June, 1912 - New England
[Depicted in Young Indiana Jones and the Pirates’ Loot, the fourteenth entry of Young Indy novels published by Random House in 1994, and first and only edition written by J.N. Fox.]
The following month after his mother’s passing, Indiana traveled with Miss Seymour down the New England coast looking for a man who mysteriously disappeared while looking for hidden treasure, left behind by the infamous Captain Kidd who sailed the seas in the late 17th century.
While everyone from Boston to Maine has taken an interest in finding the man, as well as the hidden treasure, Indiana decides to join the search as well - only to be encountered by the ghost of a young girl who is looking for her father - or perhaps it’s just an illusion after all.
This is one of the first moments where Indiana would cross paths with the supernatural, an occurrence that would happen often in so many of his later adventures.
Indiana’s main influence at this time was the mythology and folklore surrounding:
Captain William Kidd - a Scottish voyager whose origins are truly unknown, he later settled in New York City and became a sailor/pirate soon after, where he traveled down to the Caribbean and ransacked French colonies on behalf of the island of Nevis. Upon his return home, he was petitioned to return to sea this time on behalf of Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, who at the time was governing New York, Massachusetts Bay, and New Hampshire, and was told to capture all pirates and destroy all French ships.
Due to stature Kidd had no other choice but to accept this request, and he soon set out on the Adventure Galley, which sailed all the way to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and St. Mary’s, Madagascar.
Along the way he captured a 400 ton Indian ship known as the Quedagh Merchant, that was loaded with many treasures and valuable items that was split amongst his crew. Although this was technically following orders (as the ship was sailing with French passes), the circumstances around this capture is what mainly led to Kidd’s reputation as a pirate, along with salacious stories told later by his crew.
Prior to returning home Kidd learned that he was indeed a wanted pirate, thus he deposited his treasure along Gardiners Island in East Hampton, New York.
He was then set up and betrayed by the same man who employed him, and after a harsh imprisonment he was hanged on May 23rd, 1701 at Execution Dock in Wapping, London. His body was then gibbeted over the River Thames for three years to serve as a warning to other pirates.
After his death many stories circulated about remaining hidden treasures, narratives that were popularized by songs and poems, most notably the works of Edgar Allen Poe as well as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Due to that mythology there were many subsequent searches throughout Long Island, Connecticut, and Maine, the latter of which has an island named Grand Manan located in the Bay of Fundy, which thanks to the stories of Kidd has also been coined “Money Cove” for over 200 years and counting.