1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. When we 3 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: think of pirates in American history, there's perhaps one who 4 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: stands out, black Beard. In the eight hundred sailors whispered 5 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: his name and fear the sight of any pirate ship, 6 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: much less the Queen Anne's revenge filled sea merchants with terror. 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: Even three hundred years after his death, we can't talk 8 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: about pirates without mentioning black Beard. A lot comes to 9 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 1: mind when we think of the fierce rogues of the sea, 10 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: plundering merchant ships, cannon fire, sword fighting, and tossing sailors 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: from targeted ships overboard. And then there's the brogues and 12 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: vernacular helped along by iconic performances by film actor Robert Newton, 13 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: who himself portrayed Blackbeard, that inspired talk like a pirate day, 14 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: And yet for all we know about pirates were still learning. 15 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: Blackbeard's origins are a mystery, though most historians agree he 16 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: was born Edward Teach in Bristol, England, somewhere around Little 17 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: is known about his youth, but by the time he 18 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: was a young adult, international trade had grown into a 19 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: highly profitable business, and with all that trade came plenty 20 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: of opportunity for wealth. Unfortunately, wealth didn't trickle down to 21 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: sailors and other ship hands. In fact, the paying conditions 22 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: were downright deplorable. For most. Working on ships was dangerous 23 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: business even without the threat of piracy. There were storms, 24 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: of course, and illnesses either from rats and fleas, spoiled food, dysentery, 25 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: or any number of contagious diseases. Bloating merchandise and caring 26 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: for the ships were labor intensive for many. An injury 27 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:08,239 Speaker 1: or about of sickness meant unemployment. Those who joined the 28 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: British Army didn't fare much better. Meager pay, little chance 29 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: of advancement, and poor work and living conditions drove some 30 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: to look for a better way of life at sea, 31 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: namely on pirate ships. Those captains knew that a fair 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: wage kept crew members loyal and hard working. Tired of 33 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: trying to make a good living honestly, teach looked to piracy. 34 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: There were no shortages of opportunity there, with increased trade 35 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: to the American colonies and ships laden with valuable goods, 36 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: Pirates quickly set up base camps along merchant roots. The 37 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: teach found a job as a crewmate with Captain Benjamin 38 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: Hornigold out of the Caribbean in seventeen sixteen. After working 39 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: his way up to quartermaster, he soon became captain of 40 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: his own ship, a six gun sloop. In seventeen seventeen, 41 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 1: he had two ships and over seventy crew members. British 42 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: and French vessels made up most of the cruised targets. 43 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: Blackbeard took their cargo and often released prisoners aboard slaver's 44 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: ships or took them on his crew. In November of 45 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: seventeen seventeen, he took on two ships off the coast 46 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: of St. Vincent and upgraded his sloop to a forty 47 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: gun ship. He named the Queen Anne's Revenge and added 48 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: another two and thirty men to his crew. Teach was 49 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: not only good at pirrat ng, but he also excelled 50 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: at marketing. You see, the more fierce and ruthless he 51 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: appeared to be, the less his crew had to actually fight. 52 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: To help establish his reputation, he kidnapped and tortured Captain 53 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: Henry bow Stock for a night after raiding his ship. 54 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: Of course, the terrified hostage reported the ordeal to the 55 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: Governor of what was then St. Christopher Island, a place 56 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: now known simply as Saint KITT's. The report described to 57 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: Teach as a tall and slender man with a long, 58 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: dark black beard, which spurred the nickname Blackbeard. Sometimes he 59 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: braided his beard complete with blood red ribbons. He wore 60 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: boots and long duster length coats, a large hat, and 61 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: pistols on each hip. Sometimes he hung slow light matches 62 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: from his tricorn or his beard, letting the sparks and 63 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: smoke give him an even more menacing appearance. Perception was everything, 64 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: and in the thick of battle, such an appearance made 65 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: others claim he was the devil incarnate. Before long, word 66 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: about Blackbeard's ferocity traveled all along the coast and American seaboard, 67 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: since most of the ships he preyed on delivered goods 68 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: to the colonies, Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North 69 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: Carolina provided the perfect hideaway. It was here that the 70 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: HMS Pearl tracked down the Queen Anne's Revenge. After a 71 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: brief battle that saw the demise of twenty one crewmen 72 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: aboard the Pearl, Blackbeard boarded the British ship, believing he 73 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: had won the battle, he had walked into an ambush. 74 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: The crew of both ships erupted into hand to hand combat. 75 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: Blackbeard was killed, though it took five gunshots and sword injuries. 76 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: The Pearls captain had the pirate's head severed and strung 77 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: up on the bowsprint of the elongated spar on the 78 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: bow of the ship. Recently, historians and archivists uncovered new 79 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: information on Blackbeard. Sure he had been a cunning strategist, 80 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: a respected leader, and one of the most profitable and 81 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:32,279 Speaker 1: prolific pirates in his day, but he never personally killed 82 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: anyone outside of battle. It seems his reputation for murder 83 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: was undeserved. It should have gone to another group of pirates. Women. 84 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. Women were bad 85 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: luck to have on board that east. That's what most pirates, 86 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: including Blackbeard, believed, and Bonnie thought otherwise. Perhaps obviously, though, 87 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: if she was the woman doing the rating, then for 88 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: members of the targeted ship the superstition became fact. Her 89 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: beginnings were as scandalous as her time at sea. She 90 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: was born an Cormick near Cork, Ireland. Sometime around her father, William, 91 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: was a lawyer who had married into a great deal 92 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: of wealth. Any future children between the couple would want 93 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: for nothing. It seemed. The same couldn't be said of 94 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: her father, though he wanted the housemaid Mary Brennan, and 95 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 1: so began their affair. Not long afterward, Mrs Cormick discovered 96 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: the betrayal, mostly because the housemaid was pregnant, and there 97 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: were two choices in society. Then give the child to 98 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: a foundling home and keep the maid, or keep the 99 00:06:55,040 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: child and dismiss the maid. Her father chose neither. Instead, 100 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: he chose the young maid over his wife. As you 101 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 1: might imagine, his wife divorced him for infidelity. William responded 102 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: by suing his wealthy wife for an allowance to keep 103 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: him and his pregnant mistress in a certain lifestyle, and 104 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: his lack of decency didn't fare well with his clients, however, 105 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: and he lost both his wealth and his business. He 106 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: moved his new family to London, where he tried to 107 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: start a new law practice. He often brought his daughter 108 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: to work with him, and in an attempt to keep 109 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: his disgraced past from following him, he dressed her as 110 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: a boy and told clients she belonged to a relative. 111 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: When Anne's true parentage and story came to light, William's 112 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: business failed once more. Now flat broke, the family decided 113 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: to make a fresh start in the colonies. They settled 114 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: in Charlestown later renamed Charleston in what's now South Carolina. 115 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: As part of their new start, William gave up law 116 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: for the trading business. The career change paid off, and 117 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: soon he earned his own wealth. The money allowed him 118 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: to give his daughter the best education and to ensure 119 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: she very well. He insisted she learned to sing, dance, 120 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: and sew Anne didn't enjoy having to be very ladylike, 121 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: much to her father's dismay, and said her temper matched 122 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: her fiery red hair. When Anne turned thirteen, her mother 123 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: died from typhoid. The rift between father and daughter grew 124 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: increasingly wide. Over the next few years. There were rumors 125 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: that Anne took a knife to a servant girl during 126 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: a disagreement. Other stories say that at sixteen, she beat 127 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: an attempted rapist badly enough that he needed medical attention, 128 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: and became even more rebellious. In her later teen years. 129 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,199 Speaker 1: She frequented taverns and didn't abide by society's double standards 130 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: when it came to relationships, her reputation took a toll 131 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: on William's business. In an attempt to save his and 132 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: his daughter's reputations both, he betrothed her to a local 133 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: high society man who found her beauty and fiery attitude 134 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: captivating and didn't like the arrangement much. It's not clear 135 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: if she tried to set her father's plantation on fire 136 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 1: before the betrothment or afterward, or even whether that particular 137 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: story is true. In any case, Needless to say, the 138 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: engagement was off in an act of defiance. When she 139 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,959 Speaker 1: turned twenty and married James Bonnie. He was not only poor, 140 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: but held a profession in conflict with her father's trading business. 141 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: You see, James was a pirate. William disowned his daughter. 142 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 1: After that, The newly Wets moved to Nasa on New 143 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: Province Island in seventeen eighteen. The Bahamas was sanctuary for buccaneers. 144 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: The English even called it the Republic of Pirates. Ann 145 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: and James were happy with their marauding lifestyle right up 146 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: until a new governor arrived later that year. What's Rogers 147 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: made it his mission to rid the Bahamas of its 148 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: seedy reputation. He convinced James to become an informant. His 149 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: information led to the capture and hanging of several pirate crews, 150 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: and Bonnie had lived by the pirate code that pirates 151 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: stuck together. Unable to see passed her husband's disloyalty, she 152 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: lost all respect for him, while James spent time with 153 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: the Governor and spent time in the local taverns. There, 154 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: she met Captain John Rackham, known as Calico Jack for 155 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: the clothes he wore. He sailed on the sloop named 156 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 1: the Ranger, targeting ships between Jamaica and Cuba. He and 157 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,079 Speaker 1: his men had once abandoned their ship after stealing a 158 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: Spanish warship. English troops fired their cannons at the Ranger, 159 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: believing the pirates were still aboard. Meanwhile, Captain Jack and 160 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: his men casually sailed past them on the Spanish vessel. 161 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: But like her husband, Calico Jack had since given up 162 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: piracy and had received a party. Unlike her husband, he 163 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: still held to the code. He didn't work as an 164 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: informant or turn in his fellow pirates. He was instantly 165 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: taken by Anne's beauty and disposition He was equally impressed 166 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: with the name she had made for herself as a 167 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: capable pirate in her own right. A fierce fighter, she 168 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: proved as good as any man with a pistol or sword. 169 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: Chemistry and a similar style in past drew the two together, 170 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: and before long they became an item. It didn't take 171 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 1: long for James to find out about the affair. Furious, 172 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: he brought her before the governor, who ordered her wit 173 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: for adultery. Calico Jack offered James money if he had 174 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 1: divorced Anne and free her to marry him instead. That 175 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: didn't go over well, and James threatened to beat the 176 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: life out of Jack if he set foot near his 177 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: wife again, but to do that he would have to 178 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: catch them first. Since James wouldn't grant Anna divorce, Calico 179 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: Jack had a solution. Returned to a life of piracy 180 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: and take Anne with him, and in August of they 181 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: hired a crew of their own and stole a sloop 182 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 1: with four cannons and two swivel guns. It's not clear 183 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: if the two renamed the ship or if it was 184 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:19,680 Speaker 1: a coincidence, but the sloop bore her father's name, the William, 185 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: and just like that, Calico Jack and Anne Bonnie slipped 186 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: out of port and set sail for Jamaica. Yes, it 187 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: was breaking the rules, but Calico Jack didn't care. While 188 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: most pirates agreed that no women were to be allowed aboard, 189 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: he was more than happy to have Anne Bonnie at 190 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: his side. She fought as well as any of his men, 191 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 1: and beyond that, he loved her deeply. Only one crew 192 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 1: member voiced his opinion about having a woman on board. 193 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,359 Speaker 1: Anne ran a blade through his heart. No one else objected. 194 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: From then on, the superstition was prominent in England and elsewhere, 195 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,959 Speaker 1: but as Anne pointed out, Viking women had often served 196 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: alongside the men as raiders. Of course, when caught, they 197 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,439 Speaker 1: also received the same punishment. Just like their Viking counterparts, 198 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: the same fate awaited women pirates. While the threat of 199 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: death and ruling work might have scared most women away 200 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: and thrived on the adventure, word of her courage and 201 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,439 Speaker 1: ferocity spread, making her one of the most feared on 202 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,439 Speaker 1: the seas. She never withheld, but she was a woman, 203 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: not to the crew, not to the men on the 204 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: ships they plundered. In battle, Anne kept a sword on 205 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: one hip, a pistol on the other. She wore a 206 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 1: cap to keep her long hair from her eyes, and 207 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: boots pants, and a loose tunic that didn't hide her chest. 208 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: She also delighted in letting any man who challenged her 209 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: in a duel know that they were about to be 210 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: bested by a woman. Some stories claimed she showed them 211 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,040 Speaker 1: her breast before running them through. Others say there's a 212 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: proof of that. She was more than just a superior fighter, though, 213 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,160 Speaker 1: and taking a page from Blackbeard's methods of intimidation and 214 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: came up with an idea to scare targets into instant submission. 215 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 1: She took a dressmaker's mannequin and strategically applied fake blood. 216 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: As the William approached their targeted ship, Anne would hold 217 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: an axe above the fake corpse. If the men aboard 218 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: the other ship thought women were kind and nurturing, the 219 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: act terrified them into surrendering their cargo without a fight. 220 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: Such was the case when the crew came across a 221 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: Dutch merchant ship near the Caribbean. They raided the ship 222 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: and along with the cargo, they took a prisoner, an 223 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: Englishman named Mark Read. Anne took a liking to the 224 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: young prisoner and convinced him to join them as part 225 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: of the crew. The friendship quickly grew between the two 226 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: and one night and attempted to seduce him. That's when 227 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: Mark announced and proved that he was a she. Her 228 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: real name, aime was Mary Read, and she had been 229 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: dressing as a man most all her life. She told 230 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: Anne how that came to be, and as it turned out, 231 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: the women shared a similar past. Mary's mother had had 232 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: an affair and become pregnant with her while her husband 233 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: was at sea. He died soon after and never learned 234 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: his wife had a daughter with another man. He also 235 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: didn't know that his own young infant son had also died. 236 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 1: Desperate for money, Mary's mother passed her off as her 237 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: deceased half brother to keep money coming in from the 238 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: husband's mother's family. It didn't take long before the truth 239 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: was discovered, leaving Mary and her mother on their own. 240 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: When she was young, her mother continued to dress her 241 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: as a boy, often renting her out as a child's 242 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: servant for extra money. At thirteen, her mother died, leaving 243 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: her an orphan. Suitable work for women that also paid 244 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: a living wage was unheard of, and there was nothing 245 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: for young girls, so she dressed as a an and 246 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: applied for work at the docks. Her act successfully fooled 247 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: the crew of a British Man of war, and she 248 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: began work manning the ship's artillery guns. From there, she 249 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: joined the military and served in both the infantry and cavalry. 250 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: Not long after, she fell in love with her bunk mate. 251 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: They left the military and the two wet, choosing to 252 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: open an inn near Breda, a small town in the 253 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: southwestern Netherlands. Unfortunately, he died and Mary had little choice 254 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: but to find work elsewhere. Disguised as a man again, 255 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 1: she found work on a Dutch merchant ship, as it 256 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 1: turned out, the very ship Calico Jack had captured. Anne 257 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: kept Mary's secret in battle, she was equally as ruthless. 258 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: The close relationship between the two sparked jealousy with Calico Jack, 259 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: and one night he confronted Anne and the young sailor. 260 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: After threatening to cut her new lover's throat, the women 261 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: told him the truth. Seeing Mary's worth as a pirate, 262 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: he agreed to keep her on the crew. Throughout the 263 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: summer of seventeen twenty, the pirates continued their raids. They 264 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,440 Speaker 1: plundered seven fishing boats and two sloops. The women were 265 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: treated as equals, and Anne led arraid against a schooner. 266 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: She and Mary fired at the other crew as they boarded, 267 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: cursing and swearing as they rummaged through the ship. By now, 268 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: the women had become more famous than their captain. The 269 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: Boston Globe even ran an article detailing their exploits, and 270 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,360 Speaker 1: they were merciless and cunning, able to best most men 271 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: in battle. Instead of feeling threatened, though, Halcojack embraced their fame. 272 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: Yet A flag created and hung on the William in 273 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: honor of the two, a skull over two crossed swords. 274 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 1: The swords represented Anne and Mary. Over two hundred and 275 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,440 Speaker 1: eighty years later, that same flag flew on another pirate ship, 276 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: the Black Pearl, in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. 277 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,959 Speaker 1: Throughout the summer of seventeen any life was good aboard 278 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: the William. Anne couldn't have been happier. She had a 279 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: man she loved, pirrat ng and a friend or perhaps more, 280 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: depending on the source who mirrored her precociousness. Mary also 281 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,760 Speaker 1: found love with a carpenter aboard the ship. A while 282 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: in port, a pirate challenged him to a duel and Mary, 283 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: ever ready for battle, stepped in and ran the challenger through. 284 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 1: In September, Woods Rogers declared the crew aboard the William 285 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: enemies to the Crown of Great Britain, and while he 286 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,879 Speaker 1: usually named male pirates, the Nassau Governor specifically called out Anne, 287 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: Bonnie and Mary read. The crew now had a bounty 288 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 1: on their heads and it wouldn't be long before privateers 289 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: and warships tried to collect the reward. But for Anne, 290 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: Mary and the rest of the crew, things were about 291 00:18:52,640 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 1: to go south. They partied all night. On October twenty second, 292 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: the crew spent most of the evenings celebrating near a 293 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: sand swept beach in Jamaica. Earlier in the day, they 294 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 1: had come across a smaller ship with nine other pirates aboard. 295 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: The members of both crews drank rum in earnest ironically 296 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: in dry harbor. After having their fill, the other pirates 297 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: moved on Calico. Jack and his crew had had a 298 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: successful run, and though they had a target on their 299 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: heads and felt invincible, despite the Nassau Governor's determination to 300 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 1: rid the Caribbean of pirates, the process had been slow. 301 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:40,880 Speaker 1: There were somewhere between five hundred to a thousand still 302 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 1: in the area Anne. Aside from Anne's husband, few had 303 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:50,359 Speaker 1: tarned informed. Now, with midnight drawing near, Anne and Mary 304 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: sat alone on the deck. The men were sleeping off 305 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 1: their over indulgence in the hammocks and beds below. The 306 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,479 Speaker 1: women didn't think the entire crew getting drun had been 307 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: the best of ideas. With everyone inebriated, they were vulnerable 308 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 1: to attack. Their worst fears were realized when they caught 309 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 1: a glimpse of a large sloop approaching in the darkness. 310 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: They called out for the men, but none replied. Within minutes, 311 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,200 Speaker 1: Anne and Mary realized the other ship wasn't another pirates 312 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: or merchant's vessel. The sloop belonged to the Jamaican Governor's fleet. 313 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:26,919 Speaker 1: The women concluded that an informant must have seen them 314 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: drop Anchor earlier and gone straight to the authorities. Pirates 315 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 1: weren't the only ones who knew that ambushing ships at 316 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: night had a strong advantage. The women shouted down to 317 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:42,160 Speaker 1: the men again. This time a few responded, including Calico Jack. 318 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: By the time they staggered to the deck, the other 319 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:50,479 Speaker 1: sloop had pulled alongside them. The captain, Jonathan Barnett hailed them, 320 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 1: asking for the name of their leader. Calico Jack told 321 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: the truth Captain Rackham from Cuba. Barnett shouted back, ordering 322 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: the pirates to surrender. There the other sloop was bigger, 323 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: but in his drunken stupor, Calico Jack might have thought 324 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 1: that just made it a larger target. Without a word, 325 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: he answered Barnett's request by firing a swivel gun at them. 326 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: Not drunk and with more cannons, Barnett returned fire, taking 327 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: out the Williams boom. Feeling out gunned, out numbered, and 328 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: probably still too drunk to fight, Calico Jack signaled his 329 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: surrender and called to quarter. Without any resistance. His equally 330 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: intoxicated men followed orders. There was a problem, though, Anne 331 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,679 Speaker 1: and Mary refused to go down without a fight. They 332 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: could die standing as pirates, or die hanging. The women 333 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:49,120 Speaker 1: chose to keep on their feet. With the william disabled, 334 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: Barnett's men boarded. Anne and Mary, drew their swords and 335 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: stood back to back covering each other. They fought off 336 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: all attempts to subdue them. The few crewmates on deck, 337 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:04,199 Speaker 1: too drunk to do much, were instantly overtaken. Disgusted with 338 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: the men's lack of assistance, Mary shouted down into the 339 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,439 Speaker 1: hold for the rest of the crew, saying that if 340 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: there was any men among them that had come up 341 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 1: and fight like men. When one finally managed to clamber 342 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: up the stairs to see why there was so much yelling, 343 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: Mary shot and killed him. Barnett's men overwhelmed the women 344 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: and arrested them with the rest of the crew. Before daybreak. 345 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: The pirates found themselves behind bars at Spanish Town, Jamaica, 346 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:34,680 Speaker 1: awaiting trial. The nine other men who had been drinking 347 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: with the crew of the William had also been caught 348 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 1: and were tried. Six were executed. The fate of the 349 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: remaining three is unknown as for the rest of Anne 350 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,120 Speaker 1: and Mary's crew. They pled guilty to piracy and were 351 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: sentenced to hang. The women, however, pleaded not guilty to 352 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: the charge of piracy. They claimed that although they had 353 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: accompanied the crew, they weren't pirates, and by law there 354 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: plea earned them a trial. British Knight and Jamaican governor 355 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: Nicholas Laws, who Captain Barnett worked for, would preside as 356 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: one of the judges. The trial began with testimony from 357 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: a schooner captain who had had the misfortune of meeting 358 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: the crew of the William. According to him, the women 359 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 1: were not only on board, they had led the men 360 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,719 Speaker 1: in raiding his ship. Two frenchmen testified next they had 361 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: been hunting bore off Hispaniola Island when the pirates kidnapped them. 362 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: Both identified Anne and Mary as part of that crew. 363 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,920 Speaker 1: The women weren't passively traveling with the pirates, they said. 364 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 1: During their captivity, they had witnessed both women supplied the 365 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: men with gunpowder and joined them on raids. They told 366 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: the judges the women weren't forced or detained, and kept 367 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,120 Speaker 1: the company with the pirates of their own free will. 368 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: A third witness said he and his crew were attacked 369 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 1: and brought aboard the William. He noted that Anne wore 370 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: a pistol. Both women, he said, swore as much as 371 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,439 Speaker 1: any of the crew and appeared willing to do anything 372 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: asked of them. After robbing them of their personal effects, 373 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: the pirates had put them back on shore and stolen 374 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:12,959 Speaker 1: his ship. Finally, a woman took the stand. She had 375 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: been in a canoe filled with provisions calico. Jackana's men 376 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: had stolen everything she owned. She too, identified Anne and 377 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: Mary as being part of that crew. The women had 378 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: worn trousers and bandanas around their heads and carried machetes. 379 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: She told the court. After the crew had robbed her, 380 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 1: the women had sworn at the men, encouraging them to 381 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: kill her so that she couldn't testify against them. Later, 382 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: the judges asked Anne and Mary if they had any witnesses. No, 383 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: they responded. Judge Laws asked if they had anything to 384 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: say that the court might use to spare their lives. Again, 385 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:54,399 Speaker 1: they answered that they did not. Laws called the trial 386 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 1: to a close, announcing that Anne and Mary would be 387 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 1: hung by the neck until dead. The women were tossed 388 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: back into jail to await the gallows, but soon enough 389 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,680 Speaker 1: the women discovered there was something that might spare them. 390 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:22,159 Speaker 1: They were both pregnant. Before his execution, Calico Jack asked 391 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: for one last thing, to see Anne a final time. 392 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: The court obliged, and guards led her to his cell. 393 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,199 Speaker 1: She stood calmly, telling him she was truly sorry that 394 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: he was there. She was sorry they were all there, really, 395 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: and it was his fault. The story goes that she 396 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,880 Speaker 1: told him, if you'd fought like a man, you wouldn't 397 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:49,120 Speaker 1: hang like a doll, before walking off On November eighth, 398 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:53,119 Speaker 1: seventeen twenty, Calko Jack hung for his crimes of piracy 399 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:57,440 Speaker 1: in Port Royal. After the hanging, his body was enclosed 400 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: in a cage and placed in public view, called gibbeting. 401 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: The practice was meant to discourage others from piracy. Today, 402 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: the location of his execution is named after him, Rackham's 403 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: k Within days, the rest of the men of the 404 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 1: crew met the same fate. Anne and Mary's announcement that 405 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: they were quick with child caused a delay in determining 406 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: the date of their executions. After an examination, the pregnancies 407 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: were confirmed, the court agreed to delay their executions until 408 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: they gave birth. The women couldn't leave the jail, though 409 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:37,160 Speaker 1: in conditions for childbirth were less than sterile. Mary Read 410 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: became ill and died from complications during childbirth on April seventeen, 411 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: twenty one. Some historians believe that she and her child 412 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: are buried somewhere in Jamaica, though no official records exist. 413 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,880 Speaker 1: There's also no record of Anne Bonnie's execution. No records 414 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: exist of her release either. While it's a mystery what 415 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,119 Speaker 1: really happened, there are theories. Some believe she died of 416 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: disease on December twenty nine, thirty three, while still waiting 417 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: for her execution. But there's another theory. The merchant ships 418 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: in Jamaica traveled extensively to South Carolina. A word of 419 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: her capture and pending execution may have reached her wealthy father, 420 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 1: who had plenty of influence in the trade business, or 421 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: he might have paid to have her smuggled out of 422 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: prison and brought back to the colonies. From there, Anne 423 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: Bonnie may have moved to Virginia and married, and some 424 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,200 Speaker 1: tales say she had six children and lived a long life, 425 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,719 Speaker 1: never again returning to the sea and eventually dying an 426 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: old woman with plenty of tales to tell. There's an 427 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 1: old saying that goes something like this, you are in 428 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: death as you are in life, and for Anne Bonnie, 429 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: it couldn't have been more true, because she was a 430 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: legend in both. There's more to this story. Stick around 431 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: after this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. 432 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: In seventeen sixty, Rachel Schmidt was born in Pennsylvania to 433 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: devout Presbyterians. Her parents were farmers, and like most others 434 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: in the trade, they barely made enough money to make ends. Meet. 435 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 1: Open fields, crops and livestock didn't interest Rachel, though, according 436 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: to her journal, she left home at sixteen in search 437 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: of a more exciting life. Rachel soon fell in love 438 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 1: with the water and spent much of her time around 439 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 1: Lake Erie Harbor. But a group of local girls didn't 440 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: like the farm girl newcomer and attacked her. A young 441 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: man named George Wall saw the assault and rescued her, 442 00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: and so began their romance. Ray Chill became smitten with 443 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 1: the young fisherman, and despite her family's concerns, the two 444 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: soon married. They left Pennsylvania and traveled to New York 445 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: for a while before settling down in Boston. There, George 446 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,520 Speaker 1: took a job on a fishing schooner. While he was 447 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 1: out at sea, Rachel earned money working as a mate 448 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: on Beacon Hill. Her husband became friends with his crewmates, 449 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: and she became friends with their wives. Though she missed 450 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 1: him during his fishing trips, she wrote in her journal 451 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: that she lived a contented life. After one of his trips, 452 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: George convinced her to leave her job and come with 453 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: him and five other sailors. He could make more money 454 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: raiding ships than working on them. He explained. She agreed, 455 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 1: and the group stole a ship named the Essex. In 456 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 1: such a small ship and crew would hardly intimidate anyone, 457 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: so they needed a different plan. What they came up 458 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: with was simple, yet brilliant. The crew sailed around the 459 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: shoals just after bad weather. There they would disguise the 460 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 1: Essex to appear as though it had been damaged in 461 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:08,479 Speaker 1: the store. Rachel would stand on the deck all alone 462 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: and call to passing ships for help. Seeing a young 463 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: pretty damsel in distress worked flawlessly, sailors were more than 464 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 1: happy to come to a rescue. Once the other ship 465 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 1: would dock to the Essex, the men would rush up 466 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: from below deck and subdue the would be rescuers. The 467 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: ploy was so successful that the small band of pirates 468 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,480 Speaker 1: brobbed twelve ships and netted over six thousand dollars worth 469 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: of merchandise. That's about a hundred and fifteen thousand today. 470 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: And if you're wondering how only five men could overpower 471 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:43,760 Speaker 1: a larger ship's crew, they didn't. After taking the men 472 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 1: by surprise, they killed them. If the ship appeared to 473 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: have too many men aboard, the pirates pretended to be 474 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: passengers on the ill fated Essex and waited until night 475 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: to raid the ship and dispatch the crew members. During 476 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: a storm in seventeen eighty two, George made a poor 477 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:05,600 Speaker 1: navigation error and the Essex capsized. Only a couple of 478 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: the crew survived, Rachel being one of them. George wasn't 479 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 1: so lucky, He drowned without a ship or captain. The 480 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: survivors went back to Boston. Rachel returned to work as 481 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: a maid. She struggled to earn enough to live on 482 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: and so returned to a life of crime. She stole 483 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: from doctor ships in the harbor and their sailors. She 484 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: was arrested several times for petty theft, once after stealing 485 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: from Perez Morton, a revolutionary patriot and good friend of 486 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: John Adams. She wrote that during the spring she snuff 487 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: on board a ship at Long Wharf. While the captain 488 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: and mate slept, she hunted for items of value. She 489 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: found a black silk handkerchief under the captain's head, plus 490 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: several crowns and other coins, as well as gold. Her 491 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: reputation for theft at the docks grew, making it harder 492 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: to get away undetected. One incident turned deadly, and Rachel 493 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: decided to steer clear of the harbor for a while. 494 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: On March eighteenth of seventy nine, she was arrested for 495 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: a crime she claimed to have never committed, the stealing 496 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: from a seventeen year old woman during a highway robbery. Margaret. 497 00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: The young victim, claimed that Rachel stole her bonnet, shoes, 498 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: and buckles before beating her and trying to rip out 499 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: her tongue. She pleaded innocent to that crime, but finally 500 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: admitted to her acts of piracy, though she insisted she 501 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: had never killed anyone. It's unclear how the court tied 502 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 1: her to piracy unless they read her journal, of course. 503 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 1: She was found guilty of her crimes and sentenced to 504 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:47,440 Speaker 1: death by hanging. On Thursday, October eight seventy nine. Rachel 505 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,120 Speaker 1: stood at the gallows on Boston Common before a crowd 506 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 1: of thousands who had come to watch a female pirate hang. 507 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: She issued a word of warning, don't follow in my footsteps, 508 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: she said. In her final words, Rachel committed her soul 509 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 1: to God and asked for his mercy. As the executioner 510 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,400 Speaker 1: placed the noose over her head, she told the crowd 511 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: she would die an unworthy member of the Presbyterian Church. 512 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: Aside from being one of the few American women to 513 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: become a pirate, Rachel Ward was also the last woman 514 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:41,720 Speaker 1: to be hanged in Massachusetts. American Shadows as hosted by 515 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched 516 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 1: by Ali Steed, and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, 517 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: with executive producers Aaron Mackey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. 518 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 1: To learn more about the show, visit Grim and Mild 519 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: dot com. From more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 520 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 521 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:14,520 Speaker 1: your podcasts. H