The Pirates' Who's Who Part 38

PETERSON, JOHN.

A Swedish pirate, one of Gow's crew. He was hanged at Wapping in June, 1725.

PEt.i.t, CAPTAIN. French filibuster.

Of San Domingo.

In 1634 was in command of _Le Ruze_, crew of forty men and four guns.

PETTY, WILLIAM.

Born at Deptford.

A sailmaker in Captain Roberts's _Royal Fortune_ when the _King Solomon_ was taken and plundered in West Africa. Petty, as sailmaker, had to see that all the sails and canvas aboard the prizes were removed to the pirate ship. Hanged at the age of 30.

PHELIPP, CAPTAIN WILLIAM.

In 1533 a Portuguese merchant, Peter Alves, engaged Phelipp to pilot his ship, the _Santa Maria Desaie_, from Tenby to Bastabill Haven. Off the Welsh coast the ship was attacked by a pirate vessel called the _Furtuskewys_, with a crew of thirty-five pirates. Alves was put ash.o.r.e on the Welsh coast, and the two ships then sailed to Cork, where the ship and her cargo were sold to the mayor for 1,524 crowns.

Alves complained to the King of England, and orders were sent to the Mayor of Cork, Richard Gowllys, to give up the ship, which he refused to do, but by way of excusing his actions he explained that he thought the ship was a Scotch one and not a Portuguese.

PHILLIPS, CAPTAIN.

In 1723 this noted pirate took a sloop, the _Dolphin_, of Cape Ann, on the Banks of Newfoundland. The crew of the _Dolphin_ were compelled by Phillips to join the pirates. Amongst the prisoners was a fisherman, John Fillmore. Finding no opportunity to escape, Fillmore with another sailor, Edward Cheesman, and an Indian, suddenly seized and killed Phillips and the two other chief pirates. The rest of the crew agreeing, the ship was taken to Boston.

PHILIPS, JAMES.

Of the Island of Antigua.

Formerly of the _Revenge_, and afterwards in the _Royal Fortune_ (Captain Roberts). When the _Royal Fortune_ surrendered in 1722 to H.M.S.

_Swallow_, Philips seized a lighted match and attempted to blow up the ship, swearing he would "send them all to h.e.l.l together," but was prevented by the master, Glasby. Hanged at the age of 35.

PHILLIPS, JOHN.

A carpenter by trade, he sailed from the West Country for Newfoundland in a ship that was captured by the pirate Anstis in the _Good Fortune_.

Phillips soon became reconciled to the life of a pirate, and, being a brisk fellow, he was appointed carpenter to the ship. Returning to England he soon found it necessary to quit the country again, and he shipped himself on board a vessel at Topsham for Newfoundland. On arriving at Peter Harbour he ran away, and hired himself as a splitter to the Newfoundland cod fishery.

On the night of August 29th, 1723, with four others, he stole a vessel in the harbour and sailed away. Phillips was chosen captain. Articles were now drawn up and were sworn to upon a hatchet, because no Bible could be found on board. Amongst other laws was the punishment of "40 stripes lacking one, known as Moses's law, to be afflicted for striking a fellow-pirate." The last law of the nine casts a curious light on these murderers; it runs: "If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death." The pirates, fortified by these laws, met with instant success, taking several fishing vessels, from which they augmented their small crew by the addition of several likely and brisk seamen. Amongst these they had the good fortune to take prisoner an old pirate called John Rose Archer, who had served his pirate apprenticeship under the able tuition of the famous Blackbeard, and who they at once promoted to be quartermaster. This quick promotion caused trouble afterwards, for some of the original crew, particularly carpenter Fern, resented it. The pirates next sailed to Barbadoes, that happy hunting ground, but for three months never a sail did they meet with, so that they were almost starving for want of provisions, being reduced to a pound of dried meat a day amongst ten of them.

At last they met with a French vessel, a Martinico ship, of twelve guns, and hunger drove them to attack even so big a ship as this, but the sight of the Black flag so terrified the French crew that they surrendered without firing a shot. After this, they took several vessels, and matters began to look much brighter. Phillips quickly developed into a most accomplished and b.l.o.o.d.y pirate, butchering his prisoners on very little or on no provocation whatever. But even this desperate pirate had an occasional "qualm of conscience come athwart his stomach," for when he captured a Newfoundland vessel and was about to scuttle her, he found out that she was the property of a Mr. Minors of that island, from whom they stole the original vessel in which they went a-pirating, so Phillips, telling his companions "We have done him enough injury already," ordered the vessel to be repaired and returned to the owner. On another occasion, they took a ship, the master of which was a "Saint" of New England, by name Dependance Ellery, who gave them a pretty chase before being overhauled, and so, as a punishment, the "Saint" was compelled to dance the deck until he fell down exhausted.

This pirate's career ended with a mutiny of his unruly crew, Phillips being tripped up and then thrown overboard to drown off Newfoundland in April, 1724.

During the nine months of Phillips's command as a pirate captain, he accounted for more than thirty ships.

PHILLIPS, JOSEPH.

One of Teach's crew. Hanged in Virginia in 1718.

PHILLIPS, WILLIAM.

Born at Lower Shadwell.

Boatswain in the _King Solomon_, a Guinea merchant ship. This ship, while lying at anchor in January, 1721, was attacked by a boatful of pirates from Bartholomew Roberts's ship, the _Royal Fortune_. The captain of the _King Solomon_ fired a musket at the approaching boat, and called upon his crew to do the same, but Phillips called for quarter and persuaded the rest of the crew to lay down their arms and surrender the ship. Phillips eagerly joined the pirates and signed the articles, and was "very forward and brisk" in helping to rob his own ship of provisions and stores.

At his trial at Cape Coast Castle, he pleaded, as nearly all the prisoners did, that he was compelled to sign the pirates' articles, which were offered to him on a dish, on which lay a loaded pistol beside the copy of the articles.

Found guilty and hanged in April, 1722, within the flood marks at Cape Coast Castle, in his 29th year.

PHIPS, RICHARD.

An English soldier who deserted from Fort Loyal, Falmouth, Maine, in 1689.

Wounded by a bullet in the head at Tarpaulin Cove. Taken to Boston Prison, where he died.

PICKERING, CAPTAIN CHARLES.

Commanded the _Cinque Ports_ galley, sixteen guns, crew of sixty-three men, and accompanied Dampier on his voyage in 1703. Died off the coast of Brazil in the same year.

PIERSE, GEORGE.

Tried for piracy along with the rest of the crew of the brigantine _Charles_, at Boston, in 1704.

PITMAN, JOHN.

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

POLEAS, PEDRO. Spanish pirate.

Co-commander with Captain Johnson of a pirate sloop, the _Two Brothers_.

In March, 1731, took a ship, the _John and Jane_ (Edward Burt, master), south of Jamaica, on board of which was a pa.s.senger, John c.o.c.kburn, who afterwards wrote a book relating his adventures on a journey on foot of 240 miles on the mainland of America.

PORTER, CAPTAIN.