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
In 1703 was one of the crew of the brigantine _Charles_, eighty tons,
owned by some leading citizens of Boston, and fitted out to go
privateering off the coasts of Arcadia and Newfoundland. On leaving
Marblehead the crew mutinied, locked the captain in his cabin, and elected
Quelch their commander. They sailed to the south, and shortly afterwards
threw the captain overboard. They hoisted a flag, the "Old Roger,"
described as having "in the middle of it an Anatomy with an Hourglars in
one hand and a dart in the Heart with three drops of Blood proceeding from
it in the other." They took nine Portuguese vessels off the coast of
Brazil, out of which they took plunder of very great value.
Quelch now had the audacity to sail back to Marblehead, where his crew
landed and quickly scattered with their plunder. Within a week Quelch was
in gaol, and was taken to Boston, where his trial began on June 17th,
1704, and he was found guilty. The days between the sentence and the
execution must have, indeed, been trying for the prisoner. We read in a
pamphlet published at the time: "The Ministers of the Town used more than
ordinary Endeavours to Instruct the Prisoners and bring them to
Repentance. There were Sermons Preached in their hearing Every Day, and
Prayer daily made with them. And they were Catechised, and they had many
occasional Exhortations. And nothing was left that could be done for their
Good."
On Friday, June 30th, 1704, Quelch and his companions marched on foot
through the town of Boston to Scarlil's Wharf with a strong armed guard of
musketeers, accompanied by various officials and two ministers, while in
front was carried a silver oar, the emblem of a pirate's execution. Before
the last act the minister gave a long and fervent harangue to the wretched
culprits, in all of whom were observed suitable signs of repentance except
Quelch, who, stepping forward on the platform, his hat in his hand, and
bowing left and right to the spectators, gave a short address, in which he
warned them "They should take care how they brought Money into New England
to be Hanged for it."
QUITTANCE, JOHN.
One of Captain Quelch's crew of the brigantine _Charles_. Tried with the
rest of that crew at the Star Tavern at Boston in June, 1704.
RACKAM, CAPTAIN JOHN, _alias_ CALICO JACK.
Served as quartermaster in Captain Vane's company. On one occasion Vane
refused to fight a big French ship, and in consequence was dismissed his
ship and marooned on an uninhabited island off the coast of America, while
the crew elected Rackam to be their captain in his place. This was on
November 24th, 1718, and on the very first day of his command he had the
good fortune to take and plunder several small vessels.
Off the Island of Jamaica they took a Madeira ship, and found an old
friend on board as a passenger--a Mr. Hosea Tisdell, who kept a tavern in
the island, and they treated him with great respect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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