Thomas Tew

Tew’s use of a cutlass was a pretty unambiguous warning. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way, so his enemies should just surrender. The warning was well-heeded: even though Tew was only a pirate for three years (1692 – 1695) he had managed to amass a wealth of about £8,000 ($1,651,137.49 today) by the time he died in 1695.