John Evans, the pirate who worked his way up!

Was master of a sloop belonging to the Island of Nevis. Afterwards being in Jamaica and out of employment and berths being scarce, Evans decided to go "on the account". In September 1722, he rowed out of Port Royal in a canoe with a few chosen companions.

They began piracy in a small way by paddling along the coast and landing at night to break into a house or two and robbing these of anything they could carry away.

At last at Dun's Hole they found what they were looking for, a small Bermuda sloop lying at anchor. Evans stepped aboard and informed the crew of the sloop that he was captain of their vessel, "which was a piece of news they knew not before." Going on shore, Evans stood treat to his crew at the village inn, spending three pistols on liquid refreshment. He so took the fancy of the publican by his open-handed ways that he was invited to call again. This Evans and his companions did, in the middle of the same night, and rifled the house and took away all they could carry aboard their sloop.

Mounting four guns and christening their little vessel the Scowerer, they set sail for Hispaniola. Good luck immediately followed, as on the very next day they took their first prize, a Spanish sloop, an extraordinarily rich prize for her size, for the crew were able to share a sum of £150 a man. For a while all was coleur de rose, prize after prize simply falling into their hands. But an unhappy accident was soon to bring an end to Evans's career. The boatswain was a noisy, surly fellow, and on several occasions the captain had words with him about his disrespectful behaviour. The boatswain on one of these occasions so far forgot himself as not only to use ill language to his captain but to challenge him to a fight on the next shore they came to with pistol and sword.

On reaching land the cowardly boatswain refused to go ashore or to fight, whereupon the captain took his cane and gave him a hearty drubbing, when the boatswain, all of a sudden drawing a pistol, shot Evans through the head, so that he fell down dead.

Thus was brought to a tragic and sudden end a career that showed early signs of great promise. The boatswain jumped overboard and swam for the shore, but a boat put off and brought him back to the vessel. A trial was at once held, but the chief gunner, unable to bear with the slow legal procedure any further, stepped forward and shot the prisoner dead. The crew of thirty men now shared their plunder of some £9,000 and broke up, each going his own way.

connection: Was known to be a Welshman.


Related information...
      Henry Morgan, Buccaneers, Freebooters and Pirates.
      David Williams, Buccaneers, Freebooters and Pirates.
      the Hump Murray, Wrong side of the law.
      John Callice, Buccaneers, Freebooters and Pirates.
      Black Bart, Buccaneers, Freebooters and Pirates.
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