 While you would think that the answer would be "absolutely nothing,"
you might be surprised that one of the world's most vicious pirates
drank tea instead of rum, and he also implemented a code of honor
among his men.
A code of honor among pirates? What gives?
We're not talking about the Somalian pirates who have been in the
news lately, but rather John Roberts, who began his demented
lifestyle back in the early 1700s. He looted ships and murdered
anyone who stood in his way. You say you've never heard of him?
I bet you have.
Speaking of betting, this world-famous pirate would forbid
betting and other forms of gambling on his boats.
Unlike most pirates, John Roberts dressed in the finest clothes
of his era, which meant silk pants and shirts. He also had a rule of
"lights out at 8:00," although the word "lights" meant lanterns and
candles, because the light bulb would not be invented for another
150 years or so.
Born in 1682 in southern Wales, John Roberts first worked on
ships at age 13. It didn't take him long to learn that there was
little money to be made as a deck hand, but a lot of money to be
made as a pirate. He was working as a third mate on a slave ship in
1719 when it was captured by a man named Howell Davis near
present-day Ghana, Africa. Capt. Davis was also from Wales, and he
was able to confide confidential information to Roberts in his
native dialect. He was also impressed with Roberts' navigational
skills, and when Davis was killed a few weeks later, John Roberts
was elected as the new captain -- less than six weeks after being
captured!
His territory included the east coast of North America, the
Caribbean and South America, as well as the western coast of Africa.
Part of his code of honor included giving each of his men an
equal vote as to what goes on in their business. He also forbade his
pirates from bringing women onto the boats.
[to top of second column]
 |
 He also had the customary rules that you would expect among a
bunch of evil, no-good pirates. This included stranding any
deserters on a desert island or putting them to death, as well as
cutting off the ears and nose of pirates who steal from their fellow
pirates.
In the end, John Roberts was shot, and he died at sea off the
coast of Gabon, Africa, in 1722. As he had earlier requested, he was
buried at sea.
So why haven't we heard of this John Roberts before?
In case you failed Piracy 101 in high school, here's one more
clue for you: His name might not be as well-known as Blackbeard or
Capt. Kidd -- who, by the way, captured "only" 30 ships combined --
yet he was the most successful pirate in history. He captured more
than 470 ships in his infamous career -- and many of the victims
were so afraid of him that they didn't even put up a fight!
It was common for pirates to take aliases, and sometime between
1695 and 1718, John Roberts changed his name to Bartholomew ... as
in Bartholomew Roberts.
But it is probably his nickname by which you know him ... as
Black Bart.
There's one other thing about Black Bart that you might not have
known.
He was the inspiration for Johnny Depp's character of Jack
Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann's column has appeared in
more than 80 newspapers and counting. He is the author of the
"Invention Mysteries" series of books and can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2009
(Other
columns) |
