An Interview with Thomas Tew, The Rhode Island Pirate
Note: This is a fictional interview based on historical records.
Dan: Today, I’ve traveled back to Newport, Rhode Island, and I’m joined by one of the most famous pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy—Thomas Tew. Captain Tew, thank you for joining me.
Thomas Tew: A pleasure, Mr. Blanchard. Though I must admit, I’ve sailed through storms, battled armed ships, and crossed oceans, yet somehow traveling through time seems the most dangerous thing I’ve encountered.
Dan: Fair point. Let’s start with the question everyone wants answered. Were you a pirate or a privateer?
Tew: Ah, the question that follows me everywhere. I began as a privateer. I carried legal authority to attack enemy targets. But circumstances changed, and so did my profession.
Dan: That’s a polite way of saying you became a pirate.
Tew: History often depends upon who writes it. When governments profit from a man’s actions, they call him a privateer. When they no longer profit, they call him a pirate.
Dan: So how did that transformation happen?
Tew: I was commissioned in Bermuda by Governor Isaac Richier to attack French interests along the African coast. During the voyage, a storm separated my ship from its companion vessel. Suddenly, I had a decision to make.
Dan: Follow your orders or create your own plan?
Tew: Exactly. I gathered my crew and proposed something bold. Rather than chase small rewards in the Atlantic, why not sail around Africa into the Indian Ocean, where fortunes beyond imagination awaited?
Dan: That became what historians call the Pirate Round.
Tew: Indeed. Before my voyage, most pirates focused on the Caribbean. I helped show them another path.
Dan: And it paid off.
Tew: More than I could have imagined.
Dan: Tell us about the treasure.
Tew: We intercepted a vessel belonging to the Mughal Empire. The cargo contained gold, silver, jewels, spices, and goods from across Asia. The wealth was staggering. My crew became rich men almost overnight.
Dan: How rich?
Tew: Rich enough that many of them never needed to work another day in their lives.
Dan: Newport must have loved your return.
Tew: Newport adored my return. Imagine dozens of sailors arriving with pockets overflowing with gold. Shipbuilders found work. Merchants sold goods. Tavern owners filled their tables. The town prospered.
Dan: So the pirate money was good for business?
Tew: Very good for business.
Dan: Did anyone object to where the money came from?
Tew: Some did publicly.
Dan: Publicly?
Tew: Privately, many were happy to spend it.
Dan: (Laughing.) Human nature hasn’t changed much.
Tew: Not in my experience.
Dan: You became so famous that New York Governor Ben Fletcher invited you to meet him.
Tew: Ah, yes, Governor Fletcher.
Dan: He claimed he wanted to reform you.
Tew: A noble goal.
Dan: But you arrived with expensive gifts.
Tew: I considered it good manners to bring gifts when visiting important people.
Dan: Conveniently expensive gifts.
Tew: The governor never complained.
Dan: Fair enough. Let me ask you something more serious. Did you ever struggle with the morality of piracy?
Tew: I struggled more with survival than philosophy. The seas were dangerous. Empires fought endlessly. Men sought fortune wherever they could find it. I operated within a world that was already violent long before I arrived.
Dan: But innocent people suffered.
Tew: That is true. And history should not forget it.
Dan: Many people today see pirates as heroes.
Tew: Then they know only half the story. Adventure is exciting. Cannon fire is not. Treasure is glamorous. Wounds and death are not.
Dan: After your incredible success, why didn’t you retire?
Tew: Because success is intoxicating.
Dan: Meaning?
Tew: After one great victory, a man begins to believe he can repeat it forever. He mistakes luck for destiny.
Dan: That’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?
Tew: I fear so.
Dan: Tell us about your final voyage.
Tew: I returned to the Indian Ocean seeking another fortune. The Mughal ships were better prepared. During an attack, a cannon shot struck me. My career ended in an instant.
Dan: Looking back, would you have stayed home?
Tew: Had I remained in Newport, I would have lived longer. But whether I would have been content is another question entirely.
Dan: That’s a remarkably honest answer.
Tew: Age often brings wisdom. Unfortunately, I did not survive long enough to enjoy much of it.
Dan: You inspired later pirates like Henry Every and William Kidd. How do you feel about that legacy?
Tew: I showed others what was possible. What they chose to do with that knowledge was their decision.
Dan: Before we finish, my audience always expects a leadership lesson. What would Thomas Tew tell future leaders?
Tew: Understand that yesterday’s success does not guarantee tomorrow’s success. The strategy that wins one battle may lose the next. Leaders who stop adapting eventually discover that the world has adapted without them.
Dan: That’s powerful. In fact, that’s the leadership lesson I teach from your story: short-term success does not guarantee long-term success.
Tew: Then perhaps my mistakes may still serve some useful purpose.
Dan: One final question. Were you a criminal, an entrepreneur, a patriot, or all three?
Tew: (Smiling.) Mr. Blanchard, if people are still debating that question three centuries after my death, perhaps I’ve done my job as a historical figure.
Dan: Thomas Tew, the Rhode Island Pirate, thank you for joining us.
Tew: And thank you. Though I still maintain that your ability to travel through time is a far greater crime than anything I ever committed.
Dan: Thanks for joining us on the Travel in Time with Dan Show, where we mix travel, history, leadership, and of course, me, Dan Blanchard. We’ll see you next time.
Travel in Time with Dan brings travel, history, and leadership together.
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