Bellamy’s rise from treasure scavenger to pirate captain, capped by the capture of the Whydah Galley in 1717, and its destruction in a howling nor’easter in April of that year, enshrined Bellamy in legend and folklore. Among the folktales that surround Black Sam is the legend that he launched his pirate career for the love of Mary Hallet, who would herself go down in history as The Witch of Wellfleet.