Albert W. Hicks

author

Albert W. Hicks

d. 1860

A notorious 19th-century pirate and murderer whose sensational confession and execution became part of New York legend. His account offers a stark, firsthand glimpse into crime, punishment, and public fascination in the years before the Civil War.

1 Audiobook

The Life, Trial, Confession and Execution of Albert W. Hicks The Pirate and Murderer, Executed on Bedloe's Island, New York Bay, on the 13th of July, 1860, for the Murder of Capt. Burr, Smith and Oliver Watts, on Board the Oyster Sloop E. A. Johnson. Containing the History of His Life (Written by Himself) from Childhood Up to the Time of His Arrest. With a Full Account of His Piracies, Murders, Mutinies, High-way Robberies, etc., Comprising the Particulars of Nearly One Hundred Murders! to which is added the Account of His Arrest, Imprisonment, Trial and Execution. Also, His Phrenological Character, as described by L. N. Fowler.

The Life, Trial, Confession and Execution of Albert W. Hicks The Pirate and Murderer, Executed on Bedloe's Island, New York Bay, on the 13th of July, 1860, for the Murder of Capt. Burr, Smith and Oliver Watts, on Board the Oyster Sloop E. A. Johnson. Containing the History of His Life (Written by Himself) from Childhood Up to the Time of His Arrest. With a Full Account of His Piracies, Murders, Mutinies, High-way Robberies, etc., Comprising the Particulars of Nearly One Hundred Murders! to which is added the Account of His Arrest, Imprisonment, Trial and Execution. Also, His Phrenological Character, as described by L. N. Fowler.

by Albert W. Hicks

About the author

Born around 1820 in Foster, Rhode Island, Albert W. Hicks became known as a sailor, criminal, and one of the most infamous pirate figures in American history. He used several aliases, including Elias W. Hicks, William Johnson, and John Hicks, and later gained lasting notoriety as "Pirate Hicks."

He is best remembered for the 1860 murders aboard the oyster sloop E. A. Johnson in New York Harbor. After his arrest, trial, and confession, he was executed on Bedloe’s Island on July 13, 1860. Contemporary interest in the case was intense, and his story circulated widely in pamphlets and newspaper coverage.

Hicks is associated with The Life, Trial, Confession and Execution of Albert W. Hicks, a sensational 19th-century narrative published after his crimes. Today he is remembered less as a conventional author than as the subject and purported voice behind a grim piece of true-crime history.