Albert W. Hicks

author

Albert W. Hicks

d. 1860

A notorious 19th-century pirate and murderer, this American seaman became infamous after a brutal triple killing in New York Harbor and a sensational trial that captured public attention. His life story survives through contemporary accounts and a confession published after his conviction.

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 Rhode Island, Albert W. Hicks spent much of his life at sea and drifted into crime long before the case that made him famous. He used several aliases and built a reputation as a hard, violent man connected with theft, mutiny, and other offenses.

He is best remembered for the 1860 murders of Captain Robert Burr and two crewmen aboard the oyster sloop E. A. Johnson in New York Harbor. The crime, his arrest, and his trial drew enormous public interest, and he was convicted of piracy and murder.

Hicks was executed on July 13, 1860, on Bedloe's Island in New York Bay. His case has endured in American crime history because it came at the fading edge of the old age of piracy, linking maritime outlaw legend with the rise of modern urban sensationalism.