| Show A DREADED blackbeard ARD LOOKED ENOUGH LIKE SATAN TO BE A BROTHER R alje ferocious Feroci us of the seas sea biad a fashion ras laou if ar getting himself up in a hideous and repulsive manner story of nil ills successful Toy voyage ages pamlico sound now the haven of the storm tossed mariner and the horae home of peaceful industry was once the theater of far different scenes in the beginning of the last its century waters rf r fleeten fleeted a flag which ch struck terror to thousands of hearts and paralyzed thi th C commerce of the new world the thickly clustering vives and luxuriant growths fringing its shores concealed like the original eden a hiding devil the foe of god and man blackboard blackbeard the pirate from a strange tendency of human nature the life of the pirate possesses a fascinating cina ting interest not only for the small boy who devours the pages of his half dime yellow back novel but also for the reader of stronger judgment and better taste indeed some of the tha greatest writers have been unable to resist the fascinations of this wide and tempting field sir walter scott marryatt and cooper thought iho tight it not unworthy their mighty pens and the genius of byron attained one of its highest nights flights in the description of the prisoner conrad in the lonely turret baring his bosom to the midnight storm and defying the lightning of offended heaven to transfix him of all this unholy brood blackbeard was facile as milton says of satan by merit raised to that bad eminence it was an arabic tradition relative to the great unknown atlantic that the tha gnarled and bony hand of the devil rose from out the waves of the sea se a of darkness to seize the presumptuous mariner and in his diabolic career blackbeard r seemed to be the impersonation oi of this mystic monster perhaps a greater denon demon never prowled the seas jeaa or walked the earth in human form even in personal appearance he was waa hideous and repulsive nature having stamped him both as a physical I 1 and moral monster the paine name by which he was known throughout the world was derived from a singular Ein gular circumstance which illustrates his savage ferocity his naturally dark and forbid forbidding din face was covered almost to his hia fie fierce ace sensuous eyes with a shaggy black blach beard reaching below the waist this hirsute adom ment of which he was very proud and which lie cultivated with sedulous care he was accustomed to braid with ribbons and to twist about his hia ears until it t stood forth like projecting pr 03 J acting horns into the ends of these he stuck small slowly burning fuses whose as fumes enveloped him in a lurid hue ane anc rendered him a not unfitting representation of the satanic ideal whose character charac tei tat he be EO successfully emulated in time of action he slung around his neck nee k a scarf enaif into which were thrust three braces oi of pistols our readers even those who are not endowed with powers of and especially our feminine friends can re readily odily fancy the impression such buch an aspect would create when met upon the lonely ocean with the black flag fluttering above his head and bis big merciless face lighting up with a gleam of demoniacal joy as his hia helpless victims walked the fatal plank the real name of this man was edward teach and he be was a native of abris bristol england I 1 of his early career pa eer nothing definite is known he first emerged from obscurity as n 1 common sailor on board a privateer privat ser commanded by captain benjamin hornigold Homi gold sailing from jamaica and preying upon french commerce in erce in that humble capacity capa city he distinguished himself by his skill and courage which attracted the attention b his not over scrupulous commander who soon goon in trusted him with a prize he had captured in 1717 these two choice spirits spread their bails from fiora provi deace auspicious name for At capturing en voyage three vessels laden with wine flour aud and miscellaneous cargoes which they appropriated to their own use and turned the crews adrift the speed of their vessels being crippled by foul bottoms they cleaned them upon tho coast of virginia in and went in in quest of fresh booty on this cruise they secured h trost most valuable prize yet captured a large french Frenc lii I 1 richly freighted bound for martinique ti at this juncture Horni golda golds avarice seems to have been satisfied or more likely his hia heart failed him for taking the two vessels with which they originally sailed lie ho returned to pro providence va and availed himself of a par pardon dan offered bv the king to all pirates who should surrender in in a specified ume time teach however only emboldened by success now assumed an independent character and began that career car of crime which rendered his name naine so infamous amons richmond times burled buried in hla his own coffin the late earl of essex was buried in a coffin of oak designed twelve years yearn ago by the deceased nobleman himself who was a prominent member of the funeral reform association it had what is called open trellis worl work around it and was filled with choice herbs and ever greens there have been many people of recent years some of them prominent in other ways who have had bad their coffins made mada to order long before the approach of death maybe the originator of the fashion was lord nelson who used to keep standing upright in the cabin of the victory a coffin that an admirer had presented to him one birthday anniversary and in this coffin his lord whips remains were at last put to rest philadelphia bulletin sums wagered an on the turf thero there area are vo po data obtainable in this country upon which even a 4 remote ap a bromma tion could be bb made qs as to 10 the total of the sums wagered in the course course of the year upon turf events that itis it ia large may be safely assumed but we should doubt much whether the french in their comparatively recent fervor for betting upon horse races have not largely exceeded the amounts wagered in this country the figures given by a paria correspondent spon dent show ehat io 10 per cent levit levita levied a on all sums sum staked in the pari machines amounted for the last four months monias of last year to SU francs representing presenting Te a total wagered of francs or r over in four months this of course is altogether irrespective of the sums wagered at the clubs or with the la large te bookmakers book makers and represents only the email eum amna laid on the course with the r smaller mauer men of that ou london Tit tidbits Bits I 1 I 1 0 1 tl I 1 i |
