Benito de Soto
Benito de Soto was one of the most feared and ruthless pirates,
which positively accounts for the stories and legends that surround
him. De Soto began his career as a Portuguese slaver after leaving
his home in Galacia, a province of Spain, for Brazil, already
trained as a mariner. It was there that he signed on to the Defense
de Pedro, a ship headed to Africa. The purpose of the trip was to
smuggle slaves in large numbers, more than would be available to a
normal trader, and given the tone of the trip, attracted men of
questionable character and status.
The year was 1827 and de Soto immediately began scheming a plan to
take over the ship. A mutiny occurred, led by de Soto, but with the
help of other crewman. After patiently waiting, as the captain took
the brunt of the work and the slaves were loaded onboard, the
attack was fierce. There are two opinions of how those loyal to the
captain departed the ship: trying to maintain their lawful state,
they left the ship in a small boat, the other were simply thrown
overboard. Regardless of how they left the ship, the weather did
turn stormy, and being far from shore, it is agreed they died at
sea.
Selling the slaves and collecting his profits, de Soto began
attacking the waters of the Caribbean, renaming the Defense de
Pedro the Black Joke (most likely translated from Portuguese). As
word spread about the torture, murder and torching of vessels,
ships sailing from South America formed convoys in the hope of
deterring pirates and being allowed safe passage.
After taking a small American brig and flying first British flags,
then Buenos Aires flags, some of the pirates boarded the Morning
Star, a ship sailing in the South Atlantic. and beat the crew,
abused the women, pillaged all valuables, and finally set fire to
the ship. The pirates continued their plundering in the Atlantic
before making their way to Spain. After unloading some of their
booty in Northwest Spain, the pirates set sail for the Strait of
Gibraltar, but instead wrecked their ship near Cadiz. As rumor
circulated about the nature of the men, they were forced to flee,
eventually leading to the capture of all the men but two. It is
believed one man got away entirely, and de Soto, the pirates'
leader, escaped to Gibraltar. With heavy pressure to capture the
infamous de Soto, the British searched tirelessly and finally
caught de Soto.
After a long battle over jurisdiction, two trials emerged: the crew
was tried in Spain and de Soto in Gibraltar and both were executed
by hanging. It is believed that de Soto was defiant even in his
last minutes, not allowing anyone to fix his noose, but instead
placing it around his neck as he jumped to his death. He is also
believed to have shouted "Adeus Todos" or "Adios Todos" (so long,
everybody), creating a debate whether a Spaniard sailing out of
Brazil would have used Spanish or Portuguese. In the end, de Soto's
head was stuck on a pike as a vicious warning to pirates and
would-be pirates alike.