Senior center hosts discussion
By:Joseph Harvie
MONROE Scurvy. Aargh! Where’s me buried treasure? We’ll meet again in Davie Jones’ locker.
These are some things pirates have said on the silver screen for years, but did you know certain pirates, called privateers, were actually considered legitimate businessmen and sometimes, as was the case with Jean Lafitte, knew more than one language and were considered well-educated gentlemen.
A group of about 40 senior citizens gathered at the Senior Center in Monroe for a discussion on the role pirates played, not only in the history of the world and United States, but in the history of New Jersey.
Raymond Frey, a professor of history at Centenary College in Hacketstown, was on hand Monday to present the free lecture.
Dr. Frey said the most popular pirate of all time was a fictional character whose legacy has transcended generations, from the late 1800s to present.
"Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book called ‘Treasure Island’ which is a great adventure story. One of the characters is the most popular pirate of all time, Long John Silver, and he was totally made up," Dr. Frey said.
Dr. Frey said there is some truth to the ways movies portray pirates. He said it was not uncommon for the pirates to have peg legs, hooks for hands and eye patches.
"They used to raid other ships and were literally feet apart. Most of the combat was hand to hand, so with cannons firing in the background it was not uncommon for pirates to have limbs or hands blown off," Dr. Frey said.
He said another stereotype, the parrot on the shoulder, was also based on fact.
"The parrot was the one animal that could survive on a ship," Dr. Frey said. "They tried bringing monkeys and other animals back, but it didn’t work out."
He said there were three types of pirates: pirates, privateers and buccaneers. A buccaneer was a pirate who sailed mainly near the Caribbean, the African and South American coasts, said Dr. Frey.
A privateer was a pirate who was licensed by the government to raid other ships and steal food, rum, sugar cane and gold, Dr. Frey said. After giving 20 percent of the stolen goods to whichever government they were working for, the pirates would sell the remaining stolen goods for personal gain.
"It was a substitute for the United States Navy," Dr. Frey said. "I guess you would call it a private hijacker."
He said pirates thought of themselves as businessmen as well but were not your typical suit and tie sort of people.
"They were ruthless, they were savage and they were brutal," Dr. Frey said.
Dr. Frey also discussed how pirates used the narrow waterways near Barnaget and Atlantic City to smuggle goods into the Pine Barrens, for trade.
"These waterways were shallow enough for thin, flat boats but large ships did not dare go into the waterways for fear of grounding out," Dr. Frey said.
He said pirates would sneak out on long rowboats, raid larger ships and head through the waterways and into the Pine Barrens. Once in the Pine Barrens they would divide up the find, and transport it either to New York or to Philadelphia.
"It was very common. Your chances of being caught were zero," Dr. Frey said.
Dr. Frey said the area still sees it share of smugglers, now running drugs not spices and gold, into the Pine Barrens, and dispersing them in the solitude of the heavily wooded area.
Pirates also used the Raritan River as a passage to smuggle goods from Sandy Hook and Asbury Park coasts to New Brunswick for easy distribution, said Dr. Frey.
He said one of the most famous pirates was a privateer who sailed the deltas of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, and didn’t take kindly to the term "pirate."
"If you called him a pirate he probably would have shot you," Dr. Frey said. "He considered himself a businessman and a freelance soldier of fortune, and he was a crook."
That privateer was Jean Lafitte, who sailed in the deltas of the Mississippi, Dr. Frey said. He would force ship captains to pay to use the waterway, or he would raid their ships, Dr. Frey said.
Jean Lafitte spoke five languages and was well-educated, Dr. Frey said. He became so rich that he built a gigantic mansion on a small island in the delta system that he paid for from the booty he gathered over the years.
Dr. Frey said Mr. Lafitte was also a hero in the War of 1812. He was working for the Americans when the English were threatening New Orleans in the newly purchased Louisiana territory.
The Americans were reluctant to accept Mr. Lafitte’s help and Dr. Frey said it took a face to face meeting between Gen. Andre Jackson and Mr. Lafitte for the Americans to accept his aid. Dr. Frey said Gen. Jackson saw that Mr. Lafitte was an educated man and he could be trusted and accepted his help.
Mr. Lafitte was loyal to America, none of his ships had ever attacked American ships throughout his privateer career, and he helped the Americans defeat the British in this bloody battle, said Dr. Frey.
He was awarded for his actions in the battle of New Orleans with a full pardon for he and his men, Dr. Frey said. Mr. Lafitte left New Orleans and went with his fleet to the Gulf of Mexico.
Dr. Frey also discussed the ruthless pirate Blackbeard, who was known for slaughtering all the men on the ships he conquered.
"If you were lucky, he would rob your ship, steal your clothes, sink your ship and then send you out onto the ocean in a life boat," Dr. Frey said. "That was if you were lucky."
Dr. Frey also discussed Captain Kidd a privateer who eluded the British Navy for years, traveling to Madagascar and New York while running from larger British vessels.
"Kidd had a galley ship, which meant he could paddle, so one night he was surrounded by British ships, and as night fell his men paddled quietly and sailed off," Dr. Fray said.
Capt. Kidd is also known for his buried treasure, which Dr. Frey said could be buried anywhere, including the coast of Sandy Hook. Dr. Frey said people still go on treasure hunts to find the booty.
"There are still stories of people searching for Kidd’s treasure. The legend is you have to go out with three men during a full moon, and the moon will be right overhead and that will lead you to the treasure," Dr. Frey said.
The audience clapped at the end of Dr. Frey’s lecture, and said they had been surprised to learn that pirates were active in New Jersey.
Lowell Bopp of Monroe said he never knew that pirates used the Pine Barrens.
"It was terrific, exciting and very informative, especially since my wife came from the Pine Barrens," Mr. Bopp said.