Outrageous Behavior
In one form or another, pirates were known for their outrageous behavior, be it their anti-social ways or their cruelty toward their unfortunate victims. Some were also known by their unusual antics or induction into the pirate realm. According to one expert, one of Black Bart's crewmen, pirate John Mansfield, allegedly joined piracy “for drink rather than gold.” It would seem that Mansfield spoke the truth, because when he was captured he was entirely inebriated and hadn't a clue what had happened to him. Pirate Robert Hains, one of Edward Low's crewmembers, didn't care much for his captain or his own piratical lifestyle. During a particular capture, Hains escaped with the victims Low was setting ashore in the Azores. But once safe in the prisoner's boat, Hains realized he'd neglected to take his prized silver tankard, so he quickly retrieved it before returning to the prisoner's boat and liberating himself from Low's terrible reign.
William Coward was a pirate whose career was short-lived. In spite of his name, or perhaps because of it, Coward and three cohorts are said to have boarded a vessel in the dead of night in 1689 in the hope of capturing it. As it turned out, the assault was simple, given that the entire crew of the vessel was inflicted with smallpox. Coward and his cohorts were easily captured and hanged the following year.
The Party Pirate
Danish pirate Gustav Wilmerding was an oddity on several accounts, the first being that he survived his pirate career and retired to a comfortable life in the Virgin Islands. Allegedly nicknamed “Ding-Dong” Wilmerding, he was known to have hosted memorable parties both on land and at sea, where he often fought battles while onboard musicians provided appropriate background music. Apparently mesmerized by his legendary partying skills, the British Virgin Islands continues to honor the pirate by holding the annual Gustav Wilmerding Memorial Challenge Regatta.
Bone Breaker Francis Spriggs
During the 1720s, Francis Spriggs sailed for a time under Edward Low before departing on bad terms in a ship ironically called
