The Pirate's Decoy

“’The Pirate’s Decoy’ Captain Semmes, of the Confederate privateer Alabama, decoying ships toward him by burning a prize vessel. The plan that Captain Semmes adopted to bring fish to his net was as follows: Whenever he captured a ship, after taking from her all that he and his officers wanted, he lay by her until dark, and then set her on fire. The light of the burning ship could be seen many miles, and every other ship within seeing distance stood toward the light, thinking to rescue a number of poor fellows from destruction. The pirate kept in the immediate vicinity, awaiting the prey that was sure to come, and the next morning the poor fellows who to serve the cause of humanity had gone many miles out of their course found themselves under the guns of the Alabama, with the certainty that before another twenty-four hours they would share the fate of the ship they went to serve."— Frank Leslie, 1896

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