The Pirate King of Seattle
A real-life adventure of a man who survived a childhood on a pirate ship and returned to Seattle to recruit a crew for a treasure hunt.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The brig 'Laura,' which has been cleared from the Custom House and is now only awaiting a favorable opportunity to cross the bar, has on board a new party of men bound for Cocos Island, confident of discovering the pirates' treasure. The vessel is under command of Captain Thomas Welsh, who, with his wife, were captives on board the craft of the outlaws, and are the only survivors left to tell the story. Yesterday morning, our reporter visited the Captain in his quarters on board the 'Laura,' moored alongside of Front street wharf. 'I know the spot,' the Captain claimed, 'and can go to it without the slightest difficulty.' He spoke of a natural tunnel branching off from which are many dark caverns on the island, where the pirates deposited millions in silver dollars and gold. The Captain described his early life, being forcibly taken as a child by an outlaw who loved his mother, and growing up among buccaneers on the Pacific. Now, he has organized a Joint Stock Company to recover the lost fortune, estimating the deposit at sixty-five million dollars.
“I have been laughed at as a fool; but when I return I can afford to see them laugh again.”
This story highlights the perennial Seattle dream of sudden wealth and 'get-rich-quick' ventures. Just as Captain Welsh sought investors for a high-stakes, speculative voyage from the Seattle waterfront, modern Seattle remains a city defined by massive capital gambles and the pursuit of hidden, transformative fortunes.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.