Bonny and Read in Jamaica

Pirates Ann Bonny and Mary Read. After their capture, they were granted stays of execution because of their conditions.
(Courtesy of the New York Public Library)

In the Caribbean, Ann Bonny and Mary Read served with Captain “Calico” Jack Rackham. In 1720 Rackham and his entire crew were captured and executed—except for Bonny and Read. They said to the judge: “My Lord, we plead our bellies.” Both Bonny and Read were pregnant, and they were sent to prison instead.