It was cold and rainy on the morning of May 23, 1701, in London, perfect weather for an execution. The convicted, William Kidd, was lead to the gallows, defiant to the end. The noose was placed around his neck and the wood block kicked out from beneath him. Though the rope broke and Kidd's life was spared for a few moments, a second attempt put an end to the brief career of the one of the most famous pirates in history. The end of Kidd's life was only the beginning of his legend though, for what most people remember him for is not his adventures, but his infamous buried treasure, which many people believe might still be waiting to be discovered in New Jersey.



In May 1696, Kidd set sail from England to New York City in his new ship, the Adventure Galley. On the way, much of his crew was forcibly drafted by a British Navy warship. This forced Kidd to recruit a new crew when he arrived in New York and to pay them a larger share of the profit than he expected. He promised the crew 60 percent of the booty taken, but unfortunately he had already promised sixty percent to his backers. With this inauspicious start, Kidd left for the Red Sea to seek his fortune.


On the way to Boston, Kidd stopped at various locations in New Jersey, and dropped anchor off the coast of Monmouth County, in the Raritan Bay. From there, he sent landing parties ashore to New Jersey and New York City to fix his "pirate problem" by using his political connections and the proceeds of his captured booty. It was common practice for pirates to buy safety or pardons from corrupt colonial politicians. After bribing all the appropriate people, and hiding some of his treasure, Kidd left for Boston to meet with the governor.

Upon his arrival in Boston, Kidd was arrested by the new governor and imprisoned. He claimed to have hidden a treasure of 40,000 British Pounds, but rumors at the time put his missing treasure at 400,000 Pounds. Only 10,000 Pounds was ever recovered, and it was sent to England along with Kidd in early 1700. In order to protect prominent backers and associates, Kidd was given a quick trial, with limited evidence allowed by the court, and some evidence suppressed by the prosecution. He was found guilty of the murder of William Moore and of piracy and was sentenced to be publicly hanged. He maintained his innocence to the end, and promised to retrieve his treasure to give it to his backers and the government if only they would release him and give him a ship. Whether he was telling the truth, or just trying to save his neck, we will never know.


The Treasure Hunt in New Jersey

Soon after Kidd's arrest, gold and other treasure worth about 20,000 pounds (more than $1 million in today's value) was dug up on Gardiner's Island off the coast of Long Island. Kidd left it there in the care of Jonathon Gardiner, who cooperated with British authorities in retrieving it. The finding of this treasure, along with Kidd's insistence of a fabulous treasure hidden elsewhere, began the never-ending search for the legendary buried treasure of Captain Kidd.



What is not a legend, and cannot be disputed, was the existence of two gigantic elm trees, which were known as Kidd's Rangers. One was at the mouth of Matawan Creek in Keyport, and stood until the turn of this century. The other was located at Fox Hill, now known as Rose Hill. These trees, according to legend, acted as range markers to guide Kidd back to his buried gold, and Cliffwood Beach is centered between these two markers when sailing west from Long Island.



All images are public domain, courtesy Weird NJ.

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