The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-27 00:00:00

PIRACY AND MURDER.

(From the Charleston Courier, June 24.)
The toilowing inform:aloe, furnished by a resident of
Havannah, contains full, particulars of the loss of the
British brig Vernon, and ber capture by pirates, May 1,
3 S4O, together with a list of the crew saved and those
murdered :

" ylie British brig Vernon left Jamaica, April 26, for
Halifax, with a cargo of 85 puncheons of rum, and a
crew consisting oh Janes Cunningham, master, and
John M.Leod, mate, residents of Halifax ; George
IT Coy, Benjamin Peach, Edward Norton, and James
Tyler (coloured man) cook. On May 1, at 10, A.M.,
Cape Antonio bearing Bondi of west three leagues
distant, a boat was seen coming from the shore and
making for the brig. At first sight the Captain, sup-
posing it to be filled with some shipwrecked seamen,
bore down for it, but the wind being light there was
but little .progress made. On the proximity of the
brig to the boat, the latter was discovered to contain
seven men armed with muskets and knives. When within
reach of their shots they poured volley after volley at
the brig's crew, who were obliged to retreat below, with
the exception of the mate and one seaman, who took
re-Loge behind the masts. Here they remained without
any hopes of life except by quiet submission, for there
were uo arms on board, until the pirates came alongside,
when, by a motion to go below made by the waving of
the hand of one of the pirates, they too reluctantly
went below, and thus left the decks clear for the pirates,
who immediately boarded, and ordered the Captain to
.ome on deck.

" On the Captain obeying their command, one of
them stated that a Spanish man of war was lying in the
river, and sent for their papers. They next ordered
the flag to be hoisted and the vessel steered for the
land, which was done, and at night the brig was an-
chored in shore close to a fisherman's hut. The sails
were clued up, and the crew ordered aloft to furl them.
After this was done they conducted each one as be
et:llC from aloft, and confined them all together in the
forecastle, and closed it tight. In about one hour and
a haif they opened the scuttle and ordered them on
deck. Oti reaching the deck they found an addition to
the pirates' gang of four fishermen, who with the first
were eating and drinking,. The crew was then allowed
something to eat. During the whole night a strict
watch was kept by the pirates, and no one was allowed
to approach them.
The next morning, they ordered the crew to get the
brig under weigh, and after all the sails were set they
steered the vessel about ten miles along the coast,
where a river discharged it.elf into the sea. Up this
river they conducted the brig about six miles inland—
the name 01 the river is Paulo del ; here they ran
the brig ashore, and ordered the crew to discharge the
enrgo. They obliged Capt. Cunningham to assist in
discharging, elthough he was feeble from age. When
*.he cargo vas out they ordered the captain and three
of the crew into their boat, which already had five
pirates in it----;he pirates told them all they were not
going to kill them, but going to get ballast for the brig.
They made the sailors row the boat, and when about
four gunshots from the brig the work of death began,
by one of the pirates in the bow of the boat stabbing
the cook in the heart. This was about four o'clock,
and the sie,nal they had to continence the massacre was
the order to cease rowing. After killing the cook they
threw his body overboard, and then stabbed him again
white in the water. At this moment young Peach
eprang overboard, and made for the shore, among the
mangrove bushes, in which be secreted himself'. Once
he looked hack, and saw the captain's head over .the
gunwale of the boar, and SAW the pirates cutting his
throat. The body of another sailor, Edward Norton,
of Eastport, (Me.) was hanging lifeless athwart the
boat.

Young Peach, after thus escaping f
travelled ten miles, through mano.-0:: hushesom their hands,
the time, and swimming the te•;y;iend part of
stripped, as they all were, h tee pirates, -.1 Lee remainder. Ha
I-17
wags
1.-.1 el-! c e , his feet
but their pantaloons.
rocks.
Lleeding from ther.e:rio.dilie
had
nothing
4101 t) e received on the
to coralsubsist During this long.
a wild pigeon no killed with a stick, on the seco'tis.„ti on hut
morn_
jog. in the ,E, ingrove bushes. S; ill he wandered on,
sackedtho blood and eating the fish of this rtl
A
lasit, he saw a small schooner sailing. along the coast, but
i. growing. dark, he soon lost sight of her. Here he
slept ad night, and on the morrow saw with mistrust the
schooner had reached in shore, and fearing that he was
about to fall into the hands of some of the gang, he
hesitated a moment, but fueh was his miserable condi-
tion from starvation and thirst, and the heat of the sun
on his bare body, that be had rather die than continue
such a miserab:e exiatericc—he therefore swam off to
the schooner, and threw himself on his knees and begged
for life and water. The captain not understanding him,
but supposing he was a cast-away sailor, took care of
him, and by signs made him understand he was safe.
" After seeing the unfortunate man attended to, Cap-
tain Antonio Pc!oso, the worthy commander of the
schooner, coasted along the shore in search of the ves-
sel supposed to be wrecked. When within six miles of
Cape Aitonio, he landed at the spot which the Rig.-
PSII sailor pointed out, thinking that the vessel was
there, and having no suspicion of pirates. On Captain
Peloso's landing, he was met by seven pirates and four
fishermen, who threatened his life, but by artifice he
deceived then and gained their confidence. From
them he gained the intelligence of an English brig bar- 1
ing been taken, and part of the crew murdered—that I
two were still alive, but would soon be put to death. It 1
was now that the brave Spanish captain, Don Antonio /
f. i A rather singular circumstance occurred on
Pcloso, determined to save the
pirates three
die in Tuesday, at our cemetery. A hearse, with mourning coach,
the attempt.. He gave the
him
three muskets, and ! and the friends of the deceased (.Hiss Briggs), proceeded to the
invited them to breakfast with on the morrow ; but ground to inter the corpse, when, on their arrival, it was disco_
before leaving them, he sought en opportunity of seeing vered that no orders had been given to dig the grave. The
thi: two' sailors who were in their power, still - , • ' andsurgeon left, the ''
were conveyed
, minister mourners back,
and
'the pirate captain said, that after murdering the alive,
' the hearse left the corpse, the bearers remained, and when the
Lain and part of the crew, he reserved the g c cap- ! grave was opened the parties agairest to pai ' n attended, and the fungal
at obsequies were proceeded with.—Norwich Mercury