The National Register.
London, England, 1822-08-05 00:00:00

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ATROCIOUS CASS OF PIRACY.
NEw OhLKANS, JUNK 11.—Extract from the
log-book of the brig Aurdla, of New York, Captain
Wing !lowland, bound from Baltimore to New
t Means :
.• On the 15th of May, finding the cerreat in the gulf too
mrong, it was thought best to cross the Salt Key bank: whim
attend half over the bank, two schooners hove in eight, withal at
beet view were of a easpicious appearanee. linnicrliately ordered
all the negrocs upon deck, thinking to frighten them MI if they
were pirates. They lecke.' and stood from us—the one astern
hoisting a private signal, they soon after closed and bore down
upon as ; they brought us to with a shot, and tired into manlier
we had hove to; several grape shot passed over us, and others
through our sails : we struck our colours, and all went below.
They boarded us and tiled away for Salt K y, teen in si..lit.—
At 12, brought 118 to anchor in 21 fathom* water, under the
island. On hoarding us, they drove every person below except
the Captain, and put on the skylight and hashes.—'6th, The
'Captain and his papers having been examined on deck, some of
the pit 'des entered the cabin, where the mate arid passengers
were confined; they interrogated us as to the cargo and desti-
nation of the vessel, behaved politely, encouraged us not to feel
alnrmed. as they intended us no injury. The Captain was then
ordered into the cabin, altar which the whole compaey were
taken Mai% idually 'you deck, nod required to confess if there
was money on board, and there being none, 'legatee answers
ware of course given. flaying proceeded through the exami-
Lation of the whole, threatening at the same time, if they found
say money, our lives should pay the forfeit, they again ordered
us with dm crew, into the cabin, threw a blanket over the com-
panion way, and placed a guard over os ; the slaves were in the
itstanwhile kept in the held, a guard posted over them. After
the tepee of a quarter of an lour. during which the pirates were
making preparutions to torture us to a confession that we had
money on board, we were agaiii etheitoned upon deck, begin-
ning with the sailor:, then the captain, mate, and passengers,
—(The passenger were called in the following order—viz.
Stephen W. WiloW, Capt. John Campbell, William loskeep,
Ches. AN% arliela, ahem Campbell.) Those who remained
behind in the cabin, trout the sound of arum, the agonizing
groans and the prayers of their fellow passengers who went he-
fore them, and from the termination of their woeful sufferings by
the report of pistols, were cony inced they were to suffer a
cruel death. So regular and systematic were the arrangements,
anal so well calculatd to inspire terror and to till the breasts of
all with the most dreadful apprehensions, that every man
marched upon the deck, expecting to meet inevitable death.—
W e were all in attecesaion marched upon the deck, and made to
run the gantlet through 15 or 20 most ferocious and barbarous
monsters dis..uised in the shape of humus beings, from the
cabin to the windlass, being beaten most cruelly and unmerci-
fully with swords and pistols, until death would hive been a
welcome visiter. We were then ordered to sit upon the
windlass with our becks turned to them, there to he shut ; they
yet the pistols to our heads and tired them ; it is impossible to
describe our feelinge, when, after the report of the pistols, we
found ourselves still alive. This was the system of terror they
adopted to compel us to a disclosure of oar hidden riches, 118
they imagined. We were imme iately,sa we were successively
despatched, ordered into the forecastle, there to await their
further vengennee. Language fails to convey an adequate con.
ception of our astonishment and &green' le surprise, whin we
beheld our fellow passengers, who we believed were seer:heed
to Spanish cupidity and sunk into their watery graves, still
breathing Ili,' breath of life, but whose countenances Mill com-
municated the cruel apprehension that harrassed their minds.—
In thin place we remained ruminating upon our situation, and
anticipating the most horrid coneequences of Spanish barbarity.
it Is worth while to mention, that when we %trete brought to the
windlass, we found it bloody, those hell-hounds of war having,
is order to convince us of the murder of our fellow passengers,
lolled a duck and sprinkled its blood about the windlass.) The
sailor who bad secreted himself being discovered, was baba
rously beaten ; the poor fellow believing that we were all dead,
in order in olden' a cessation of his tortures, told the
pirates that be knew Mr. W ikon* had a box of money in the
Mterhold ; to get at this box they cut the cabin floor away and
luoLe a few of the lockers, but their search was in vain, for
there was no money ; they then recommenced to maltreat the
sailor, who persisted in declaring that he knew there was a
box of money on hoard ; not being able to find it they beat the
sailor moat cruelly. Mr. Wilton' was then ordered on deck ;
as he was ascending a ruffian stabbed him in the thigh with a
stiletto: being on deck, be aim again barbarously treated,
being stabbed in several places, and beaten with swords and
pietols : in vain he declared he had no more money; in
VBlll h.' declared his ignorance of there being any on board ;
to cap the climax of human sullering, they put a rope round
his neck and hoisted him up to the yard arm, then chopped
lent almost lir...less into the chains, then struck him with
award'', minium out for money; but he was ton far gone to
aesw they again hauled him up to the yard arm, and
when lie was apparently dead they drooped him into the water,
then drew him up and threw helm into the long boat; which was
11111%side the brig ; when he was able to move, they drew him
on deck, and beat him back into the forecastle. At the sight
of him bleeding profusely from several wounds, weakened from
the hies of blood, and almost drowned, we all again were nee-
(sin of undergoing the same cruel treatment. In this horrid
state of suspense we were suffered to remain fur hours. Being
disappointed in the onkel of their pursuit, they commenced to
plunder the brig of ever. thing that was valuable—the captain
ad all the brig's pipers, and his desk with all his private foyers.
and the passengers of all their valuable papers of every descrip-
tion, sod trunks with all their contests ; they relined us of all
cur clothing, watches, breast pinta and in fact of every thing
•seept het we wore. About the seine time that they brought
alas Aur inn to anchor, they brought the brig Hirano, of New-
Part. Cnetain Weeks ; and, as near as we could ascertain, ,he
I ytain and hie crew antlered severely. About live hours after
they hail captured is, they saw three sail crossing the bank,
they order,' the captain to remain omit morning for further.
curlers, and that•ii lap attampted to violate his orders all lands
all old be murdered and the brig set on lire, then made sail in
ew: of the three vessels, theceeded in c.inuring two of them.
arid then Es...turned to the anchorage near ns. Al) ant S o'clock,
p. n. they come on board of us again, ransacked the brig, and
I ink away a very thing they could God, even of the most llifilllg
c eisinerotior.

..

•• At day-light a larvi patty ratite on board, and made a
thdinligh search througlivut the brit, not the Icast thing of
pi.,ee Waslefl tinsearehed. At this time they left u, searedy
ally thing on Laird, a stroll allowancc of provisions, iinit a f.rw
Lutes of furidtitre, which they were unable to hike away.
They took likewise our colours, anew hawser, and the brig
us. rnhhed of every thing, II it impossible to conjt.turit
weal would hare beco our lot had they not 11... re captured so
irony teased!' idiom the same time. A ',nut ten a.m. they ordered
cut bis ca'lle, and he 'AI iiLat:diately ; the order

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

was no sooner given than eaeeeted. A short time after the
cable was cut, and as we were making sad, we saw a boat with
a number of the pirates on hoard, approached us ; we experi-
enced the most terrible apprehensions of a speedy death. For
some minutes we remained in the agony of suspense, until they
boarded us and demanded or the Captain in Sp.utia6 Ids cdrpen-
ter ; but there being no carpenter out board, or attached to the
easel, the captain answered that there was no carpenter on
board. !however, they still persisted that there was one, and
if be was not delivered up innurdiltely, they would murder all
of ms instruitly. The rullians fell to besting the captain, then
the mate, most unmercifully. In the mean time some persons
said than au old negro man named Simon was the carpenter,
they fell to heating him, drove him into the boat, and took him
Mr. They left us about half after ten in the morning, all hands
employed in repairing our rigging and stowing sway what little
cargo they coal,' not take away ; the boxes, barrels, and nark-
ages nearly all broken open, some pf which were robbed of part
of their contents, and others torn to pieces. As to the quantity
rubbed, we have not been able to asc,•rtaiu."