American History Tellers - The Age of Pirates | Captain Kid's Adventure | 2

Episode Date: October 19, 2022

As England waged war against France in 1689, Scottish sailor William Kidd led a deadly mutiny aboard a French privateer in the Caribbean. It was his first act in becoming one of the most feared sea captains of his generation. After Kidd retired from piracy and settled down in New York, the English Crown hired him to hunt down other pirates and secure its lucrative trade routes. But Kidd would soon betray his contract with the Crown, and become the most wanted outlaw on the North American coast.Listen to American History Tellers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/american-history-tellers/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Imagine it's July 1689. You're a sailor working in the warm waters of the Caribbean aboard a French privateer ship. And like all French privateers, you hunt the vessels of France's enemy nations for bounty. But you are not French. You're Scottish. Until a few days ago, that didn't matter. You're all here for the money, and that binds you together, no matter where you're from. But news has come that war has broken out between France and England, and now you can feel the mood growing more tense

each day between the ship's handful of English sailors and the mostly French crew. Your ship, the Saint Rose, is en route to St. Christopher's Island, which is split between the French and the English. Your French captain hasn't yet told the crew what you'll be doing there, but you fear it might have something to do with the war. Now you're headed below deck to meet with the quartermaster, who's called you to his private room for reasons unknown. Ah, you're here. Come in. Close the door. The quartermaster, and the second in command, is an Englishman. He stares at you from across the tiny cabin. I've spoken to the other men on the ship. We can no longer serve under French orders, not when we're at war. I figured. What's the plan? Well, we're porting near Bastere tomorrow. The captain is planning an attack

on Fort Charles, and most of the men will go ashore. You shift uneasily. Fort Charles is an English settlement, and just as you feared, your ship is already being drawn to the war. But you said most of the men, not us. No, the captain has ordered all English crew to stay behind, and that's when we'll do it. Huh? Do what? Kill the remaining French crew and take the ship.

You're taking it back. What the quartermaster is talking about is more than mutiny. It's murder. You sure it needs to come to that?master is talking about is more than mutiny. It's murder. You sure it needs to come to that? Well, I believe we need to strike first. It's getting more dangerous for us every day. You nod. The quartermaster is making some sense.

Rising up against the French is a risk. But not doing so might be riskier. If they're already attacking an English settlement, they could turn on their English crewmates next. But you're still unsure if you want to get involved. It might be easier just to steal a rowboat and make a run for it. The quartermaster sees the doubt on your face and leans closer. You need to understand we'll be doing this with or without you,

but I'd rather it be with you. There's only eight of us on this ship, and I don't think they'll accept me as their leader. We need you to become captain. Me? Why? Plenty of reasons. You're one of the oldest. Your size. You're the biggest man we've got. So, what do you say?

Outside the quartermaster's closed door, you hear a call to muster on the main deck. Your secret meeting needs to end. You look at the quartermaster grimly. Well, all right. I've meeting needs to end. You look at the quartermaster grimly. Well, all right. I've always wanted to be a captain. The two of you rise and make your way up to the main deck. It's true, you have always wanted to captain a ship, and have for a long time felt like you had what it took to lead men into battle. A mutiny aboard a privateer was not what you had in mind, but now is your chance. It's kill or be killed.

You aim to strike first. From Wondery comes a new series about a lawyer who broke all the rules. Need to launder some money? Broker a deal with a drug cartel? Take out a witness? Paul can do it. I'm your host, Brandon Jinks Jenkins.

Follow Criminal Attorney on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. From the team behind American History Tellers comes a new book, The Hidden History of the White House. Each chapter will bring you inside the fierce power struggles, intimate moments, and shocking scandals that shaped our nation. From the War of 1812 to Watergate. Available now wherever you get your books. From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. As England went to war with France in 1689, a sailor named William Kidd led a deadly mutiny on his French ship in the Caribbean.

For Kidd, it was a way to save his life and those of seven English crewmen. But to his enemies, it was a brutal act of piracy. Still, Kidd did not consider himself a pirate, at least not yet. In fact, when word of his daring mutiny reached England, he was selected for another kind of work. The English government, just like the French, had long hired pirates to attack their enemies under the guise of privateering. But these pacts with pirates brought risk. Many privateers violated their commissions and raided the ships of both

friends and foes alike. So to regain control of its trading routes, the English crown decided to start hunting pirates. And to lead the hunt, the crown turned to William Kidd. But the stubborn and ambitious Kidd would himself soon violate the crown's orders and in the process become one of the era's most notorious figures. This is Episode 2, Captain Kidd's Adventure. William Kidd was born in Dundee, Scotland, around 1654. Growing up on an estuary, Kidd watched sailing vessels come and go along the rugged Scottish coast. As an adult, he soon joined them on the open sea.

Kidd was a large, physically imposing man. Strong with a punch and short with his temper, he earned his experience the hard way on privateer and buccaneer vessels hunting in the Caribbean. It was on one of these that Kidd made a choice that would change his life. In 1689, England's recently crowned King William III began a war with France for territory in the American colonies and Caribbean. That summer, news of the war reached the ship Kidd was working on, the Saint-Rose, a French privateer with a mostly French crew. Kidd realized that if the Saint-Rose was pressed into service fighting for the French,

his life might be in danger. So on a sweltering day in July 1689, Kidd and seven Englishmen waited until the captain and the majority of the crew were ashore, attacking an English fort on the island of St. Kitts, known at the time as St. Christopher's Island. Then Kidd and the other Englishmen killed the dozen French crew members who stayed behind, cut anchor, and sailed away as quickly as the winds could carry them. The crew elected Kidd captain of the vessel, which he rechristened the Blessed William. Kidd and his crew continued privateering, but now for the English. And Kidd was soon rewarded by the governor of England's West Indies colonies with a ship of his own, a captured, leaky French brigantine called the Antigua. But Kidd didn't want to stay in the war-torn Caribbean, which was one of the fronts

in the battle between France and England. Instead, he sailed his new ship north to the American colonies. In February of 1691, he arrived in New York, but only to find more conflict. A militia leader had proclaimed himself governor of the New York colony and barricaded himself in a riverside fort. Kidd joined the forces of the crown-appointed governor and used his ship the Antigua to help supply guns and ammunition. The attack on the fort was successful and the militia was put down. For his help, Kidd was rewarded with 150 pounds sterling, the equivalent of $14,000 in today's currency. Enjoying his new money and elevated social status working for the Crown,

Kidd attempted to settle down. He married a young, wealthy widow and built a house along Pearl Street near the East River in Manhattan. They soon had two daughters. The couple even donated some of their combined wealth to purchase a pew at the newly constructed Trinity Church. Kidd continued to take privateering jobs on the Antigua, though he would always return to his wife and children. But the jobs kept him confined to the American coast, close to home,

but he was growing restless, especially as he began to hear tales of new opportunities half a world away. As the war with France dragged on, the streets of New York were filling up with a new breed of pirates, different from the ones that Kidd had come up with. These pirates didn't loiter in the Caribbean like the men he'd sailed with before. Instead, they sailed what was known as the Pirate Round, thousands of nautical miles to the coasts of Africa and Arabia. There, they plundered ships laden with goods that were otherwise unavailable in New York during wartime, goods that could be sold tax-free and at great profit on the black market. For an ambitious sea captain like Kidd, this Pirate Round sounded too good to pass up.

So Kidd found himself pulled in two directions. One way led home to his wife and daughters and their fine, comfortable home on Pearl Street. The other toward the horizon, to new adventures, just waiting to be had. But soon, from a colleague in London, news came that would push Kidd to a fateful decision. Imagine it's August, 1695. You're walking through the countryside just outside London, a musket in your hand. You're a New York entrepreneur who's come here to meet the political elite. You're now hunting pheasant with one of them, a member of Parliament named Richard Coote,

better known by his landed title, First Earl of Belmont. He calls over his shoulder to you as you follow him down a trail. So, how are you finding London after so many years away? Well, it's much the same. Perhaps a little larger than when I left it. And yet still not larger than your property on the Hudson. The crown was kind to my family with that land. Perhaps one day you'll do us the honor of visiting. I hope so, but I must visit Massachusetts first. Lord Belmont was recently appointed governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,

but you know his ambition is larger, and that's why you asked for this meeting. You're ambitious, too, and you believe your interests may align. Well, perhaps soon enough, sir, you'll be governor of New York as well. I'll admit that is my goal. The colonies are similar, and they have similar problems that I believe I could solve. I believe you could too, sir. Unfortunately, our Governor Fletcher seems fully ensconced. Oh, Fletcher's corruption is obvious. He uses pirates to fill his own coffers and lets his colony go to the dogs. New York is a virtual nest of villainy. Your eyes sparkle. This is exactly the subject you'd hoped he'd bring up. As you step into a clearing, you fall in alongside him, matching his stride.

Well, you know, it's very true. Pirates have certainly increased their presence on the Atlantic coastline in the last few years. Oh, it's not just the Atlantic. Uh, hold on. The hounds have caught a scent. You watch as Belmont's dogs dash off into the thicket. The Earl checks his musket as he continues your conversation. The Crown's getting reports that rogues from our colonies have sailed all the way to the Red Sea. They're robbing ships owned by our own trading partners in India.

Yes, I've heard that too. But it's a problem easily solved, if there were any available Navy men to go after them. But of course there aren't. Every seaman is engaged in war with the French. A flock of pheasants takes off from the woods, and you both raise your weapons, aim, and fire. Well, we hit something. I don't know who, though. It was you, sir. But I wonder if I might suggest another solution to the Red Sea problem. What about hiring a pirate? Engaging a privateer?

Well, we could call it that. But a privateer with the experience of a pirate who could then be commissioned to catch other pirates. Ah, that idea might have some merit. If you'll consider it, sir, I might know just the individual. Well, could this man be trusted? Well, he has a pew with his name on it at Trinity Church. His name is William Kidd. And if anyone can be trusted? Well, he has a pew with his name on it at Trinity Church. His name is William Kidd, and if anyone can be trusted with a job, it is him.

You follow Belmont as he pushes through a thicket. Well, if this Kidd can find his way to London, I would like to meet him. Absolutely, sir. And oh, look, I believe that pheasant is yours. You stoop down and pick up the bird at your feet. But your mind is no longer on pheasant hunting. You're already considering how this proposition would work. You need to get a letter off to Kidd immediately.

If Belmont will endorse the venture, then both of you stand to earn quite a bit of money, not to mention the gratitude of the crown, and you can't put a price on that. In the fall of 1695, William Kidd boarded the Antigua and sailed to London after receiving an urgent letter from his colleague, Robert Livingston. Livingston was a fellow Scot and, like Kidd, ambitious and politically driven. He arrived in London before Kidd and made quick connections at court, paving the way for Kidd's arrival on the Antigua several months later. In London, Livingston's first order of business was introducing Kidd to his newfound ally, the first Earl of Belmont. Belmont had picked the right side during the English Revolution

that put King William and Queen Mary on the throne. His loyalty to the crown had earned him the governorship of Massachusetts. But before Belmont moved to the colonies, he was anxious to solve the pirate problem of the Atlantic coast, and specifically the port of New York. Recently, colonial pirates operating out of New York had attacked ships owned by the Mughal Empire in the Indian Ocean. This pirate activity had the potential to disrupt trade routes controlled by the East India Company, one of the most powerful corporations in the world. If the attacks continued, they could damage not only the East India Company, but the entire economy of England. Kidd had once been a pirate himself, and Belmont was intrigued by Livingston's suggestion that he

would now make a good pirate hunter. So when they met in London, the three men hashed out an agreement. Under its terms, Kidd received two commissions. One was to hunt down any English pirates operating in the Indian Ocean. The second was to engage and commandeer any French vessels he might also come across. But gold, merchandise, or other spoils would go not just to Captain Kidd, but also be shared by Lord Belmont, Livingston, and the expedition's other financial backers. These included a silent partner in King William himself. So on December 4, 1695, Kidd parted with his old ship, the Antigua, and took command of the Adventure Galley, a custom-built 287-ton warship. Armed with 34 cannons and with

room for 150 crew members, the Adventure was a large vessel designed for hunting down other ships. Since she was a galley ship, crew members could row her in calm waters, quickly closing in on enemy vessels that had stalled without wind. Standing at an English shipyard in the crisp winter air, Kidd gazed admiringly at the lines of the Adventure galley. This time, his command would not be over a captured, ragtag, hand-me-down vessel. He would have a fresh, gleaming warship built just for his commission. Captain William Kidd was now the English government's official pirate hunter, and he could feel the old thrill of the chase coming back to him. After returning to New York and mustering a crew, Kidd soon set out for the open ocean. It was September 1696, and Kidd had an opportunity to write his name in the history books

and make a lot of money in the process. But this moment of happiness would not last. As the shores of New York faded into the distance behind him and the gray Atlantic became the only thing in sight, Captain William Kidd was steering headlong into perilous waters. In November 1991, media tycoon Robert Maxwell mysteriously vanished from his luxury yacht in the Canary Islands. But it wasn't just his body that would come to the surface in the days that followed. It soon emerged that Robert's business was on the brink of collapse, and behind his facade of wealth and success was a litany of bad investments, mounting debt, and multi-million dollar fraud. Hi, I'm

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Are we excited for this moment? Ah! I cannot believe it. Woo! Buy It Now. Stream free on Freeview and Prime Video. By April 1697, Captain William Kidd and his crew had been at sea for eight months. His commission from the English Crown allowed him to hunt for French Navy vessels or English pirate ships, but so far he'd

found neither. Instead, the adventure galley had run into plenty of trouble and bad luck. Kidd had stopped for repairs on a remote island near Madagascar, only to discover that the adventure's hull had been badly damaged, eaten away by sea worms. During the back-breaking repairs, half the crew fell ill with mysterious tropical disease. More than 30 eventually died. And even after the adventure was patched up and back at sea, among the remaining crew, morale was low. Kidd and his men were on what was called a no-pray, no-pay commission.

Unless the adventure attacked and plundered other ships, his crew would walk away with nothing. Captain Kidd felt this pressure daily as he sailed into the mouth of the Red Sea. There he hoped to find colonial pirates lurking off the coastline. But he also knew there would be wealthy Mughal passenger ships on the pilgrimage route to the holy city of Mecca. And by now Kidd was growing desperate. He feared his crew might mutiny if he didn't capture a prize soon. So, before they reached the Red Sea, the pirate hunter agreed that if the opportunity presented itself,

he would turn pirate. By summer's end, however, it was clear the Adventure Galley's expedition in the Red Sea was a failure. Kidd and his men hadn't captured any ships, Mughal or pirate. Only once had they even attempted an attack on a Mughal vessel lagging behind its convoy that seemed like an easy target. But it fired so many cannon rounds at the adventure that Kidd backed off. So in the late summer of 1697,

Kidd turned his ship east toward the coast of India. By this point, there was less and less talk on board of hunting pirates or French cruisers. Now there was only grumbling of finding some kind, any kind, of ship to raid. Vital supplies were running low on board, like drinking water and fresh food to help fight scurvy. But then, finally, they found a target. Along the coastline near Mangalore was a small ship flying English colors called the Mary. Her captain, Thomas Parker, was a trader working along the Indian coast. Even though Parker and his ship were English,

Kidd took the captain hostage and stole navigational instruments, some guns, and sacks of pepper and coffee. Arriving at a port on the India coast, Kidd was able to buy more drinking water and other much-needed supplies. At the dock, he also managed to keep the captive Captain Parker hidden below decks. But some of Kidd's crew took the opportunity to abandon ship. Nine crewmen deserted, and two went straight to a small factory owned by the East India Company. There, they reported that their captain, William Kidd, had gone rogue. But before anything could be done, Kidd and the adventure galley had already sailed away. Floating somewhere in the Indian Ocean, the remaining members of Kidd's

crew were torn in their allegiances. Some were still uneasy that their privateering mission had devolved into piracy. Others wanted nothing less than the spoils and plunder they felt were their due. But many were starting to have doubts about the leadership of their captain. Throughout the voyage, Kidd's behavior had grown increasingly unpredictable. He constantly threatened and berated his crew. Floggings and other forms of punishment were common. But despite Kidd's violent outbursts, discipline remained lax, and the adventure galley slowly fell into disrepair.

Many of the crew had grown to distrust or even hate their captain, wondering whether he was really committed to pirate life. Imagine it's 1697. You're a crewman aboard the adventure galley, standing lookout in a wooden barrel lashed high atop the mast head. It's your job to help navigate and watch for other ships. This afternoon, it's blazingly hot, and you pull the brim of your hat low across your forehead to block out the sun's rays. You've been scanning the empty ocean for hours, finding nothing, until something in the far distance catches your eye. You've squint and blinked several times. You haven't slept much, and you

know the tricks the sea can play. You raise a spyglass to your eye and look closer. Sure enough, it's a ship. The first you've seen in weeks. A sail to the east, and alone. Over the next few minutes, your ship turns to approach. The target looks perfect. a small merchant sloop that could easily be intimidated by the adventure's cannons. But whose ship is it? Oh, come on, show me your flags. Who's sailing you? You look desperately through your spyglass to find out what colors this ship is flying under. But even as you watch, the sloop's sails grow more and more distant. It dawns on you that the sloop isn't moving any faster, but your ship is moving away from it. Confused, you climb down from the crow's nest and find Captain Kidd on the main deck. Captain, what are we doing? The ship is close at hand. We can easily overtake her. No, not in this low wind. Other crewmen have gathered, and they're as baffled

and furious as you are. Our ship has oars. We can row our way out to her. The adventure will attack when I decide to attack. You clench your fists, keeping steady with Kid's glare. If we don't find ships to rob, we won't get paid. Kid stares at you with cold eyes. I'm aware of our contracts, Taylor, and you're aware that I'm the captain. I decide which ships we attack, unless you prefer we lose a battle. Kid glances at the other men, glowering at him. Captain's temper is notorious, so you step closer and lower your voice, trying to diffuse the tension. Captain, it's just the men are getting desperate. Food is low.

Fights are breaking out. We need to find a target soon. And why not this one? Kid glances at you, his eyes still hot with rage. Then he turns to the crew. If any of you want to come for me, then you better bring your very best. It's a wide ocean out here. Plenty of space for all the bodies we can sink in it. Now back to your posts. We will attack when I say the time is right. Kid then storms off below deck. You search the faces of the rest of your crewmates, looking for any sign that they might want to try and depose this madman captaining your ship. But everyone just drifts back to their stations, leaving you alone to climb the main mast once again. When you return to the crow's nest, the ship you sighted is long gone.

You have no idea how long it will be before you spot another one or what your deranged captain might do then. But for now, your ship is alone again on the huge blue void of the open ocean. With every month that passed, Kidd's crew grew more restless. Their captain continued to look for ships to rob,

but would often refuse to pursue the ones that came across his path. Crew members wondered why he was so gun-shy. But what seemed to Kidd's crew like erratic and cowardly behavior might have been the wise strategy of a veteran sea captain. The adventure galley had begun to leak, which made it slower in the water. It's likely that Kidd was simply waiting for a sure thing, a ship that he knew they could easily overtake. But still, the crew's patience was wearing thin. In October 1697, one crew member started an argument with Kidd about their lack of success. Kidd flew into a rage and hit him over

the head with a bucket made of wood and iron. Later that night, the man died in his bunk. But just as the ship was hitting this low point, Kidd's luck took a turn for the better. Off the southern coast of India, he was finally able to capture two ships. The first, in November 1697, was the Ruparel, a large Dutch trading vessel with only limited cargo in its hold. Kidd seized the entire ship. Then, just three months later, now with two vessels under his command, Kidd captured his biggest prize yet. The 400-ton Keda merchant carried a cargo of fabrics, iron, and opium valued at around 300,000 rupees, the equivalent of three and a half million dollars today. Kidd's crew

was ecstatic. Finally, there were spoils to go around, and at long last, their year and a half at sea had paid off. But neither the Rupert L nor the merchant were pirate ships, nor did they belong to England's enemy, the French. Captain Kidd had attacked and seized two ships friendly to England. The merchant was even owned by the East India Company, based in London, and its captain was English. But Kidd was clever, and he used a pirate ruse to capture the ships. He knew that the captains of most merchant vessels carried passes from many different nations to deal with whatever foreign powers they might encounter on the open sea. So when Kidd approached his prey,

he flew a French flag from the mast of the adventure galley. Thinking Kidd was French, both captains produced sets of French papers when he boarded their ships. And as soon as they did, Kidd seized the papers as proof that the vessels he was plundering were in fact French, or at least associated with the French government, which made their capture legal under the terms of his privateering commission. With his plunder and two new ships under his command,

Captain Kidd felt like he had outsmarted everyone. He had committed two acts of piracy, but done so in a way that would clear him of any wrongdoing. Now with a full purse and no consequences, Kidd told his crew it was time to go home. In the spring of 1698, Kidd's three ships stopped for cleaning and repair on the island of St. Marie, a pirate hub in the Indian Ocean. While the ships were hauled ashore, tipped onto their sides, and barnacles removed, the long-suffering Captain Thomas Parker of the Mary was finally set free. And after receiving their share of the plunder, most of Kidd's crew abandoned ship. Unsure of what to do next, Kidd waited on the island and slowly gathered news from the American colonies. King William's War had drawn to a close, and England had signed a treaty with

France. Peace had settled over the oceans, but Kidd soon learned that his risky choices were catching up with him. News of his kidnapping of an English captain and raiding English ships had traveled back to London. Authorities there were furious. In the American colonies, it was no better. The press described Kidd as a pirate on par with some of the worst in history. His capture of the Cata merchant and his theft of its vast riches had set off an international crisis. The Mughal emperor himself suspended all trade until fair compensation could be made. One English outpost in India was nearly burned to the ground by an outraged mob. To avert the crisis, it was now in England's best interests to curb piracy as quickly as possible.

King William issued a pardon for any pirate who would turn himself in within six months. The pardon covered every sailor in England and the American colonies. But two men were excluded specifically by name. One of them was William Kidd. Kidd now realized that it might not be so easy to defend his actions of the past two years. He had thought that his royal privateering commission would protect him, but instead he had to face the truth. William Kidd, a one-time pirate hunter, had become the hunted.

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Wondery app for all your true crime listening. For more than two centuries, the White House has been the stage for some of the most dramatic scenes in American history. Inspired by the hit podcast American History Tellers, Wondery and William Morrow present the new book, The Hidden History of the White House. Each chapter will bring you inside the fierce power struggles, the world-altering decisions, and shocking scandals that have shaped our nation. You'll be there when the very foundations of the White House are laid in 1792,

and you'll watch as the British burn it down in 1814. Then you'll hear the intimate conversations between FDR and Winston Churchill as they make plans to defeat Nazi forces in 1941. And you'll be in the Situation Room when President Barack Obama approves the raid to bring down the most infamous terrorist in American history. Order The Hidden History of the White House now in hardcover or digital edition wherever you get your books. By the spring of 1699, Captain William Kidd was back in the Caribbean and setting in motion a plan that he hoped would save him from the hangman's noose. He made the four-month voyage from Madagascar to arrive on the shores of Hispaniola, south of Florida. His crew,

once 150 strong, now numbered just 15, including some boys and a pair of enslaved men. And he'd gone from a flotilla of three vessels to just one, the Cato Merchant. The Rupertile was sold for cash and the leaky adventure galley had been abandoned back on St. Marie's in the Indian Ocean. At first, Kidd hoped he might find safe harbor on St. Thomas, a Caribbean island controlled by the Danish that was well known to haven smugglers. But the colonial governor there rejected Kidd's request for protection. Word of his misdeeds had spread across the world like lightning, and Denmark wanted no part of England's public enemy number one. Still, Kidd remained doggedly optimistic.

His goal now was to get back to New York, to his wife and daughters. There, he would arrange a meeting with his former business partner, Lord Belmont, who was now governor of both Massachusetts and New York. Kidd was certain that once he was in New York, he could talk his way out of everything. He had in his possession two French passes from the ships he had captured, and they could prove that all the charges of piracy were lies. Passes would be evidence that Kidd was simply fulfilling his commission to capture enemy ships. But before leaving Hispaniola, Kidd had to abandon his prize catch. He knew he couldn't float into Manhattan on the Cata Merchant, an obviously stolen foreign vessel. So Kidd made a deal to leave the ship and much of its goods at anchor on the island's eastern end.

Then he sailed quietly to the north shore of Long Island, New York, in a purchase sloop. He arrived to find the colony much different than the one he'd left three years earlier. As governor, Lord Belmont was trying to clear out all the pirate graft that had grown during the previous governor's term. This wasn't good news for Kidd, so to ingratiate himself with Belmont, Kidd wrote a series of letters, claiming he'd been overtaken by his crew, and that under peril of death, he'd been forced to plunder friendly ships in the Indian Oceans. He said he still had around 40,000 pounds sterling in his possession, much of it left behind on the Cata merchant. Belmont wrote back to the captain, imploring him to sail to Boston.

There, the governor said he would meet with Kidd and try to arrange a pardon. While letters between the two men flew back and forth, Kidd buried some of his treasure, gold bars, silver, bales of cotton, and silk fabric, on Gardiner's Island, just off the eastern edge of Long Island. He left other valuables in hiding places on the many islands dotting Long Island Sound and nearby Narragansett Bay. Up and down the New York and Rhode Island coasts,

word traveled quickly that a famous pirate was stashing his treasure nearby. And as the word spread, Captain Kidd's legend began to grow. Imagine it's 1699, a warm summer evening near the harbor on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. You're the second generation of the family that helped establish this outpost. The daughter of a sailor, the wife of a sailor, and the mother of future sailors. On this tiny spit of land, your life has been surrounded by water and ships, and your husband's salt-encrusted clothes. But this afternoon, you've had a visitor, an old friend of your father's, a man you never thought you'd see again.

He sets his fork down and leans back from the dinner table. Oh, my. That was a delicious meal. Don't flatter me, Mr. Kidd. It's probably the same stew you ate here years ago. Well, time hasn't aged the recipe. You ignore his compliment and stand up to clear the table, shooing the children away, leaving you and Captain Kidd alone in the candlelight of your small farmhouse. Politeness dictates you offer him a place to sleep, but you can't wait to be rid of him. Everyone knows Captain Kidd is trouble, and so does he. Well, dear, I'm in great trouble. The government of England has declared me a pirate. Yes, I've heard. You've heard? Gosh, even here. The sailors in the village have nothing

to do but talk. Is there any truth to the stories? Oh, no, none. I am the victim of circumstance, and a crew that nearly overtook me. But I will prove my side of the story soon enough. In Boston, they'll give me clemency. You've been watching kids' eyes as he talks. They dart and shift like two fireflies in the darkened room. And in fact, the sooner I get to Boston, the better. So I have to go now. But before I do, I have a gift. Oh, that's not necessary.

No, I insist. Hold out your apron. You do, and Kid drops a small leather purse into the apron's fold. Now you can look at it now, or later. Consider this my thanks for you and your father's hospitality. Well, thank you. You close the fold of your apron and follow Kid to the front door. He puts his hand to the brim of his hat and steps outside. You watch as he strides off down to the water where his small sloop is docked. Only when he's out of sight do you open the purse. Then your breath catches. Inside are several gold coins that shine as bright as kid's eyes did. One by one, you place them on

the kitchen table. You have never liked that man, Captain Kid. He always made you feel strange when you would come to visit your father. He was so full of leering and lies. But these coins could be the very thing you need to get you and your family off this island and to the mainland. With this kind of money, you could start all over. And maybe Captain William Kidd would be good for something after all. Over the summer of 1699, rumors flew around Long Island Sound about Captain William Kidd and his treasure. One of these rumors centered around a seafaring family on Block Island. It was believed that Kidd left some of his treasure with Mrs. Mercy Sands Raymond in

repayment for her hospitality. No one ever proved the rumors were true, but after her husband's death several years later, Mrs. Raymond moved to mainland Connecticut, where she purchased a large tract of land. And it was this rumor, or others like it, that reached Kidd's one-time backer, Lord Belmont, and convinced him of a hard truth. It was now in his best interests, politically and financially, to put his partner behind bars. Belmont reckoned that his original cut of Kidd's bounty would amount to about 5,000 pounds.

But if he arrested Kidd and the captain was convicted of piracy, Belmont stood to earn a reward of around 13,000 pounds, the equivalent of $1 million today. So Belmont continued to send letters to Kidd, urging him to come to Boston and attend a hearing with the Massachusetts colony's main legal body. There, Kidd would have a chance to explain himself. Believing that Belmont was still an ally, Kidd agreed. He was so confident that he mailed his only real evidence,

the two French passes, to the governor for safekeeping. That June, Kidd arrived in Boston and spent three days appearing before the council. He gave a full list of all the goods he'd confiscated during the course of his voyage. But when the council asked for a written deposition on why Kidd's crews had turned to piracy, the captain could not produce a satisfactory document. On the fourth day of his council hearing, Belmont had him arrested. Kidd was sent to London, where he languished for two years in prison. His trial took place over two days in May 1701. Kidd hoped that the French passes he'd claimed might prove his innocence, but when he asked for them to be presented at trial,

they were nowhere to be found. At the end of criminal proceedings, Kidd was asked to explain why he should not be executed. He answered contemptuously, I have nothing to say but that I have been sworn against by perjured and wicked people. It didn't sway the judges. Kidd was found guilty of piracy and of the murder of his crewmen with a wooden bucket. He was sentenced to hang.

Still proclaiming his innocence, Kidd tried to bargain for his freedom. He hinted to an English politician that there was 100,000 pounds sterling worth of treasure on the Cata merchant, still at anchor off Hispaniola. He would tell the politician the exact location of the ship and split the treasure with him in exchange for a pardon. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. On May 23rd, huge crowds lined the street outside Newgate Prison. Kidd appeared to be very drunk as he was led to the gallows. There, a noose was placed around his neck and the stool beneath him kicked out. But the rope broke and Kidd was picked up off the gallow floor to be hung again. The second time, the rope held.

William Kidd's body was then strung up downriver, where the Thames empties into the English Channel. His corpse swung in the breeze as a grim warning to anyone who thought piracy might make a fruitful career. Lord Belmont, the governor of New York and Massachusetts, did not attend the hanging. He died two months before Kidd took his final walk to the gallows. And if money had been the motivation behind Belmont's entrapment of Kidd, his scheme failed. He never saw a penny

of any reward. With King William's war against France over, colonial governors and merchants lost interest in trade through piracy. Fort towns like New York and Newport, Rhode Island, could now grow their economies through safe, lawful trading methods. Colonial governments were also given the authority to try and convict pirates in the Americas, or even at sea, instead of having to send them back to England. That change in the law proved to be an effective deterrent against piracy. At the dawn of the 18th century, it appeared as if the era of William Kidd and the other colonial pirates had come to an end. But the age of pirates was not finished yet. Within a generation, the English crown would again face troubles off the North American coast, and a seafaring criminal more audacious than

any who'd come before, Blackbeard. From Wondery, this is Episode 2 of The Age of Pirates from American History Tellers. On the next episode, after a brief, quiet period on the Atlantic, the pirate called Blackbeard begins a reign of robbing and pillaging that sets the American colonies on edge. If you like American History Tellers, you can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.

American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Molly Bach. Sound design by Derek Behrens. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written by George Ducker. Edited by Dorian Marina. Our managing producers are Tanja Thigpen and Matt Gant. Our senior producer is Annie Herman.

Executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Beckman and Marshall Louis for Wondery. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London. Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes. Even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about Dracula is that not only is it this wonderful snapshot of the 19th century, but it also has so much resonance today. The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in a mirror, so when we look in the mirror, the only thing we see is our own monstrous abilities. From the host and producer of American History Tellers and History Daily comes the new podcast, The Real History of Dracula. We'll reveal how author Bram Stoker

raided ancient folklore, exploited Victorian fears around sex, science, and religion, and how even today we remain enthralled to his strange creatures of the night. You can binge all episodes of The Real History of Dracula exclusively with Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus and The Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.