The Pirates' Who's Who Part 15

DELANDER, CAPTAIN. Buccaneer.

Commanded a _chatas_, or small coasting craft. He was sent by Morgan ahead of the main body when, in January, 1671, he marched from San Lorenzo on his great a.s.sault on Panama.

DELIZUFF. Barbary corsair.

In 1553, while Barbarossa was sailing from Algiers to Constantinople, he was joined by Delizuff with a fleet of eighteen pirate vessels.

Delizuff was killed in an affair at the Island of Biba, and, the crews of the two corsairs quarrelling, the ships of Delizuff stole away one dark night.

DELVE, JONATHAN.

One of Captain Lowther's crew in the _Happy Delivery_. Was hanged at St.

Kitts in 1722.

DEMPSTER, CAPTAIN. Buccaneer.

In 1668 he was in command of several vessels and 300 men, blockading Havana.

DENNIS, HENRY.

Of Bideford in Devonshire.

At first a pirate with Captain Davis, he afterwards joined Captain Roberts's crew. Was tried for piracy at Cape Coast Castle in 1722, and found guilty, but for some reason was reprieved and sold for seven years to serve the Royal African Company on their plantations.

DERDRAKE, CAPTAIN JOHN, _alias_ JACK OF THE BALTIC. A Danish pirate, of Copenhagen.

When a carpenter in the King's Dockyard at Copenhagen he was dismissed for drunkenness. After making a few voyages to London as a ship's carpenter, his parents died and left their son a fortune of 10,000 rix-dollars. With this money Derdrake built himself a fast sailing brig sheathed with copper, and for a while traded in wood between Norway and London. Becoming impatient of the smallness of the profits in this trade, he offered his services and ship to Peter the Great. This monarch, as was his custom, examined the ship in person, and, approving of her, bought her, and at the same time appointed Derdrake to be a master shipwright in the royal dockyards on the Neva. The carpenter, always a man of violent temper, one day quarrelled with one of his superiors, seized an axe, and slew him. His ship then happening to be in the roads, Derdrake hurried on board her and made sail, and went off with the cargo, which he sold in London. Arming his vessel with twelve guns, he sailed for Norway, but on the way he was attacked by a big Russian man-of-war. The Russian was defeated and surrendered, and Derdrake went into her in place of his own smaller ship, giving his new craft the ominous name of the _Sudden Death_. With a fine, well-armed ship and a crew of seventy desperadoes, one-half English, and the rest Norwegian and Danish, he now definitely turned pirate. Lying in wait for English and Russian ships carrying goods to Peter the Great, the pirates took many valuable prizes, with cargoes consisting of fittings for ships, arms, and warm woollen clothing. For these he found a ready market in Sweden, where no questions were asked and "cash on delivery" was the rule.

Derdrake drowned all his prisoners, and was one of the very few pirates, other than those found in works of fiction, who forced his victims to "walk the plank." Not long afterwards the pirates met with and fought an armed Swedish vessel, which was defeated, but the captain and crew escaped in the long-boat, and, getting to sh.o.r.e, spread the tidings of the pirates' doings. On hearing the news, the Governor of St. Petersburg, General Shevelling, sent out two ships to search for and take the pirates, offering a reward of 4,000 rix-dollars for Derdrake's head. The pirates had just heard of this when they happened to take a Russian vessel bound for Cronstadt, on board of which was a pa.s.senger, a sister of the very General Shevelling. This poor lady, after being reproached by the pirates for her brother's doings, was stabbed to death in the back by Derdrake. At this time there was aboard the _Sudden Death_ a Danish sailor, who, having been severely flogged for being drunk at sea, shammed sickness and pretended to have lost the use of his limbs. The captain was deceived, and sent the sailor, well supplied with money, to a country house at Drontheim in Sweden, to recover. No sooner had Jack of the Baltic left than the Danish sailor set off post-haste for St. Petersburg, where he saw the Governor and told him of his sister's murder, and also that the pirates were to be found at Strothing in Sweden. Two well-armed vessels were immediately despatched, which, finding the _Sudden Death_ at anchor, fought and sunk her, though unfortunately Derdrake was on sh.o.r.e and so escaped; but the whole crew were hung up alive by hooks fixed in their ribs and sent to drift down the Volga. Derdrake, who had a large sum of money with him, bought an estate near Stralsund, and lived there in luxury for fourteen years, until one day, a servant having robbed him of a sum of money, Derdrake followed him to Stockholm, where he was recognized by the captain of the Swedish ship who had first given information against him, and the pirate was at once arrested, tried, and hanged.

DEW, CAPTAIN GEORGE.

Of Bermuda.

He commanded a Bermuda ship and sailed in company with Captain Tew, when they were caught in a storm off that island, and Captain Dew, having sprung his mast, was compelled to put back to the island for repairs.

Captain Tew continued his journey to Africa, but what became of Captain Dew is not known.

DIABOLITO.

A Central American pirate who became very famous in the early part of the last century. Commanded the _Catalina_ in 1823 off the coast of Cuba.

DIEGO, or DIEGO GRILLO.

A mulatto of Havana.

After the general amnesty to pirates, given in 1670, Diego, Thurston, and others continued to attack Spanish ships and to carry their prizes to their lair at Tortuga Island. Diego commanded a vessel carrying fifteen guns. He succeeded in defeating three armed ships in the Bahama Channel, which had been sent to take him, and he ma.s.sacred all the Spaniards of European birth that he found among the crews. He was caught in 1673 and hanged.

DIPPER, HENRY.

One of the English soldiers who deserted from the Fort Loyal, Falmouth, Maine, and joined Captain Pound, the pirate. Killed in the fight at Tarpaulin Cove in 1689.

DOLE, FRANCIS.

Was one of h.o.r.e's crew. Lived with his wife, when not "on the account," at his house at Charleston, near Boston. The pirate Gillam was found hiding there by the Governor's search-party on the night of November 11th, 1699.

Dole was committed to gaol at Boston.

DOROTHY, JOHN.

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

DOVER, DOCTOR THOMAS.

Born 1660; died 1742.

This many-sided character was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Medicine. Many years afterwards, in 1721, the Royal College of Physicians made him a licentiate. For many years Dover practised as a physician at Bristol, until the year 1708, when he sailed from Bristol as "second captain" to Captain Woodes Rogers, with the _Duke_ and the _d.u.c.h.ess_, two privateer ships fitted out for a South Sea cruise by some Bristol merchants. Dover had no knowledge whatever of navigation, but, having a considerable share in the adventure, he insisted on being given a command. Sailing round the Horn, the two ships arrived, on the night of February 1st, 1709, off the Island of Juan Fernandez, where they observed a light. Next morning Dover went ash.o.r.e in a boat, to find and rescue the solitary inhabitant of the island, Alexander Selkirk, the original of Robinson Crusoe. Sailing north, a Spanish ship was taken and rechristened the _Bachelor_, and Dover was put in command of her. He sacked Guayaquil in April, 1709, many of the crew contracting plague from sleeping in a church where some bodies had recently been buried. Dover undertook to treat the sick with most heroic measures, bleeding each sick man and drawing off 100 ounces of blood.

He also took the famous _Acapulco_ ship, with a booty worth more than a million pounds sterling. Dover returned to Bristol in October, 1711, with a prize of great value, after sailing round the world.

Giving up piracy, he settled in practice in London, seeing his patients daily at the Jerusalem Coffee-house in Cecil Street, Strand. He wrote a book called "The Ancient Physician's Legacy to His Country," which ran into seven or eight editions, in which he strongly recommended the administration of large doses of quicksilver for almost every malady that man is subject to. This book won him the nickname of the "Quicksilver Doctor." He invented a diaph.o.r.etic powder containing ipecacuanha and opium, which is used to this day, and is still known as Dover's powder.

Dover died at the age of 82, in the year 1742, and should always be remembered for having invented Dover's powders, commanded a company of Marines, rescued Alexander Selkirk, written a most extraordinary medical book, and for having been a successful pirate captain.

DOWLING, CAPTAIN WILLIAM.

Of New Providence, Bahamas.

Hanged for piracy in the early part of the eighteenth century.

DRAGUT. Barbary corsair.

Started life as a pirate, and was eventually put in command of twelve large galleys by Kheyr-ed-din. Pillaged and burnt many towns on the Italian coast, and destroyed ships without number. Was taken prisoner by the younger Doria, and condemned to row in the galleys for four years until ransomed for 3,000 ducats by Kheyr-ed-din. Appointed Admiral of the Ottoman Fleet. Ended a bloodthirsty but very successful career in 1565 by being killed at the Siege of Malta.

DRAKE, SIR FRANCIS.