The Project Gutenberg EBook of Piracy off the Florida Coast and Elsewhere, by
Samuel A. Green

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Piracy off the Florida Coast and Elsewhere

Author: Samuel A. Green

Release Date: September 21, 2008 [EBook #26684]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIRACY OFF THE FLORIDA COAST ***

Produced by Mark C. Orton, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

PIRACY

OFF THE FLORIDA COAST
AND ELSEWHERE

BY
SAMUEL A. GREEN

CAMBRIDGE
JOHN WILSON AND SON
University Press
1911

FROM THE
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
FOR FEBRUARY, 1911.

PIRACY OFF THE FLORIDA COAST AND ELSEWHERE

At a stated meeting of the MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, held in
Boston on Thursday, February 9, 1911, Dr. SAMUEL A. GREEN presented the
following paper:--

Few persons of the present day are aware how extensively piracy
prevailed two centuries ago. There was no part of the high seas that was
free from the depredation of roving robbers. At times they threatened
towns on the coast, and at others they attacked ships on mid-ocean; and
they seem to have followed their lawless pursuits at will. When caught,
there was little delay in bringing them to trial and securing a
conviction; and trivial technicality in forms played no part in reaching
results. At times there were multiple executions, and in the community
there was no morbid sentimentality shown for the miserable wretches. Not
the least of their torture was sitting in the meeting-house on the
Sunday before execution and listening to their own funeral sermons, when
the minister told them what they might expect in the next world if they
got their just dues. On June 30, 1704, six poor victims were hung, on
the Boston side of the Charles River bank, for piracy and murder; and
there was a great crowd to witness the tragedy. Among the spectators on
this occasion was Chief-Just