The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-04-06 00:00:00

A TRAGEDY ON THE HIGH SEAS.

We extract the following from the New York Courier and

Inquirer :
"On Wednesday morning, about six o'clock, three men,
while in the bay off Staten Island, discovered an oyster
sloop with her sails torn to shreds, and hanging over her side,
which, with the general appearance of the craft, induced them
to believe that she had been abandoned. Accordingly they
boarded the sloop, which proved to• be the E. A. Johnson, of
Islip, Long Island. Her bowsprit was gone, and she was aban-
doned. Her deck was full of clotted blood and hair. On entering
the cabin, large pools of blood were found on both sides of the
stove, and in the companion way. The starboard quarter on the
outside had much blood on it, apparently Sneer prints. Her
boat was gone. In the cabin were found a pair of india rubber
boots, several shirts, bedding, and a number of other 'articles,
which could have been easily taken away if the vessel had been
honestly abandoned. The sloop was fast drifting ashore when
the steamtug Ceres, Capt. Storens, took her in tow and brought
her to the city. A 9 soon as the sloop was brought into the Fulion-
market slip, information was given to the coroner and Captain
Weed, of the Second Precinct, who boarded her. The deck of the
vessel presented the appearance of a slaughterhouse. Every-
thing was covered with blood from stem to stern ; matted hair
was found upon the deck, and full and complete evidence of a
terrible massacre was plain. Au examination was next made of
the cabin; and the sight here, if possible,• was worse than
upon the deck. Floor, tables, chairs, and washstand *ere
besmeared with gore, and everything was disarranged, giving
evidence of a furious struggle, A hammer, weighing about
three pounds, was found upon the floor, covered, like all else,
with blood. Considerable hair was also found on it ; and it
is probable that the assassin or assassins used it for the purpose
of consummating their villanous deeds. Dr. Bouton, after
making a further examination of the cabin, discovered a coffee-
pot, and this, like the hammer, was besmeared with blood and
covered with hair. It looks as though the crew, being attacked
in the cabin, made a desperate resistance, and that during the
cohfi;seS"th"le ' ' c4lrsargol'ai.n Riapende°4lyugewteadivriehna:o,bbriudiCuste.ePw'
fdirytrt4'
struggle all means of attack and defence were used. After the
examination of the -cabin had been concluded the deck was
again visited, and a close inspection of it still more satisfied
everybody that a barbarous murder had been committed. From
the cabin door there was an unbroken line of blood to the
guards; but there was the appearance of a struggle, as the
pool was very large; then, again, marks of bloody hands
were seen upon the guard, and a hatchet mark. Blood
ran down the outer side also. Forward, at the mast, there
was more evidence of a terrible struggle. A. large pool
of blood, yet fresh, lay around, extending to the bow ;
and here, again, human hair was found. The mast and
sails were slightly besmeared, and on the guards, near fiy,
were more imprints of bloody hands. Taken altogether, the
scene was a sickening one. The name of the captain of the
ill-fated sloop was George Burt. He was a' man about 34 years
of age, and has a family living at Islip, Long Island. Me sailed
from the foot of Spring-street on the 15th instant, having on
board three deck hands, twoof whom were named Smith Watts
whichhli)a
asadede rtuoapiftnwoeadr pd
su oysters,Tr h e
and sloop
iiwa si s
and Oliver Watts; the name of the third party was not
'billuien;ledfcitrhat Virginia
the caf7artaian
Nickerson,wsl eehaeenvrin go
sfhtethere
ff sloop
rsot
annuteinnBnttitlin:tdi
Island.
enyte.e
i lost. t'
schooner "afternoon,
° Captainen r,O; and
oNhV.i ee
di
rßtneh.rei a
031 is di
Nickerson
twa ryats
ahs morning,
ya . ,sh:c er
passedh plear
it.
was one man aboard her then, who Iran towards the bow, as the vessels were about to strike. The sloop struck the schooner
about midships, nearly sinking her. ' 'No words
between the vessels, and the slisop
found by the Telegraph,- as already, stated, outside of Sandi' Hook, she was abandoned; Captain Weed
the arrest of Captain Nickerson and' crew of the schooner
Martha. There seems to' be ' but one theory as regards
this terrible affair. The Johnson had 'oh board a good ^rtiiind
stun of money. This 'fact Was doubtless; 'known to.the river
pirates, who, frightened from the East and North Rivers by
the Harbour Police, have taken refuge on Loag and Staten.
Islands. These villains had probably gone on board the sloop
at night, surprised the crew in the cabin, after first killing the
man on deck, and murdered them all, afterwards throwing
their bodies into the ocean. Without doubt, in a day tar two
we shall have to record the full particulars ;If a most terrible
.
Thetragedy."/Ireiv York Tribute, of the 23rd March, contains the
following
additional information :---
"It is considered almost certain that the mate, who was
engaged by Captain Burr and the owner just before the vessel
sailed, and whose name, 'Nicholas Clock, is an assumed one,
murdered his three associates, tempted by the thousand dollars ,
in the possession of the captain; that the murders were own-
witted shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning ; that
the murderer possessed himself of the coveted. booty, and
made for land in the sleep's yawl. He reached some.point on
the Staten Island shore at an early hour on Wednesday morn- .
ing, arrived at what is known as the lower or Vanderbilt
leading, just in time to be too late for the first boat to the
city; he consequently had to wait for an hour, till the time
for the second boat to sail, seven o'clock, when he came up to
city in the steamboat Southfield, Capt. Isaac Vreeland'. ' '
"While waiting for the boat, he got in conversation with the
bridge er deck-keeper at the landing, Abram Eghert, and
asked him where a fellow conld get anything to eat or .drink.
He was directed to a small oyster-saloon just at the landing,
where he went, sat down, and held a ooaversation With the boy
in charge of the saloon. (The saloon is kept by Peter Van
Pelt, and the boy's name is Augustus Gisler.) ,
"He then intimated that he was in a hurry to get up to
the city, and was sorry that he had missed the first boat.
lie called for two drinks of hot gin, and two eggs, to pay for
which he handed the boy a quarter of a dollar. Re then asked
how many more eggs were on hand ; the boy told him there
were four more. He then asked Mr. Van hell if he could make
an oyster stew, to which titter/ her received an answer in the
affirmative. The stew was served up in about floe minutes.
He then called for another egg, which, having disposed
-of, he handed out a quarter of a dollar, declining to take any
change. He then asked the boy Augustus to accept of a ten-
dollar gold piece; the boy thought he was joking, and refuied
to accept the money. He then refused to receive the change
from the quarter which he had previously handed in payment
for the oysters, and said he would take a cigar instead of the
change. This might have been about half-past six, or a
quarter to seven o'clock.
" The hoy says thgt he then 'told the boss not to be scared,
and not to cheat himself, as he hed plenty of money, and could
pay for everything he bought.' lie had on a high-crowned
Kossuth hat, a grey "pea-jacket; wittches oh both elbows,
a pair of grayish pantaloons with ps on the knees, arid he
carried in his right hand a clothes-bag apparently well filled."
The Tribune of the following day says :.-. -
"Already the murderer has been tracked from the beach on
States Island, where he landed, to the Vanderbilt Landing,
and from thence to the city, via the ferry-boat Southfield.
Here the chain was broken; and the blood-thirsty adventurer
looms up, after an intertal, at the tenement house, No. 129,
Cedar-street, in the First Ward, under the following circum%
stances: Two men, named John Burke and Andrew Kelly, hav-
ing read in the newspapers, on ThursclaY morning, the recut
then stated about the finding and bringing to. the city of ein
abandoned sloop which bore evidence of murder and robbery,
they hasteaed to the Second Ward Stationshouse, and anxiously
inquired for Cepta'ri Weed, to whom they stated that they
believed they knew, and had seen the man who had been on
board the sloop, whs had murdered the captain and crew, and
who had been seen on board of her when she struck the
schooner. .
"They said that on Wednesday a man named William *halm-
son, who lived in the same house with them at No. 129,
Cedar-street, who was a smack sail Its had conic home very
unexpectedly. In the course of the day he had• exhibited
two bags• containing money.' One of the men, John Burke;
asked him what was the matter—what had happened I He
replied, 'this is prize money which has just been - paid
to me for an abandoned sloop which I picked up lately.'
Therthought the story was rather extraordinary, but Passed
it among the ordinary events of a day, and the matter might _
have been forgotten but for the story of the sloop. They:said
that he, with his wife and child, had started Prone the city by
the Stonington boat that same afternoon, one of them having
seen him on board with his wife and.chtlcl in the ladies' saloon.
Both these hien state that he was very Mir; 144014 iheir
astonishment et the appearance of se much money in his
possession, eo suddenly, and his subsequent abrupt departure
for the Esist.
"On the strength of this information officers Nevins and
Smith were despatched by the eleven o'clock train on •the
New York and Newhaven Railroad, for Stoniugton, with a
ienvereCeSivineedefttohmeir taheePnaTilrelielin2uglei)gaii;
statedtliny
edoastitiaimbk;nede dtahhrtaeh arsef fugitive.
they
in
yil
verya re o n
shorthia t rt
time.
. andlt
is.alsoalll e r
wife have gone to Providence, where the
teclerewe toi information
the fbeoevded
a despatch was received from the
th,a‘tAJto
abut:tea
officers by t
Lakenbe
arrested ; lodgingsthatdotinghe
h they had succeeded in getting track of the mur-
derer
hour last ▪
night,
office"
ha'vehefopilOolwllliceesd,dated at Providence, stating that after a
tedious Jean
' te and would, beyond 41 doubt,
iva house,
wimaas
private
from the busy part of that city, had
the night "

BRUIN AS JACK TAR. The -Russian corvette
Medved, which is now at Marseilles, has on board some
bears, which at certain times are let loose on deck, and
allowed to amuse themselves by climbing about the
rigging, The animals are so well disciplined as to pre-
sent no danger. Crowds assemble on the quays to see
them go through their strange antics.
LANCASHIRE REFORMERS' UNION.—Mr. Bright,
M.P„ has promised to attend and address a general
meeting of members of this union, to be held in the
great room of the Free-trade Hall, Manchester, on the
evening of the 12th inst. Au. bailey, M.P., and other
gentlemen, will also address the meeting upon the
.reform question.

A Site ox FIRE.-.7-FALMOUTH, Wednesday morning.
—The Neapolitan brigantine, W. E. Routh, arrived at
Falmouth en Tuesday; when off Scilly she saw a full-
rigged shipon fire, and burning from four in the afternoon
of the 2nd, to four in the morning of the 3rd inst. She
saw her three masts go over the side, and schooner near
her. She looked like an AtaarioaU cotton ship, being
light.
Mdlle. Victoire Balls has, it is said, been united, at
St.' Petersburg, to Sir 4bn Fiennes T. gramptorr, Batt,
K.C.8., het:Majesty's Minister at the court of Russia.
Sir John, who succeeded as second baronet on the death
of his father the late Sir Philip Crampton, Bart, surgeon
general to the forces in Ireland, in 1858, was formerly
minister plenipotentiary to the United States, and is
now in his 53rd year, having been born in 1307.

A REAL ROMEO AND 1111.1 ET AFFAIR.—Quite a
romantic and melancholy affair has taken place. at Cien-
fuegos. A young man (clerk in the office of'Aveles and
Le Blanc), by the name of Carlos Bonfanti, of good
family, "and possessed of considerable means, has for
some time been under marriage engagement to a young
lady, by the name of Carr, who is said to be the most
beautiful girl in Cignfuegos. The couple *ere anxious
to consummate the marriage tie, but in consequence of
the opposition of the gentleman's friends, it was
deferred, although the parties had proceeded so far as '
to have a house furnished, and the lady's wedding
dress -prepared ; but finding their . wishes frustrated,
they determined, as they were denied the happiness
of living together in this world, to seek that desirable
favour in another, and in pursuit .of this object, each
took a die. of 'strychnine in coffee last night at ten
o'clock. The poor girl died at eleven, after having
written a long letter to her friends, explaining the cause
of her taking this sad step. She was buried next after-
noon, arrayed in what was to have been her wedding
apparel. Her father and sisters are almost crazy
under their terrible affliction. The young man was
still alive, but his death was looked far every hour, and
he declared positively, that if the present attempt did not
slieeeedeti, he would adopt such means as would. The
event has created much excitement, and great sympathy is
Manifested for both parties. Their parents are half Spa-
nish and half American. Miss Carr's father is a native
of Philadelphia, and is at present custom-house officer
there. - It appears that a little aster of the deceased was
in the room when the poismi was taken, and begged for
sqrsie cf the coffee in which it was mixed, but her wish
was refused. The young man was the first to -partake
of the fatal draught; he than took an affectionate fare-
well of his affianced one, both in life and death, uld
returned home. The girl drank the dregs and retired
to bed, but shortly after she called up the ftgAiliA, and
gave them the letters she had written, at, t.. 111
e
informing them of the fatal act. Vyety effnrt *as made
to save her life, but without She told them that
if she could not live with-himahe loved in this world she
would meet him in the next, where they would be happy.

M01NE5P.11,46160.
.~50?