Born in 1680 - Died, hanged on March 29, 1721 in Port royal.
Violent and sulphurous character, drinking companion of Edward teaches the famous black beard.
He raged as a pirate captain around New Providence (Bahamas) between 1716 and 1719 where he accumulated an impressive list of catches. In 1718 he even had the audacity to make himself governor of New Providence. According to Daniel Defoe:“for 20 days in a row where he tyrannized over the population”. And this until the arrival of the real governor who forces him to flee by setting fire to one of his prizes (whose loaded cannons were set on fire by the fire damaging the rigging of the governor's boat). He takes advantage of the confusion to escape with his crew aboard a sloop or a brigantine.
When the governor's ship arrived, the latter would have fired the 8 o'clock cannon (blank), to which our sulphurous pirate would have responded loaded with grapeshot.
He resumed his misdeeds a few months before being landed on a desert island by his crew who replaced him with his quartermaster. Jack Rackham, known as "Calico Jack" (Anne Bonny's lover), for refusing to attack an armed French ship at war.
The first ship to anchor on his island is commanded by an acquaintance of Vane, a repentant former pirate who refuses to take it on board in these terms:
Charles, I cannot take you on board other than as a prisoner, otherwise you would cabal with my crew to break my collar, and save yourself with my ship to resume your piracy.
The second vessel took him on board taking him for a harmless castaway. Unfortunately, a visitor identified him at the first stopover and he was handed over to the French authorities. Condemned and hanged on March 29, 1721.
According to Daniel Defoe “he showed his cowardice before the gallows and he died in pangs as horrible as his crimes. »