Vane's final blow came after his ship was wrecked in a storm in February 1719, separating him from his consort Robert Deal. Vane was one of the few survivors, washed up on an uninhabited island in the Bay of Honduras. Eventually, a ship arrived but, unfortunately for Vane, it was commanded by his old acquaintance and former buccaneer Captain Holford. Holford refused to rescue Vane from the island, stating:
Charles, I shan't trust you aboard my ship, unless I carry you a prisoner; for I shall have you plotting with my men, knock me on the head and run away with my ship a pirating.[7]
Before departing, Holford stated that he would be back on the island in a month, and threatened that if he found Vane still there, he would take him back to Jamaica and hang him. Another ship soon arrived and none of the crew recognized Vane, so he was allowed on board. Unluckily, Captain Holford's ship met with this ship at sea. The captain of Vane's ship was a friend of Holford's, and he invited Holford to dine with him. While there, Holford saw Vane working aboard and informed the captain who Vane truly was. The captain immediately relinquished Vane to Captain Holford, who locked him in his hold and turned him over to the authorities in Jamaica.
It is unclear why Vane was imprisoned for over a year before the trial. He may have been marooned longer than the few weeks recorded, or there may have been distant witnesses to gather once he was captured. Most likely, his reputation had earned the disdain of pirates, royal mariners, and the public at large, and they wanted him to rot in gaol before being executed. At his trial, numerous witnesses testified against him from merchant vessels captured by Vane, as did Vincent Pearse, Captain of the HMS Phoenix, who related how Vane had made a mockery of the King's pardon. When it was Vane's turn to present his defense, he called no witnesses and asked no questions. He was found guilty on March 22, 1721 and sentenced to death. On March 29, 1721, Vane was hanged at Gallows Point in Port Royal.[8] He died without expressing remorse for his crimes. After death, his body was hung from a gibbet on Gun Cay, at the mouth of harbor at Port Royal, as a warning against piracy.
