In 1699, Pirate Captain William Kidd buried treasure on Gardiners Island, the private island between the Twin Forks. It’s a true story, but the thing is, Kidd never did it. Instead, he asked the owner of the island, Jonathan Gardiner, to bury him in a secret location on the island. Kidd didn’t want to know where. Why, you will soon see.
Kidd accomplished this with art. He anchored his little sloop just off the island and waited. After two days, Gardiner, accompanied by some of his farmhands, rowed to find out why the sloop was there.
Captain Kidd welcomed Gardiner aboard and introduced himself in a friendly manner. Gardiner had never heard of him. He asked about Gardiner’s family and anyone else on the island. So Kidd then told Gardiner that he was on his way to see the Governor of New York, his friend the Earl of Bellomont.
But before leaving, Kidd wanted to trade with Gardiner. He gave Gardiner three young slaves to keep, two boys and a girl, to take ashore. He gave Gardiner and his wife other gifts. For him, a box of gold and a bundle of quilts. And for his wife, Eastern Muslim fabric.
In return, Kidd asked if Gardiner could spare six sheep and a barrel of rum. Gardiner and his men rowed the gifts to shore, then returned with the sheep and rum.
Gardiner, looking out the window of his mansion, saw Kidd’s men rowing in. Could Gardiner return? He could. There Kidd said he would like to pay for the mutton and the rum. Gardiner said we don’t owe him anything.
With that, Kidd showed Gardiner this enormous treasure he had below decks. Could Gardiner take him and bury him on the island to keep him safe? Kidd would come back for it after a while.
So Kidd said this: If it wasn’t there when he returned, he would kill Gardiner and his family.
Of course, Gardiner took the treasure and did exactly what he was told to do. Later that day, Kidd left.
Here is, exactly, what Gardiner buried. He wrote it.
Two gold dust bags.
A bag struck with gold
A gold dust package.
One Bag Silver Rings and gemstones.
A bag of unpolished stones. A bag of Cristol and Bazer Stone, two Cornelion rings, three small Agats. Two Amthests in the same bag.
A Silver Bag Buttons and a Lamp.
Two bags of gold bars.
Two bags of silver bullion.
Gold weighing 1,110 ounces Silver weighing 2,353 ounces
Jewelry and gemstones weighing 17 ounces
57 sachets of Sugar.
41 bales of merchandise
17 pieces canvas
Historians are pretty sure why Kidd wanted it done this way. The King of England had declared him a fugitive and would pay a bounty to whoever caught him. Then the king would hang him. And Kidd knew it.
Kidd’s only hope was Lord Bellomont, his friend and financial backer. He would tell Bellomont where the treasure was. But not exactly. Then he would bring Bellomont to the island and John Gardiner would give the treasure to Bellomont. With this, Bellomont would protect Kidd and keep him safe.
But Kidd never came back. Eventually, Gardiner learned that Bellomont, fearing that the king would also arrest him, had Kidd seized, arrested, and then sent to London where he was tried, convicted, and hanged. He was 47 years old.
Thereupon Gardiner wrote to tell Bellomont that he had the treasure. He didn’t want to be part of it. Come and get it. Shortly after, soldiers came to Gardiners Island, confirmed Gardiner’s story (this is how we know this story) and took everything from him. The treasure returned to London.
Today, as then, Gardiners Island continues to be a private island owned by descendants of the Gardiner family. You are not going to the island today unless invited by the owners.
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Kidd lived a fascinating life. Born and raised in Scotland, he went to sea as a teenager on a privateer ship from London. Privateers were supposed to steal pirate bounties. In the course of things, the other members of the crew mutinied and, at age 25, elected Kidd captain. Changing the ship’s name to Blessed William, (after King William) Kidd continued as a privateer and took treasure not only from private ships, but also from French ships. England was at war with France at this time.
Five years later, Kidd sailed to New York. His crew disbanded and he quit racing to become a dashing young member of that town’s high society. Among those he befriends is Governor Bellomont. Shortly after, at age 27, he married Sarah Bradley Cox, the richest woman in New York City. Funding from Kidd helped build Trinity Church in New York City.
Four years later, Lord Bellomont asked Kidd to return to racing. Bellomont and six others would join in the business and share the spoils brought back by Kidd. Among the investors, Kidd thought, was the King of England, who would get 10%. Kidd couldn’t refuse. He would be charged with disloyalty if he refused. As their ship, built in London, was now complete, Kidd was sent there to retrieve it.
Between 1695 and 1699, Captain Kidd came aboard and plundered ship after ship. At one point in Antigua Kidd’s crew threatened him if he did not attack a certain Dutch privateer led by an English captain. When he refused, they quit, taking much of the spoils with them. Kidd then sold the King William and with the money bought a 284 ton, 34 gun ship which he named the Adventure Galley. But when a British navy ship tried to impress 30 of Kidd’s new crew into military service, he refused. Thereupon, the king declared Kidd a pirate, not a privateer. His head has been priced.
Kidd fled to the Caribbean, abandoned the Adventure Galley, bought a sailboat, and with the treasure on board raced to New York in hopes of being protected by Bellomont.
Kidd did his best with Gardiner, and he did his best with Bellomont. But Bellomont didn’t want it. And this is the story of Captain Kidd.
