The Pirates' Who's Who Part 18

His age was only 17 years.

FLY, CAPTAIN WILLIAM. Pirate and prizefighter.

He was boatswain in the _Elizabeth_, of Bristol, in 1726, bound for Guinea. Heading a mutiny on May 27th, he tossed the captain over the s.h.i.+p's side, and slaughtered all the officers except the s.h.i.+p's surgeon.

Fly was unanimously elected captain by the crew. His first prize was the _John and Hannah_ off the coast of North Carolina. The next the _John and Betty_, Captain Gale, from Bardadoes to Guinea. After taking several other vessels, he cruised off the coast of Newfoundland where he took a whaler.

Fly was caught by a piece of strategy on the part of the whaler captain, who carried him and his crew in chains in their own s.h.i.+p to Great Brewster, Ma.s.sachusetts, in June, 1726. On July 4th Fly and the other pirates were brought to trial at Boston, and on the 16th were executed. On the day of execution Fly refused to go to church before the hanging to listen to a sermon by Dr. Coleman. On the way to the gallows he bore himself with great bravado, jumping briskly into the cart with a nosegay in his hands bedecked with coloured ribbons like a prizefighter, smiling and bowing to the spectators. He was hanged in chains at Nix's Mate, a small island in Boston Harbour, and thus was brought to a close a brief though brilliant piratical career of just one month.

FORREST, WILLIAM.

One of the mutinous crew of the _Antonio_ hanged at Boston in 1672.

FORSEITH, EDWARD.

One of Captain Avery's crew. Hanged at Execution Dock, 1696.

FOSTER. Buccaneer and poet.

Only two facts are known about this adventurer. One is that he was reproved on a certain occasion by Morgan (who thought nothing of torturing his captives) for "harshness" to his prisoners, and the other that he wrote sentimental verse, particularly one work ent.i.tled "Sonneyettes of Love."

FRANKLYN, CHARLES.

This Welsh pirate was a Monmouths.h.i.+re man, and one of Captain Howel Davis's crew. While at the Cape Verde Islands, Franklyn "was so charmed with the luxuries of the place and the free conversation of the Women,"

that he married and settled down there.

FREEBARN, MATTHEW.

One of Captain Lowther's crew. Hanged at St. Kitts on March 11th, 1722.

FROGGE, WILLIAM. Buccaneer.

Was with Morgan in his attacks on Porto Bello and Panama in 1670. He kept a diary of the chief events of these exploits, and distinctly states that the Spaniards, and not Morgan, set fire to the city. But he was greatly enraged against Morgan for cheating the buccaneers out of their plunder, and giving each man only about 10 as his share.

FULWORTH, MRS. ANNE.

This lady accompanied Anne Bonny to New Providence Island from Carolina in the guise of her mother. When Captain Rackam and Anne Bonny were intriguing to run away from the latter's husband, "a pardoned pirate, a likely young fellow and of a sober life," Mrs. Fulworth offered sympathy and advice to the lovers. The scandal being brought to the ears of Governor Woodes Rogers by a pirate called Richard Turnley, he sent for the two ladies, "and examining them both upon it, and finding they could not deny it, he threaten'd, if they proceeded further in it, to commit them both to Prison, and order them to be whipp'd, and that Rackam, himself, should be their Executioner."

GARCIA.

One of Gilbert's crew in the _Panda_. Hanged at Boston in June, 1835.

GARDINER.

Although at one time a pirate, by some means or other he became appointed to the office of Deputy Collector at Boston in 1699. Accepted a bribe of stolen gold from the pirate Gillam, which caused some gossip in the town.

GASPAR, CAPTAIN JOSe, _alias_ "GASPARILLA" or "RICHARD COEUR DE LION."

Was an officer of high rank in the Spanish Navy till 1782, when, having been detected in stealing some jewels belonging to the Crown, he stole a s.h.i.+p and turned pirate. Settling at Charlotte Harbour, he built a fort, where he kept his female prisoners, all the male ones being killed. Here he lived in regal state as king of the pirates, on Gasparilla Island. In 1801 he took a big Spanish s.h.i.+p forty miles from Boca Grande, killed the crew, and took a quant.i.ty of gold and twelve young ladies. One of these was a Spanish princess, whom he kept for himself; the eleven Mexican girls he gave to his crew.

Gaspar was described as having polished manners and a great love of fas.h.i.+onable clothes, and being fearless in fight; but in spite of all these attractive qualities, the little Spanish princess would have none of him, and was murdered.

By the year 1821 the United States Government had made matters so hot for Gaspar that the pirate kingdom was broken up and their booty of 30,000,000 dollars divided.

As he was about to sail away, a big s.h.i.+p came into the bay, apparently an English merchantman. Gaspar at once prepared to attack her, when she ran up the Stars and Stripes, proving herself to be a heavily armed American man-of-war. The pirate s.h.i.+p was defeated, and Gaspar, winding a piece of anchor chain round his waist, jumped overboard and was drowned, his age being 65.

GATES, THOMAS.

Hanged in Virginia in 1718 with the rest of Captain Edward Teach's crew.

GAUTIER, FRANcOIS, or GAUTIEZ, _alias_ GEORGE SADWELL.

Native of Havre.

Cook on board the _Jane_ schooner, commanded by Captain Thomas Johnson.

While on a voyage from Gibraltar to Brazil with a valuable cargo, Gautier and the mate killed the captain and the helmsman and steered the vessel to Scotland, sinking her near Stornoway. Caught and tried at Edinburgh in November, 1821, found guilty, and hanged in January on the sands of Leith, his body being publicly dissected afterwards by the Professor of Anatomy to Edinburgh University. The age of this French pirate at his death was 23.

GAYNY, GEORGE, or GAINY.

One of Wafer's little party lost in the jungle of Darien in 1681. In attempting to swim across a swollen river with a line, he got into difficulties, became entangled in the line which was tied round his neck, and having also a bag containing 300 Spanish silver dollars on his back, he sank and was swept away. Some time afterwards Wafer found Gayny lying dead in a creek with the rope twisted about him and his money at his neck.

GENNINGS, CAPTAIN.

A renegade English pirate who joined the Barbary corsairs, turned Mohammedan, and commanded a Moorish pirate vessel. Taken prisoner off the Irish coast, he was brought to London and hanged at Wapping.

GERRARD, THOMAS.

Of the Island of Antigua.

One of Major Bonnet's crew of the _Royal James_. Tried for piracy at Charleston in 1718, but found "not guilty."

GIBBENS, GARRAT.

Boatswain on board the _Queen Ann's Revenge_. Was killed at the same time as Captain Teach.