William Kidd never left a crewman on a deserted isle. He never made anyone walk the plank. He did leave a buried treasure, but that was about the only thing that was classic pirate. The fact is, although he is infamous, he was a poor example of a pirate. Kidd was born in Scotland sometime around 1655. At an early age, he settled in New York. As a teenager, he went to sea with pirates. Later, a mutiny left him as captain of his own ship. He was not a particularly good pirate. He once had his ship stolen by another pirate when he was ashore. He married a wealthy widow and chummed around with the upper class. Some of them and the Governor of New York commissioned him to prey on French shipping and pirates. He was given a letter of marque (official approval for piracy) making him officially a privateer. His ship was the Adventure Galley which had oars as well as sails and 34 cannons. He had trouble with his crew as they wanted to be pure pirates. In a dispute he once killed a crewman named William Moore. He crossed the line when he captured a valuable ship that was under French protection, but hired by American merchants. He wanted to give it up, but his crew refused to pass up the riches. Politicians in England branded him a pirate. When he returned to America, he buried some treasure on an island near New York City. The Governor lured him to Boston with a promise of clemency, but had him arrested on July 6, 1699 and extradited to England. He was found guilty of piracy and murder (William Moore). He was executed on May 23, 1701. The first time he was hanged, the rope broke. But they got it right minutes later. He was gibbeted (hung from a gallows) for three years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Kidd
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/execution-captain-kidd
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