North Carolina's most notorious
woman was blood-thirsty and cruel as
any corsair who ravaged the coast of
North America in the early days of the
eighteenth century. She was the
woman pirate. Anne Bonney.
A prolific but inattentive mother,
unfaithful to her husband, yet an in¬
trepid and resolute fighter, she han¬
dled pistol and cutlass as well as a
man. When her vessel was finally de¬
feated by an English naval sloop. Anne
Bonney, with two others, was the last
to leave the bloody deck, while her
crew sought shelter from the enemy's
deadly cannon fire in the ship’s hold.
Cursing them for their cowardice, the
enraged woman fired her pistols, kill¬
ing one and wounding another of her
own men.
Came to North Carolina as a Child
Anne came to this state — which
was at that time part of the province
of Carolina — as a child. She was
born at Cork, Ireland, probably in the
sixteen-nineties. Her father was an at¬
torney who was highly respected un¬
til. alas! Anne was born — the daugh¬
ter of his servant girl. He immediately
eloped to America, leaving his affec¬
tionate and lawful wife. Little Anne
was brought along.
The father became a successful mer¬
chant and bought a plantation which is
thought to have been in the Cape Fear
ages she sailed with Captain Rackham.
and whenever there was pirate’s work
to do, she was on deck to do it. With
ever)' outward appearance she was a
sea-robber, except that she wore no
bristling beard; but her sun-burned
face was seamed and mannish enough
to scare the wits from any unfortunate
merchant whose ship she plundered.
Frequent Vacations
Through all her corsairing. she
found time to bear Rackham children,
but after each child she again accom¬
panied her husband on his expedi¬
tions.
After the king's proclamation in
1718 offering to pardon all pirates,
Rackham and Anne lived quietly
ashore. But chafing with inactivity,
they took up privateering under gov¬
ernment license. Hardly out to sea.
they again turned to unrestricted
piracy.
In November, 1720, near Port
Royal, Jamaica. Anne's ship was set
upon and defeated by the English
naval sloop, and on November 16 the
captain and eight of his unslain crew,
including Anne and Man' Read, an¬
other woman pirate aboard, were re¬
turned to the Carolinas. Rackham was
condemned and executed — hanged
in chains.
By a special favor just before the
execution, she was admitted to see her
Anne Bonney— Woman Pirale
region of North Carolina, and there
the little girl grew up. When her mother
died, Anne superintended her father’s
domestic affairs.
In spite of her vicious disposition,
she had many suitors from respectable
families, probably because she was
heiress to her father’s considerable for¬
tune. More masculine than feminine,
she was quick-tempered and easily
enraged. Once when an English serving-
woman irritated her. the hot-tempered
Anne sprang upon her and disem¬
bowelled her with a carving knife.
Disregarding her local suitors, Anne
fell in love with a young sailor whose
sole worldly goods were the clothes he
wore. She married him.
The father, as impetuous as the
daughter, was enraged and turned her
out of doors. Tired of hunt-drum plan¬
tation life, the fiery Anne was glad to
follow the sea with her husband, and
embarked with him for the island of
New Providence off the coast of New
England.
New Surroundings
New Providence, a nest of bucca¬
neers. gave Anne a new. delightful
surrounding of daring, dashing sea-
robbers. Beside these bold pirates, a
sailor scented plain and stupid. One
day she deserted her husband and.
putting on men’s clothes, ran away to
sea with Captain John Rackham. one
of the most feared pirates of the day.
It was Rackham who had led a suc¬
cessful mutiny against Charles Vane,
a friend and companion of Blackbcard.
and with his stolen vessel, he and Anne
began to terrorize the Spanish Main,
stealing gold and cargoes.
She donned the clothes of a pirate,
girded to her side a cutlass, and hung
pistols in her belt. During many voy-
common-law husband. Instead of con¬
doling him. she glared contemptuously.
She was sorry to see him there, she
told him. but if he had fought the
English sloop like a man. he would not
be waiting to be hanged like a dog,
and with that she walked away.
Anne’s companion. Mary Read, was
quite as masculine and sanquinary.
Mary was an English woman reared
in boy’s clothes to deceive a grand¬
mother who wanted a male heir. Leg¬
end has it that Anne did not discover
that Mary was a woman until, charac¬
teristically unfaithful, she fell in love
with her. thinking her a fine, smooth¬
faced youth. Rackham. a jealous para¬
mour, observing Anne's partiality for
a member of the crew, threatened to
shoot Mary before he was informed
of her sex.
Back in the colonics, the two women
( Continued on page .W>
THE STATE. AUGUST 23. 1958
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