Nix's Pirate Curse...

Three short but true stories to tell three reasons for the odd name of a small island with the curse of a pirate...

The Locals of Boston Harbor have always warned to beware of Nix's Mate. For visitors and tourists who didn't know, Nix's Mate was not a person, but an island. An island that today is rather too small to notice unless you were really looking for it. Nowadays, the island is only really 200 Sq ft. Consisting of a small gravel Beach during low tides but otherwise, all that seemed to fit on this strange little island was an eerie little Lighthouse. This lighthouse stood twelve ft tall and about forty sq ft. wide.

Looks tiny and harmless... But this island wasn't always so small. Back in the year 1636, Nix's Mate was more than 12 acres long. The property had been sold to a man in Boston named John Gallop. For John, the island was perfect to take care of his small herd of sheep. Plenty of space, and plenty of grass for food for his sheep. However, the local authorities saw a different future for this small island. Rather than a sheep farm, it would be used to hang pirates. Make an example of them to show to the seas, by the dim light of that little lighthouse.

This was, after all, custom to the authorities in many lands, not just Boston. After hanging, the bodies were to be displayed in a highly visible location to make an example and spread the word that Boston was not to be messed with. Piracy would not be treated kindly in those waters. The island was of course located near the mouth of the harbor, so any ship that passed by would see the bodies hang and sway in the breeze, or as time passed, the bones below the bodies to show how long they have upheld their laws. Since Boston was overflowing with pirates in the late 17th and early 18th Century, the hanging posts often had more bodies than they could hold.

Jumping back in time once more, it had been the year 1630. A cold morning with a deeper cold ending... A ship moored in Bostons Harbor, close to the island. After a long journey and many storms, the crew gratefully enjoyed a quiets night's sleep, being rocked to sleep by the waves of the ocean as they neared shore. In the morning, Nix, the captain of this weary vessel, did not come out of his chambers. Curious and concerned, one of the crew members, which just so happened to be the Captain's first mate, went to tap on the cabin door only to get no response. Becoming anxious, the boy cautiously opened the door and met his captain at his bedside, only to find his captain dead. Nix had been murdered in his sleep.

The moment the ship had docked, authorities had been alerted of Nix's Murder. Now, you have to understand that back in the day, if there was no explanation for death, blame was often placed on the convenient. No one knew if this was one such moment in time or if the first mate had truely been guilty of his Captains death. However, he was charged with murder. The man swore his innocence but that did not sway the opinions of either the courts or his own crewmates.

It was later that afternoon with the crisp smell of autumn in the air that a crowd of townsfolk had -gathered around the once-not-so-little island to watch the First Mates hanging for his convicted crime. The Hangman had approached the first mate with a noose and the man still begged and pleaded his innocence. Refusing to hear any of it, the hangman spat at the man's feet and proceeded to slide the noose over his neck. The man closed his eyes and focused hard to steady his breathing. He had accepted his fate but still hoped people may find his innocence, even if it were after death. The first mate cried to god, in front of all the townsfolk, "Show my innocence! Please, god by thy will, have this island sink to prove I did not commit murder!"

There was no scream, no shouts or gasps. Just the clunk of the board as it dropped, hanging the First Mate. He did not struggle, the ropes just tightened as his body hang limp in the air. His words were the last to be spoken in that weary town that night. It had unnerved the townsfolk so deeply that they dared not even discuss the events of that day. They merely returned to their homes in silence- some even say, in shame of the situation. Weeks had passed from that day, and life seemed to be just as it was before Nix's ship had docked. But as weeks turned to years, the island had lost giant chunks of itself to the waves until all that remained was the 200 sq ft gravel beach we see today.

Eventually, the island was named Nix's Mate in honor of the First Mate who died for a crime that he was no longer believed to be responsible for.

What do you think? Was the First Mate truly responsible for that crime? Does the fact that the island still stands (Though far smaller than before) Speak to his guilt?

In other folklore, the island had been named Nix's Mate for another reason. In another version, Captian Nix was a brilliant strapping pirate who sailed into Boston Harbor seeking sanctuary. In the year 1680, Nix had dropped his anchor in the harbor and his ship had been filled with treasure. Gold that was stolen from unarmed merchants. Late in the night, he filled a rowboat with as much of his wealth as he could fit and set sail for a nearby island taking only his loyal first mate, his wealth, and... two shovels with him.

When they hit land, they both began to dig a deep pit. Nix, the pirate Captain had been overwhelmed with anxiety and trust issues, even as they piled the gold into the pit for safekeeping, he wondered if he could even trust his first mate... his only friend. These thoughts stirred tirelessly in the man's head. Until finally, as the first mate had his back on Nix, tossing in the last sack of gold into the hole they dug, Nix drew his pistol.

Silently he watched the first mate's back and before the man could turn around or even know something was wrong, Nix shot him. Nix watched with a blank expression as his closest companion's body fell into the pit with all the gold. Then, Nix buried the treasure and his friend, seemly having no remorse for his course of action.

But his betrayal enraged the sea. She brought a storm like none the townsfolk had seen before and reduced the island to the small pile of rubble it is today. The sea reclaimed the treasure to her watery depths and drug Captain Nix's body along with it. The Captain's body and his treasure were carried to the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean to never be seen again. Then as the storm calmed, the island was almost all but gone and the First Mates body lay on the pebbles. Endearingly, the Sea carried his body along the surface of her waves, until there was nothing left, soothing his spirit and honoring his death. As for Nix... His restless ghost is said to still search for his friend and his gold among the rocks. Forever trapped on the tiny island prison the Sea crafted for him.

How about you? What do you believe? Was it a tragic story of a man who was hanged for a crime that may not have been his? Or do you believe it was the vengeful sea?

Authors Note:

This entry is based on true stories and true folklore of Nix's Mate, a real island located just off the shore of Boston. When I realized we were supposed to do scary stories near the water and that the challenge was inspired by new England coasts and we need short scary stories, I thought what better than your traditional pirate mystery? It's not IT, or Predator, but it's always fun and gets your mind going. Like those Bailey Sarian Facebook videos, I am nothing short of obsessed with. (I really do love her stories.)

Like and follow if you would like to see more from me! I am getting considerably more active in writing again. I miss it and love sharing my work with everyone! Until Next time!