remainder of the cargo: Soon after which, the greatest part of the company left him, some going on board Captain Culliford, and others absconding in the Country, so that he had not above forty men left.

He put to sea and happened to touch at Amboyna, one of the Dutch Spice Islands, where he was told, that the news of his Actions had reach’d England, and that he was there declared a Pirate.

The truth on’t is, his Piracies so alarmed our Merchants, that some motions were made in Parliament, to enquire into the commission that was given him, and the persons who fitted him out: These proceedings seem’d to lean a little hard upon the Lord Bellamont, who thought himself so much touch’d thereby, that he published a Justification of himself in a pamphlet after Kid’s execution. In the mean time, it was thought advisable, to publish a Proclamation, offering the King’s free Pardon to all such Pirates as should voluntarily surrender themselves, whatever Piracies they had been guilty of at any time, before the last day of April, 1699—That is to say, for all Piracies committed Eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, to the Longitude and Meridian of Socatora, and Cape Camorin. In which Proclamation, Avery and Kid were excepted by Name.

When Kid left Amboyna he knew nothing of this Proclamation, for certainly had he had notice of his being excepted in it, he would not have been so infatuated, to run himself into the very jaws of danger; but relying upon his interest with the Lord Bellamont, and fancying, that a French Pass or two he found on board some of the ships he took, would serve to countenance the matter, and that part of the booty he got would gain him new friends—I say, all these things made him flatter himself that all would be hushed, and that justice would but wink at him. Wherefor he sail’d directly for New York, where he was no sooner arrived, but by the Lord Bellamont’s orders, he was secured with all his papers and effects. Many of his fellow-adventurers who had forsook him at Madagascar, came over from thence passengers, some to New England and some to Jersey; where hearing of the King’s Proclamation for pardoning of Pirates, they surrendered themselves to the Governor of those places: At first they were admitted to bail, but soon after were laid in strict confinement, where they were kept for some time, till an opportunity happened of sending them with their Captain over to England to be tried.

Accordingly a Sessions of Admiralty being held at the Old Baily, in May, 1701, Captain Kid, Nicholas Churchill, James How, Robert Lumley, William Jenkins, Gabriel Loff, Hugh Parrot, Richard Barlicorn, Abel Owens, and Darby Mullins, were arraingn’d for Piracy and Robbery on the High Seas, and all found guilty, except three; these were Robert Lumley, William Jenkins, and Richard Barlicorn, who proving themselves to be apprentices to some of the officers of the ship, and producing their Indentures in Court, were acquitted.

Kid was tried upon an indictment of Murder also, viz. for killing Moor the Gunner, and found guilty of the same. Nicholas Churchill and James How pleaded the King’s Pardon, as having surrendered themselves within the time limited in the Proclamation, and Colonel Bass, Governor of West Jersey, to whom they surrendered, being in Court, and called upon, proved the same; however, this plea was over-ruled by the Court, because there being four Commissioners named in the Proclamation, it was adjudged no other person was qualified to receive their surrender, and that they could not be intitled to the benefit.

As to Captain Kid’s Defence, he insisted much upon his own innocence, and the villany of his men; he said he went out in a laudable employment and had no occasion, being then in good circumstances, to go a-Pirating; that the men often mutinied against him, and did as they pleas’d; that he was threatened to be shot in his cabin, and that ninety five left him at one time, and set fire to his boat, so that he was disabled from bringing his ship home, or the Prizes he took, to have them regularly condemn’d, which he said were taken by virtue of a commission under the broad seal, they having French Passes—The Captain called one Col. Hewson to his Reputation, who gave him an extraordinary character, and declared to the Court, that he had served under his command, and been in two engagements with him against the French, in which he fought as well as any man he ever saw; that there were only Kid’s Ship and his own against Monsieur du Cass, who commanded a squadron of six sail, and they got the better of him, but this being several years before the facts mentioned in the Indictment were committed, prov’d of no manner of service to the Prisoner on his Trial.

As to the friendship shown to Culliford, a notorious Pirate, Kid denied, and said, he intended to have taken him, but his men being a parcel of rogues and villains refused to stand by him, and several of them ran away from his ship to the said Pirate.—But the evidence being full and particular against him, he was found Guilty as before mentioned. When Kid was asked what he had to say why Sentence should not pass against him, he answered, That he had nothing to say, but that he had been sworn against by perjured wicked People. And when Sentence was pronounced, he said, My Lord it is a very hard Sentence. For my part I am the innocentest Person of them all, only I have been sworn against by perjured Persons.

Wherefore about a week after, Capt. Kid, Nicholas Churchill, James How, Gabriel Loff, Hugh Parrot, Abel Owen, and Darby Mullins, were executed at Execution Dock, and afterwards hung up in Chains, at some distance from each other, down the river, where their Bodies hung exposed for many years.