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26 Oct 10 - 01:43 PM (#3016015) Subject: BS: Piracy! From: EBarnacle I have just been reading Alleyne's "Caribbean Pirates" and, in his account of Edward Teach, he mentions Israel Hands, sailing master of Queen Anne's Revenge, as one of his henchmen. Could this be the same Israel Hands who is a character in Stevenson's "Treasure Island?" |
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26 Oct 10 - 01:47 PM (#3016024) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: Jack the Sailor There are lots of novels that take characters from real life. |
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26 Oct 10 - 02:26 PM (#3016057) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: EBarnacle I know that but it creates an interesting inconsistency between Hands the foremast Jack and Hands the sailing master. |
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26 Oct 10 - 03:25 PM (#3016112) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: Amos Hands was second-in-command under Edward Teach "Blackbeard." Hands was given command of David Herriot's ship the Adventure after Herriot was captured by Blackbeard in March, 1718. Hands was with Blackbeard in the attack on Charleston, South Carolina. Afterwards, Hands settled with Blackbeard in Ocracoke, North Carolina. When Blackbeard was killed by Robert Maynard, Hands was captured and taken to Virginia for trial. In exchange for immunity, Hands testified against corrupt North Carolina officials who had consorted with Blackbeard. According to Daniel Defoes "General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates," Hands is said to have died a beggar in London & also wrote that Hands was shot in the knee by Edward Teach aka Blackbeard after Teach fired at another member of his crew, striking Hands accidently. Hands supposedly asked Blackbeard his meaning in this act, His response was, "That if he did not now and then kill one of them, they would forget who he was." I suspect it could easily have been lifted from history by RLS. The name is almost irresistible and sounds piratical all by itself. A |
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26 Oct 10 - 04:04 PM (#3016144) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: EBarnacle Amos, I suspect you are right but I still wonder whether there is a more concrete link. |
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26 Oct 10 - 04:45 PM (#3016185) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: McGrath of Harlow Then there is "Blind Pew, the character from the novel Treasure Island (1882), reputedly modelled on an actual person, John Pew, who is buried in the kirkyard of South Leith Parish Church", according to a Wikipedia entry. ............................. Has Johnny Silvo any connection with Long John Silver? |
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26 Oct 10 - 08:40 PM (#3016356) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: EBarnacle Again, I would not be surprised but I wonder whether there is a more concrete link, perhaps in Stevenson's diaries. |
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27 Oct 10 - 04:48 PM (#3017139) Subject: RE: BS: Piracy! From: Don Firth Worth noting perhaps. In my copy of Treasure Island (and in every copy I've ever seen), the name is "Israel Hand," not "Israel Hands." "Hand" in the singular. Don Firth |