Frankenstein and the Three Spaniards

Did the classic monster novel inspire Virginia’s bizarre attempt to shock three dead pirates back to life?

On August 17, 1827, Virginia performed what was called by Richmond author Asbury Christian as a “Carnival of Death.” Three Spaniards named Pepe, Couro, and Felix were tried and convicted in Richmond’s Federal Court for piracy and murder committed on the brig Crawford, bound from Matanzas, Cuba to New York.

These Spaniards and a French-born American named Jacque Alexander Tardy (aka John Turdy) had boarded the ship May 28 with a devious scheme — they planned to mutiny, and had brought with them bogus papers that showed the Crawford under their command, and sailing for Hamburg, Germany.

Tardy was already regarded by some as a “demon of the seas,” having murdered many men and escaped serious prison time both in Virginia and North Carolina. A notorious flim-flam artist, Tardy introduced himself as a doctor to Crawford Captain Henry Brightman of Troy, Massachusetts. After Brightman told Tardy of his asthma, Tardy sent 3 vials of “asthma medication” to the Captain prior to the ship setting sail. This set in motion a scheme to poison most of those onboard once they were at sea, while keeping those alive who might aid with navigation and translation. It was a…