When Kidd arrived in the West Indies in 1699, he realized that he was now considered a pirate. Additionally, piracy was now a criminal act in England.
He managed to be granted a pardon from the English government for his actions, claiming that he had been forced to turn to piracy.
Then, he headed toward Boston. Along the way, he stopped to bury his treasure on Gardiner’s Island and Block Island. Later on, some of the booty on Gardiner’s Island was recovered.
The New England governor, Lord Richard Bellomont, had been an investor in Kidd’s failed voyage to hunt down pirates.
He had Kidd arrested in Boston and sent back to England. Back in England, he was tried and executed for piracy in 1701.
His corpse was left at the mouth of the Thames River to serve as an example to other pirates or anyone contemplating the pirate life.
After his death, the legend of his treasures grew. One enduring myth is that his bounty is located on Oak Island, Nova Scotia.
The island is filled with natural tunnel systems and other landforms that make hunting for treasure difficult.
The Oak Island curse states that seven people must die before the treasure can be found. So far, six men have lost their lives in search of the stash.
Perhaps the discovery of the big silver bar will point people in the right direction, and the mystery of Captain Kidd’s buried treasure will finally be solved.
