John Evans (pirate)
Encyclopedia
John Evans was a Welsh pirate who had a short but successful career in the Caribbean.
Evans was the master of a sloop operating from the island of Nevis
until he lost his employment there. For a while he found employment as a mate of ships sailing from Jamaica
. This was a time when there was a surplus of seamen, so that wages were low and berths scarce, and towards the end of September 1722 Evans and a few friends decided to try their luck at pirating. They started by leaving Port Royal
in Jamica in a rowing boat and going ashore on the north side of the island to raid some houses.
A few days later they found a small sloop
at anchor and commandeered her, giving her the name Scowerer. They sailed to Hispaniola
, where they captured a Spanish sloop which proved a rich prize: when shared out the booty came to 150 pounds per man. They went on to take a number of other ships, adding to their own crew by inducing many of their crews to join them. A Dutch sloop which they captured was commandeered. They then headed for the Grand Caymans to careen
.
Here an incident put an end to Evans' career as a pirate. The captain had trouble with the boatswain
of his ship, and several times had words with him. The boatswain responded by challenging the captain to a duel with pistols and swords when they reached land. When they did reach land, Captain Evans reminded the boatswain of this, but the latter now refused to fight. Angered at his cowardice, Evans gave him a beating with his cane, which provoked the boatswain into producing a pistol and shooting the captain through the head, killing him instantly. The boatswain tried to escape but was captured and killed by the rest of the crew. Without their captain, the crew decided to disband, sharing booty worth 9,000 pounds between them
Evans was the master of a sloop operating from the island of Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...
until he lost his employment there. For a while he found employment as a mate of ships sailing from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. This was a time when there was a surplus of seamen, so that wages were low and berths scarce, and towards the end of September 1722 Evans and a few friends decided to try their luck at pirating. They started by leaving Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
in Jamica in a rowing boat and going ashore on the north side of the island to raid some houses.
A few days later they found a small sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
at anchor and commandeered her, giving her the name Scowerer. They sailed to Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
, where they captured a Spanish sloop which proved a rich prize: when shared out the booty came to 150 pounds per man. They went on to take a number of other ships, adding to their own crew by inducing many of their crews to join them. A Dutch sloop which they captured was commandeered. They then headed for the Grand Caymans to careen
Careening
Careening a sailing vessel is the practice of beaching it at high tide. This is usually done in order to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance and repairs below the water line when the tide goes out....
.
Here an incident put an end to Evans' career as a pirate. The captain had trouble with the boatswain
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
of his ship, and several times had words with him. The boatswain responded by challenging the captain to a duel with pistols and swords when they reached land. When they did reach land, Captain Evans reminded the boatswain of this, but the latter now refused to fight. Angered at his cowardice, Evans gave him a beating with his cane, which provoked the boatswain into producing a pistol and shooting the captain through the head, killing him instantly. The boatswain tried to escape but was captured and killed by the rest of the crew. Without their captain, the crew decided to disband, sharing booty worth 9,000 pounds between them