The Pirate by Harold Schechter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harold Schechter is one of my favorite True Crime writers. His focus is mainly American serial killers of the 19th & 20th century. This is the first of a series of shorter works that focus on little known murders that were major events at the time, but have been forgotten.

This deals with the event leading to the conviction and execution of Albert W. Hicks, who was charged with "piracy on the high seas", despite the murders taking place in the waters off New York on an oyster boat. Hired as a mate, Hicks killed the other three members of the crew, for what amounted to less than two hundred dollars, a pocket watch and several items of clothing. As the bodies were never recovered the prosecutor went with the piracy charge.

P.T. Barnum even makes an appearance here as he paid to be allowed to make a 'life mask' of Hicks and purchased from him the clothes he wore while imprisoned. These Barnum put on exhibit in his NY hall for public display. I found it also interesting that in earlier years Hicks moved to my hometown of Norwich, CT where he was arrested and confined for a series of robberies.

Shechter also spends time discussing not only the rise of the oyster industry in NY, but the social and political tone of the era, which helped to make what Hicks did into a huge event. His execution being witnessed by thousands along the shore of what would one day be the island where the Statue of Liberty now stands.


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