The Pirates' Who's Who Part 10

CHEVALLE, DANIEL.

One of Captain John Quelch's crew. Tried for piracy at Boston in 1704.

CHILD, THOMAS.

In the year 1723, at the age of 15, he was tried for piracy at Newport, Rhode Island. This child must have seen scores of cold-blooded murders committed while he sailed with Low and Harris. Found to be not guilty.

CHRISTIAN, CAPTAIN.

In 1702 the town of Tolu was sacked by Captain Brown of the _Blessing_.

Brown was killed, and Christian was elected to be captain in his stead.

Davis tells us that "Christian was an old experienced soldier and privateer, very brave and just in all his actions." He had lived for a long while amongst the Darien Indians, with whom he was on very friendly terms.

CHULY, DANIEL.

Tried for piracy at Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts, in 1706.

CHURCH, CHARLES.

Of St. Margaret's, Westminster.

One of Captain Charles Harris's crew. Hanged on July 19th, 1723, at Newport, Rhode Island. Age

CHURCH, EDWARD.

In 1830 he served in the brig _Vineyard_, from New Orleans to Philadelphia. Took part in the mutiny which was planned by the notorious pirate Charles Gibbs.

CHURCH, WILLIAM.

Of the _Gertrwycht_ of Holland.

At the trial at West Africa in 1722 of the crew of Bartholomew Roberts's, four of the prisoners--W. Church, Phil. Haak, James White, and Nicholas Brattle--were proved to have "served as Musick on board the _Royal Fortune_, being taken out of several merchant s.h.i.+ps, having had an uneasy life of it, having sometimes their Fiddles, and often their Heads broke, only for excusing themselves, as saying they were tired, when any Fellow took it in his Head to demand a Tune." Acquitted.

CHURCHILL, JOHN.

One of Captain George Lowther's crew. Captured by the _Eagle_ sloop at the Island of Blanco, not far from Tortuga.

Hanged on March 11th, 1722, at St. Kitts.

CLARKE, JONATHAN.

Of Charleston, South Carolina.

One of Major Stede Bonnet's crew. Tried for piracy at Charleston in 1718, and found to be not guilty.

CLARKE, RICHARD, _alias_ JAFAR.

A renegade English sailor, who turned "Turk"--that is, became a Mohammedan--and was appointed chief gunner on one of the Barbary pirate s.h.i.+ps. Captured in the _Exchange_, and brought into Plymouth in 1622. He was hanged.

CLARKE, ROBERT.

Governor of New Providence, Bahama Islands. Instead of trying to stamp out the pirates, he did all he could to encourage them, by granting letters of marque to such men as c.o.xon, to go privateering, these letters being quite illegal. The proprietors of the Bahama Islands turned Clarke out and appointed in his place Robert Lilburne in 1682.

CLIFFORD, JOHN.

One of Captain John Quelch's crew; tried at the Star Tavern at Boston in 1704 for piracy. All the accused pleaded "Not guilty" except Clifford and two others who turned Queen's evidence.

CLINTON, CAPTAIN.

One of the notorious sixteenth century pirates "who grew famous until Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory, hanged them at Wapping."

COBHAM, CAPTAIN.

Of Poole in Dorsets.h.i.+re.

At the age of 18 he took to smuggling. His biographer tells us that even at this comparatively early age Cobham "was cautious and prudent, and though he intrigued with the ladies, he managed to keep it secret." Cobham was very successful as a smuggler, on one occasion landing a cargo of ten thousand gallons of brandy at Poole. But a little later on his vessel was captured by a King's cutter. This annoyed the young captain, and he bought a cutter at Bridport, mounted fourteen guns in her, and turned pirate.

Out of his very first prize, an Indiaman, which he boarded off the Mersey, he took a sum of 40,000, and then scuttled the s.h.i.+p and drowned the crew.

Cobham, calling in at Plymouth, met a damsel called Maria, whom he took on board with him, which at first caused some murmuring amongst his crew, who were jealous because they themselves were not able to take lady companions with them on their voyages, for, as the same biographer sagely remarks, "where a man is married the case is altered, no man envies him his happiness; but where he only keeps a girl, every man says, 'I have as much right to one as he has.'" Nevertheless, Maria proved herself a great success, for when any member of the crew was to be punished Maria would use her influence with the captain to get him excused or his punishment lessened, thus winning the affection of all on board. The English Channel becoming too dangerous for Cobham, he sailed across the Atlantic and lay in wait for vessels between Cape Breton and Prince Edward Isle, and took several prizes. In one of these he placed all the crew in sacks and threw them into the sea. Maria, too, took her part in these affairs, and once stabbed to the heart, with her own little dirk, the captain of a Liverpool brig, the _Lion_, and on another occasion, to indulge her whim, a captain and his two mates were tied up to the windla.s.s while Maria shot them with her pistol. Maria always wore naval uniform, both at sea and when in port; in fact, she entered thoroughly into the spirit of the enterprise.

Cobham now wished to retire from the sea, but Maria urged him to further efforts, as she had set her heart on his buying her a beautiful place in England called Mapleton Hall, near Poole.

Maria's last act at sea was to poison the whole crew of an Indiaman, who were prisoners in irons aboard the pirate s.h.i.+p.

Cobham having made a vast fortune, at last decided to settle down, and he bought a large estate near Havre from the Duc de Chartres. It was on the coast, and had a snug little harbour of its own, where the retired pirate kept a small pleasure yacht in which he and Maria used to go for fis.h.i.+ng expeditions. One day, when they were out on one of these picnics, a West India brig lay becalmed near by, and Cobham and his crew went on board to visit the captain of the merchant s.h.i.+p. But the temptation proved too strong, and Cobham suddenly shooting the captain, Maria and the yacht's crew quickly despatched the rest. Carrying the prize to Bordeaux, he sold her for a good price. This was Cobham's last act of piracy, and soon afterwards he was made a magistrate, and presided at the county courts.

Maria, it was thought, possibly owing to remorse, poisoned herself with laudanum and died. Cobham lived to a good old age, and eventually pa.s.sed away, leaving many descendants, who, a hundred years ago, "were moving in the first grade at Havre."

COBHAM, MRS. MARIA.

A bloodthirsty and ambitious woman pirate, the wife of Captain Cobham, late of Poole in Dorset.

c.o.c.kLYN, CAPTAIN THOMAS.