John Russell (pirate)  John Russell (fl. 1722-1723) was a pirate active from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean to the African coast. He is best known for his association with Edward Low and Francis Spriggs, and for his involvement with two well-known and well-documented maroonings. Most commonly known as Englishman “John Russell”, his real name may have been Juan or John Lopez; he was in reality a Portuguese Catholic. Like a number of other pirates of the Golden Age, he was a Jacobite who professed support for England's ousted Catholic King James II over his Protestant successors. Various sources paint him alternately as a Captain in his own right, or merely as Low's quartermaster. He was argumentative and well-versed in the pirates’ Articles, not above using them to secure his own ends. Rather than fly the Jolly Roger flag, Russell instead flew English flags in order to surprise his targets. Russell was Edward Low's quartermaster in June 1722 when they captured a series of vessels off Shelburne, Nova Scotia, near Cape Sable. Among the sailors was Philip Ashton, whom Low forced to join his crew despite Ashton's pleas and his refusal to sign Low's articles. A few days later Low permitted two boys to take a small boat ashore to retrieve his dog; the boys ran away and an infuriated Russell accused Ashton of complicity in their escape, nearly killing Ashton several times:  I was forced to tell him, I knew not of their design; and indeed I did not, tho' I had good reason to supect what would be the event of their going. This did not pacifie the Quarter-Master, who with outragious Cursing and Swearing clapt his Pistol to my Head, and snap'd it; but it miss'd Fire: this enraged him the more; and he repeated the snapping of his Pistol at my Head three times, and it as often miss'd Fire; upon which he held it over-board, and snap'd it the fourth time, and then it went off very readily. … The Quarter-Master upon this, in the utmost fury, drew his Cutlash, and fell upon me with it, but I leap'd down into the Hold, and got among a Crowd that was there, and so escaped the further effects of his madness and rage. Low then sailed for the African coast where he captured ships near Cape Verde, with Spriggs sailing alongside in Low's former vessel.