Anyway, Emma continued, "Mr. Emmot went to Boston on Kidd's behalf and met with Lord Bellomont. Emmot delivered a letter that Kidd had written to Bellomont, and also gave Bellomont the two French passes that were on the Great Mogul's two ships, proving that the Mogul was double-dealing with the English and French, and therefore the ships were fair game for Kidd."
I asked, "How did Kidd know that when he attacked the ships?"
"Good question. It never came out in his trial."
"And you're saying that Kidd's lawyer turned over these passes, this important defense evidence, to Bellomont?"
"Yes, and Bellomont, for political reasons, wanted Kidd hanged."
"Fire that lawyer. You should always give photocopies and keep the originals."
She smiled. "Yes. The originals were never produced at Kidd's trial in London, and without those French passes, Kidd was convicted and executed." She added, "The passes were found in the British Museum in 1910."
"A little late for the defense."
"For sure. William Kidd was basically framed."
Tough break. But what happened to the treasure aboard the San Antonio?"
"That's the question. I'll tell you what happened after Emmot went to Lord Bellomont in Boston, and since you're a detective, you tell me what happened to the treasure."
"Okay. I'm on the spot."
She went on, "Emmot, not a very good attorney apparently, got the impression from Lord Bellomont that Kidd would be treated fairly if he turned himself in at Boston. In fact, Bellomont wrote a letter to Kidd which he gave Emmot to deliver. The letter says, among other things…" She read from a reproduction in front of her, " 'I have advised with his Majesty's council, and they are of the opinion that if you be so clear as you have said, that you may safely come hither and be equipped and fitted out to go and fetch your other ship, and I make no manner of doubt but to obtain the King's pardon for you.' "
"Sounds like royal poopy to me," I said.
Emma nodded and continued from Lord Bellotnont's letter to Kidd, " 'I assure you on my word and on my honor I will perform nicely what I have now promised, tho' this I declare beforehand that whatever treasure of goods you bring hither, I will not meddle with the least bit of them, but they shall be left with such trusty persons as the council will advise until I receive orders from England how they shall be disposed of.' "
Emma looked up at me and asked, "Would that get you to come hither to Boston to answer a hanging charge?"
"Not me. I'm a New Yorker. I can smell a rat a mile away."
"So could William Kidd. He was a New Yorker and a Scotsman. But what was he going to do now? He was a man of some substance in Manhattan, he had his wife and two children on board the sloop, and he felt he was innocent. More importantly, he had the money-a third of it down in the Caribbean and the rest on board the San Antonio. He intended to use this treasure to bargain for his life."
I nodded. It was interesting, I thought, how little some things had changed in three hundred years. Here's a situation where the government hires this guy to do its dirty work, he does part of the job but by mistake he creates a political problem for the government, so they try to get not only their money back, but also his fair share, then they frame him, and finally hang him. But somewhere along the line, most of the bucks slipped through their hands.
Emma continued, "Meanwhile, Kidd kept his ship moving, sailing back and forth through the Sound, from Oyster Bay to Gardiners Island and as far as Block Island. It was during this time that the ship apparently got a little lighter."
"He was dumping the loot."
"That's what seems to have happened, and that's how all the legends about buried treasure got started." She said, "Here's a man with about ten or fifteen million dollars' worth of gold and jewels on board, and he knows he can be captured at sea at any time. He's got a small ship with only four cannon. It's fast, but no match for a warship. So, what would you do?"
"I think I'd make a run for it."
"He's got almost no crew left, and he's short on provisions. His wife and children are on board."
"But he's got the money. Take the money and run."
"Well, that's not what he did. He decided to turn himself in. But he's not stupid, so he decides to hide the loot-remember, this is the share that Bellomont, the four lords, and the king are to get for their investment. This treasure now becomes Kidd's life insurance."
I nodded. "So he buried the loot."
"Correct. In 1699, there was very little population outside of Manhattan and Boston, so Kidd had thousands of places he could land and safely bury treasure."
"Like Captain Kidd's Trees."
"Yes. And farther east, there are Captain Kidd's Ledges, which are probably a section of the bluffs since there are no actual ledges or cliffs on Long Island."
I sat up. "You mean, there's a part of the bluffs called Captain Kidd's Ledges? Where?"
"Someplace between Mattituck Inlet and Orient Point. No one really knows for certain. It's just part of the whole myth."
"But some of it is true. Right?"
"Yes, that's what makes it interesting."
I nodded. One of those myths-Captain Kidd's Ledges-was what prompted the Gordons to buy Mrs. Wiley's acre on the bluffs. How clever.
Emma added, "There's no doubt that Kidd dumped treasure in several spots, either here on the North Fork, or on Block Island, or Fishers Island. That's where most accounts put the buried treasure."
"Any other locations?"
"One more that we know is true. Gardiners Island."
"Gardiners?"
"Yes. This is documented history. In June of 1699, while sailing around trying to make a deal with Lord Bellomont, Kidd anchored off Gardiners Island to get provisions. The island was then called the Isle of Wight on maps, but it was, and still is, owned by the Gardiner family."
"You mean, the people who own the island now are Gardiners, and this is the same family who owned the island in 1699?"
"Yes. The island has been in the same family line since it was given to them by King Charles the first in 1639. In 1699, John Gardiner, the Third Lord of the Manor, lived there with his family." She added, "The Captain Kidd story is very much a part of the Gardiner family history. In fact, on Gardiners Island is Kidd Valley and a stone monument that marks the spot where John Gardiner buried some of Kidd's treasure for him. The whole island is private, but the present lord of the manor will sometimes give you a tour." She hesitated, then said, "Fredric and I were guests of the gentleman."
I didn't comment on that, but said, "So there really was buried treasure."
"Yes. William Kidd showed up in the San Antonio, and John Gardiner went out in a small boat to see who was anchored off his island. It was by all accounts a friendly meeting, and the two exchanged gifts. There was at least one more meeting between the two, and on that occasion, Kidd gave John Gardiner quite a bit of loot and told Gardiner to bury it for him."
I said, "I hope Kidd got a receipt."
"Better yet, Kidd's last words to John Gardiner were, 'If I call for it and it is gone, I will take your head or your son's.'"
"Better than a signed receipt."
Emma sipped her tea, then looked at me and said, "Kidd, of course, never returned. Having received another nice letter from Bellomont, he was ready to go to Boston and face the charges. He landed there on July first. He was allowed to remain free for a week to see who he associated with, then he was arrested on Bellomont's orders and put into chains. His ship and his Boston lodgings were searched, turning up bags of gold, silver, and some jewelry and diamonds. It was a lot of treasure, but not as much as Kidd was supposed to have, and not nearly enough to cover the cost of the expedition."