by Cate Ludlow
All these multifarious articles, so essentially necessary for the furnishing of an hemisphere with provisions, were (it would seem) of no value in the estimation of the ferocious Morgan, because he could not carry them away; although, by preserving them, he might have made use of them to demand a specific ransom for them. Circumstances might also enable him to derive some further advantages from them; but, in fact, whatever was distant, or uncertain, presented no attraction to this barbarian, who was eager to enjoy, but most ardent to destroy. He was struck with one consideration only. All these bulky productions of art and industry were, for the moment, of no use to the freebooters. Of what importance to him was the ruin of many thousand innocent families? He consulted only the ferocity of his character; and, without communicating his design to any individual, he secretly caused the city to be set on fire in several places. In a few hours it was almost entirely consumed. The Spaniards that had continued to Panama, as well as the pirates themselves, who were at first ignorant from whence the conflagration proceeded, ran together, and united their efforts in order to extinguish the flames. They brought water, and pulled down houses, with a view to prevent the further progress of that destructive element.
All their exertions were fruitless. A violent wind was blowing; and, in addition to this circumstance, (as already intimated), the principal part of the buildings in that city were constructed with wood. Its finest houses, together with their valuable furniture, among which was the magnificent palace belonging to the Genoese, the churches, convents, court-houses, shops, hospitals, pious foundations, warehouses filled with merchandize,– all were reduced to ashes! The fire also consumed a great number of beasts, horses, mules, and many slaves, who had concealed themselves, and who were burnt alive. A very few houses only escaped the fire, which continued burning upwards of four weeks. Amidst the havoc produced in every quarter by the conflagration, the free-booters did not neglect to pillage as much as they possibly could; by which means they collected a considerable booty.
Morgan seemed ashamed of his atrocious resolution; he carefully concealed that he had ever adopted it, and gave out that the Spaniards themselves had set their city on fire. In the morning it was nothing but a heap of ashes. A retired quarter, however, which was poor, wretchedly built, and occupied only by muleteers, was spared by the flames; as also were two convents, and the palace belonging to the president, which was sheltered by its remote situation.
After this deplorable catastrophe, the pirates assembled together, and entrenched themselves under the ruins of a church. Morgan detached a large body of well armed troops to go and announce his victory to those who had been left behind at Chagre, and to inform them of their situation. He likewise sent out two other detachments, of one hundred men each, to collect and bring in prisoners: he further sent out a well manned ship to cruise in the South Sea, and attempt the capture of some prizes there. This vessel, in fact, returned at the end of three days, with three ships that had been taken; but brought, at the same time, some information which extremely chagrined both the pirates and their chieftain. A large galleon had escaped their vigilance, which was laden with the treasures of the churches, as well as with a large quantity of silver, gold, and other precious articles, belonging to the king and the most opulent traders of Panama. On board this galleon also were the wives of the principal inhabitants, together with all their jewels, and every other article that could possibly be conveyed away. They had also succeeded in embarking on board a great number of children, and all the religeuse in the city. She had no other cargo, and did not even carry any ballast; or rather, the ingots of gold and silver supplied the place of ballast. This vessel, although laden with so many objects, the preservation of which was of such vast moment, was defended by no more than six guns and a scanty crew; besides which, she was in other respects but indifferently provided. She was sailing very securely: for, as the free-booters had arrived by land, the Spaniards were fully persuaded they could undertake nothing by sea.
It seemed impossible for a prize of such immense consequence to escape the rapacity of those corsairs. They discovered her, towards evening, at some distance from them; and had the address to intercept, without being discovered, the ship’s boat, on board which were seven persons, from whom they received information highly necessary for the furtherance of their designs. From this moment, Chart, who was the commander of the pirate ship, considered the capture of the galleon as infallible; he waited only for the return of day, that he might take possession of her. It would otherwise have been impossible to attempt a capture, easy as it might appear, during the night. His crew, who were abundantly stocked with wine, and who had been in quest of women and girls in the small islands that lay in the vicinity of Panama, were so given up to excess of intoxication and debauchery, that, for the moment, they were incapacitated from firing at her. On the following day they had cause to repent of this forced delay, the consequences of which were irreparable. He still entertained hopes of overtaking the galleon; but she was now completely out of his reach. What despair must his comrades have experienced, on seeing that their negligence had deprived them of such a valuable prey; and that a few inconsiderable prizes constituted the whole fruit of their cruise!
Desolate Island
Alexander Selkirk, who was four years and four months by himself, on the island of Jaun Fernandez, said he was a native of Largo, in the county of Fife, in Scotland, and was bred a sailor from his youth; and, at the time he was left on the island, was master of a trading vessel called The Cinque Port, Captain Stradling commander.– The reason of his being left on the island, was a difference between him and Captain Stradling, and the ship being leaky, made him at first willing to stay there rather than go with him, but afterwards he changed his mind, and would gladly have gone on board again, but the Captain would not receive him. He had with him his clothes and bedding; also a firelock, a pound of powder, some bullets and some tobacco; a hatchet, a kettle, a knife; a bible, some books on practical divinity, and his mathematical instruments and books.
For the first eight months he was extremely melancholy, and could hardly support the terror of being alone in a desolate place.
He built himself two huts of pimento trees, covered with long grass, and lined with the skins of goats which he killed with his gun as long as his powder lasted. He got fire by rubbing two sticks of pimento wood together on his knee. In the smallest hut, which was some distance from the other, he dressed his victuals, and in the other he slept, and employed himself in reading, singing psalms, and praying; so that he said he was a better Christian whilst in this solitude, than he was before. When he was first left in this place he ate nothing until mere hunger obliged him, partly from the want of bread and salt, and partly from excess of grief; nor did he go to bed till the want of sleep would not permit him to stay longer awake.
The pimento wood, which burnt very clear, served him both for fire and candle, and refreshed him with its fragrant smell. He could have procured fish enough, but he could not eat them for want of salt, except a sort of cray fish, which was extremely good, and as large as our lobsters, – these he sometimes broiled, and at other times boiled; as he also did the goat’s flesh, and made very good broth of it; for the taste of it is much more pleasant than that of the goats of England or Wales.– He kept an account of five hundred of these animals, which he had killed, and as many more which he caught and having marked them on the ear let them go again. When his powder was gone, he took them by out running them; for his way of living, and his continual exercise, walking and running, had so cleared his body of gross humours that he ran, with wonderful swiftness, through the woods, and up the rocks and hills. He distanced and tired both the swiftest runners belonging to the ship, and a bull-dog they had, in catching the goats, and bringing them on his back.
He once pursued a goat with so much eagerness that he caught hold of it on the brink of a precipice, of which he was not aware, as the bushes concealed it from his sight; so that he fell with the goa
t down the precipice, a prodigious height. He was so much hurt by the fall that he lay insensible, as he imagined, about twenty-four hours; and when he came to himself, he found the goat dead under him. He was hardly able to crawl to his hut, about a mile distant; nor was he able to go abroad again for two days.
He used to divert himself with cutting his name on the trees, together with the time of his being left and continuance there. He was at first much pestered with rats, which had bred, in great numbers, from some which had got on shore from ships which had put in there for food or water. The rats gnawed his feet and clothes while he slept, so that he was obliged to cherish some cats, which had also bred from some that had got on shore from ships that had put in there; these he fed on goats flesh, by which many of them became so tame, that they would lie about him in hundreds, and soon delivered him from the rats. He likewise tamed some kids, and to divert himself, he would frequently sing and dance with them and his cats; so that by the favour of Providence, and the vigour of his youth, he being now only thirty years of age, he was at length able to conquer all the inconveniences of his solitude, and became extremely easy.
When his clothes had worn out, he made himself a coat and a cap of goat’s skin, which he sewed with little thongs of the same, cut with his knife. He had no other needle but a nail; and when his knife was worn out, he made others as well as he could of some iron hoops that were left ashore. Having some linen by him, he cut out some shirts, which he sewed with the worsted of some old stockings; he had his last shirt on when he was found. At his first going aboard, he seemed much rejoiced; but had so far forgot his native language for want of use, that he could not speak plainly, only dropping a few words now and then, without much connection; but in two or three days he began to talk, and then told them that his silence was involuntary, for being so long without any person to converse with, he had forgot the use of his tongue. A dram was offered him, but he refused to taste it, having drunk nothing but water for so long a time; and it was some time before he could relish the victuals on board.
A Hardened Convict
Two men were once convicted of highway robbery before Judge Caulfield. When the jury brought in their verdict of guilty, the elder of the two felons turned round to the younger, and, with a countenance expressive of the most diabolical rage, malice, and revenge, addressed his companion in the following manner:- ‘Perdition seize you, you hen-hearted villain; if it had not been for you, I would have sent the rascal to hell who bore witness against us. I would have murdered the villain, and then he could have told no tales. But you, you cowardly scoundrel! persuaded me to let him go. You dog, if I am hanged, you will be hanged with me, and that is the only comfort and satisfaction I have. But, good people, if any of my profession be among you, take warning by my example. If you rob a man, kill him on the spot; you will then be safe, for dead men tell no tales. I have robbed many persons, and I may escape from prison and rob many more; and, by Heaven! the man I rob, I will surely murder.’
‘May God visit the blood of the man you murder upon my head,’ said Judge Caulfield. ‘Go, Mr Sheriff, procure a carpenter, have a gallows erected, and a coffin made, on the very spot where the monster stands; for from the bench I will not remove, until I see him executed. As for the young man, whose heart, though corrupted by the influence of this infernal wretch, still retained the principles of humanity, he shall not perish with him. I must, indeed, pass upon him the sentence the law requires; but I will respite him, and use my influence with the crown to pardon.– This hoary villain shall not have the satisfaction which his malignant heart had anticipated.’ The Sheriff obeyed the order – a gallows was erected in the court-house, and in the presence of the judge, the jury, and the people, the monster ascended the scaffold, cursing and blaspheming to the moment when he was launched into eternity.
Horrible Cruelty of Graeme, The Outlaw of Galloway
From the history of Galloway we extract the following account of the barbarous revenge of a ruffian, named Graeme, who was a celebrated freebooter of that country, and of whom many acts of bloody cruelty, too gross to be mentioned, are on record.
In an excursion this outlaw once made to plunder the lands of Gordon of Muirfad, he met with a notable defeat; for the old laird, aware of his intentions, had collected a body of his friends and dependants together; and these being placed in ambush, Graeme was taken completely by surprise, a number of his gang killed, and himself seriously wounded. Stung with rage and shame at being thus foiled, where he did not expect even resistance, he vowed a deadly vengeance: nor was it long protracted; for, watching his opportunity, he appeared so suddenly before the castle, with a strong force, that those within were taken quite unprepared. What they could do they did: they secured the gates, or rather doors, for it never could have been a place capable of making much resistance. Graeme demanded admission, uttering the most dreadful threats in case of a refusal. Gordon, sensible of his own weakness, was desirous of entering into some compromise with the robbers, and, for that purpose, solicited a parley at the door, against which Graeme had, by this time, piled up faggots and brush-wood for the purpose of setting it on fire. A sum of money in the meantime, and a future annuity, by way of black-meal, for protection, or rather forbearance, were the terms agreed on.
The arrangements having been finally made, Graeme observed that they might as well part friends: and advancing to the grated window, in the centre of the door through which they had carried out their negotiations, and having received the stipulated sum, he held out his hand at parting. As this was a piece of courtesy which could not be declined with safety, the proffered symbol of amity was accepted. No sooner, however, were their hands joined, than Graeme, throwing a noose over the other’s wrist, pulled with all his might, till an iron staple was driven into the wall, to which he fastened the end of the chain, and instantly setting fire to the pile, burnt him alive behind his door;– the castle and all it contained being destroyed.
Terrific Love
Avilda, daughter of the King of Gothland, contrary to the manner and disposition of her sex, exercised the profession of piracy, and was scouring the seas with a powerful fleet, while a sovereign was offering sacrifices to her beauty at the shrine of love. King Sigar perceiving that this masculine lady was not to be gained by the usual arts of lovers, took the extraordinary resolution of addressing himself in a mode more agreeable to her humour. He fitted out a fleet, went in quest of her, engaged her in a furious battle, which continued two days without intermission, and thus gained possession of a heart to be conquered only by valour.
The Villainous Innkeeper
In 1742, a gentleman in travelling was stopped by a highwayman in a mask, within about seven miles of Hull, and robbed of a purse containing twenty guineas. The gentleman proceeded about two miles further, and stopped at the Bull Inn, kept by Mr Brunell. He related the circumstances of the robbery, adding, that as all his gold was marked, he thought it probable that the robber would be detected. After he had supped, his host entered the room, and told him a circumstance had arisen which led him to think he could point out the robber. He then informed the gentleman that he had a waiter, one John Jennings, whose conduct had long been very suspicious; he had long before dark sent him out to change a guinea for him, and said that he had only come back since he (the gentleman) was in the house, saying he could not get change; that Jennings being in liquor, he sent him to bed, resolving to discharge him in the morning; that at the same time he returned with the guinea, he discovered it was not the same he had given him, but was marked, of which he took no further notice until he heard the particulars of the robbery, and that the guineas which the highwayman had taken were all marked. He added, that he had unluckily paid away the marked guinea to a man who lived at some distance.
Mr Brunell was thanked for his information, and it was resolved to go softly to the room of Jennings, whom they found fast asleep; his pockets were searched, and from one of them was drawn a purse containing exactly nineteen guineas, w
hich the gentleman identified. Jennings was dragged out of bed and charged with the robbery. He denied it most solemnly; but the facts having been deposed on oath by the gentleman and Mr Brunell, he was committed for trial.
So strong did the circumstances appear against Jennings, that several of his friends advised him to plead guilty, and throw himself on the mercy of the court. This advice he rejected; he was tried at the ensuing assizes, and the jury, without going out of the court, found him guilty. He was executed at Hull a short time after, but declared his innocence to the very last.
In less than twelve months after this event occurred, Brunell, the master of Jennings, was himself taken up for a robbery committed on a guest in his house, and the fact being proved on his trial, he was convicted and ordered for execution.
The approach of death brought on repentance; and repentance, confession. Brunell not only acknowledged having committed many highway robberies, but also the very one for which poor Jennings suffered. The account he gave was, that after robbing the gentleman, he arrived at home some time before him. That he found a man at home waiting, to whom he owned a small bill, and not having quite enough of money, he took out of the purse one guinea from the twenty he had just possessed himself of, to make up the sum, which he paid to the man, who then went away. Soon after the gentleman came to his house, and relating the account of the robbery, and that the guineas were marked, he became thunderstruck! Having paid one of them away, and not daring to apply for it again, as the affair of the robbery and of the marked guineas would soon become publicly known, detection, disgrace, and ruin appeared inevitable. Turning in his mind every way to escape, the thought of accusing and sacrificing poor Jennings at last struck him; and thus to his other crimes he added that of the murder of an innocent man.
