1747 PIRATE
RAID
BOMBAY HOOK
A stretch of
beach a few miles above Bombay Hook was the scene of a pirate raid in
1747 of two families. Prior to 1790 no coastal area was safe from
privateers and pirates that infested the inlets along the coast.
On this lonely
strip of beach there were only two houses, James Hart and his family
occupied one and a short distance away lived his neighbor, Edmund
Liston in the other house. Just after dinner, on 12 July 1747,
Liston's little daughter, took one of the little slave girls as a
companion and went to the beach, within sight of the house, to catch
some crabs. Within a few minutes, fifteen or twenty, Spanish or
French landed in an open boat, surrounded the children, took them
prisoners, tying the black girl and leaving her at the beach , while
they carried white child to the house. Here they found Liston at
home, admitting they were pirates, demanding Liston to give them his
slaves, together with his money. Fearing the safety of his family he
complied with their demands without resistance. The pirates stripped
the house of anything they could put in the boat, food, bedding,
furniture and closthing.
A mile away,
Hart, was also at home, had seen them coming and barricaded his house
and gave a fight. QA slave girl who had failed to get into the
barricaded house was caught and bound and brought to the house,
however, Hart gave fight, and for a while keep the pirates away.
However, Mrs Hart had been hit by a musket ball and was bleeding
badly and in an effort to save her life, surrendered and opened the
door, soon the house was stripped bare. Then Liston and Hart were
taken back to the Liston house, saw the loot in the boat, with the
slaves tied up among it. The two families were left , unhurt, on the
beach shore.
This raid was
immediately reported to the Council of Anthony Palmer. Evidently this
was the start of our fondness of long and impressive investigations,
as several years later, the court records were stuffed with letters
and orders directing someone else to do something about it. Since the
names of the pirates were unknown, nothing was ever done about the
raid.
Sewell P.
Moore, Delaware Historical Spots, Wilmington News Journal, 4 Oct.,
1930
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