The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And BuccaneersGosse, Philip
History
The Pirates' Who's Who: Giving Particulars Of The Lives and Deaths Of The Pirates And Buccaneers
Gosse, Philip
Pirates
He afterwards sailed from the Thames in the _Gambia Castle_, a ship of the
African Company, in command of a company of soldiers which was being sent
to garrison the fort. The merchants of Gambia were supposed to victual
this garrison, but the rations supplied were considered by Massey to be
quite insufficient. He quarrelled with the Governor and merchants, and
took his soldiers back on board the ship, and with Lowther, the second
mate, seized the ship and turned pirate. Lowther and Massey eventually
quarrelled, for the latter, being a soldier, "was solicitous to move in
his own sphere"--that is, he wanted to land his troops and plunder the
French West Indian settlements. In the end Massey and a few followers were
permitted to go off in a captured sloop, and in this sailed for Port
Royal, Jamaica. Arrived there, "with a bold countenance he went to the
Governor" and told a long and plausible tale of how he had managed to
escape from the pirates at the first opportunity. He deceived the
sympathetic Governor, and was sent with Captain Laws to hunt for Lowther.
Returning to Jamaica without finding Lowther, he was granted a
"certificate of his surrender," and came to England as a passenger.
On reaching London, he wrote a narrative of the whole affair--or as much
as he deemed wise--to the African Company, who, receiving the story with
far less credulity than the Governor of Jamaica, returned him answer "that
he should be fairly hanged," and very shortly afterwards he was, at
Tyburn on July 26th, 1723.
MAY, WILLIAM.
A London mariner. One of Captain Avery's crew, left behind in Madagascar
very sick. A negro, hearing that an Englishman was there, came to him and
nursed and fed him. This negro spoke good English, having lived at Bethnal
Green.
May was promoted afterwards to be captain of a ship in the Red Sea. He was
described by a shipmate as being "a true cock of the Game and an old
sportsman." Hanged at London in 1696.
MAZE, CAPTAIN WILLIAM, or MACE, or MAISE.
A notorious pirate; particularly mentioned in the royal warrant
authorizing Captain Kidd to go and capture certain "wicked and
ill-disposed persons."
Arrived in command of a big ship at New York in 1699, loaded with booty
taken in the Red Sea.
McCARTHY, CAPTAIN DENNIS.
Of New Providence, Bahama Islands.
This pirate and prize-fighter was one of those who refused King George's
pardon in 1717, and was eventually hanged by his late fellow-pirates. On
the gallows he made the following dying speech:
"Some friends of mine have often said I should die in my shoes, but I
would rather make them liars." And so, kicking off his shoes, he was
hanged.
MEGHLYN, HANS VAN.
A pirate of Antwerp, who owned a vessel of forty-five tons, painted black
with pitch, and carried a crew of thirty. In 1539 he was cruising off
Whitstable, on the lookout for vessels entering or leaving the Thames.
Cromwell had been warned by Vaughan to look out for this pirate ship.
DE MELTON.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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