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In the late summer
of 1698 – according to tradition and scattered evidence available
– the barkentine that served as flagship for the notorious Captain
William Kidd of Greenock, Scotland, anchored near the mouth of Brigantine
Inlet. Kidd and his first mate, Timothy Jones, accompanied by several
of his crew came ashore in a long boat, on the bottom of which rested
a heavy leather and brass-bound sea chest. This chest was buried among
the dunes. The men were sent back to the ship and, according to the story,
the chest was dug up by Captain Kidd and his mate and reburied at a new
spot… To this day that final burial place has remained hidden and
elusive to all. The story also relates that, following the second burial,
a fight ensued between Mate Jones and Captain Kidd during which Jones
was killed and buried beside the chest of loot. Captain Kidd then sailed
away to further adventures. A more romantic story
concerning the famed pirate captain is that he became enamored with an
Ocean County lass known only as Amanda. She persuaded Captain Kidd to
abandon his uncertain, although colorful, career and settle in the wilds
of South Jersey. In preparation for this move he decided to divide much
of available loot with the crew and bury the rest on Brigantine. His ship
was anchored in the mouth of the Mullica River when he was betrayed by
a dissatisfied crew member and had to make a run for it out to sea. Captain
Kidd made good his escape, but was captured in the vicinity of Boston
in late 1699 and sent to England for trial. Charged with piracy and murder,
Captain Kidd was found guilty and hanged in London on May 24, 1701, protesting
his innocence to the last. If these additional buried treasures actually
existed, Amanda and her captain kept their final resting place an external
secret. The cache has never been found. Blackbeard
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Captain Kidd