The Sun.
London, England, 1829-07-23 00:00:00

PIRACY AND MURDER.

The following narrative of the plunder and mur
der of the crew of the Phan Fredericka, a Dutch
brig of 200 tons, belonging to Haarlem, was detailed
by a gentleman just arrived from the Floridas in the
Lovely Nancy, now in the Thames :
" The Fredericka sailed from Jamaica on the
12th of April last, in charge of Mr. Stein, the mate ;
Captain Fredericka, the master and owner, having
died at Kingston. There were seven men and two
passengers, and the vessel was under orders for Hol-
land, but had to call at the Havannah for a large
freight. The brig kept her course through the Lee-
ward Passage until the evening of the 20th, when a
schooner hove in sight, and kept hovering
about the brig the whole of that night.—
They were then not two days' sail from
the Isle of Cuba, and the schooner appeared
to have come from either the Colorados or St. An-
tonio, to the southward of the Havannah. On the
morning of the 21st, at day-light, the schooner was
about two miles to leeward, and Mr. Stein, suspect-
ing her to be a pirate, made all sale from her. How-
ever, the schooner was too fast, and about twelve
o'clock came within half a mile, and hoisting Buenos
Ayrean colours, fired a gun. The brig was quite
unarmed, and hoved to. The schooner then hailed
in English, but not a soul on board understood the
language, and the only answer given was hoisting
Dutch colours; a boat was then sent from the
schooner full of men, and before one o'clock the brig
was in possession of the pirate, whose savage acts
of barbarity now are to be recorded. The pirates,
to the number of thirty, ransacked every part. of the
vessel, and took every thing of value they could lay
their hands upon. The Dutch sailors, in their own
language, remonstrated, but were laughed at by the
ruffians, who proceeded deliberately to compel the
wretched men to what is termed " walk the plank,"
This was on the afternoon of the same day they seized
the brig. One poor plan, upon being laid hold on
by two of the pirates to pinion,blindfold, and fasten
a shot to his feet, made a desperate resistance, in
which he fixed his grasp upon the throat of one of
the ruffians, and they both tnmWed over the side
and were drowned, Senor Baptista, of the firm of
Ramone, Balcussus, and Baptista, of Havannah, re,
monstrated with a short man, who spoke the Spanish
language, but from circumstanees Which have since
t transpired, was believed to be sto Irishman, and who
appeared to be the commander, and endeavoured to,
influence him to prevent the Dutchmen being mur-
' dered. The ruffian only answered by firing a pistol at
his head; but next moment, as if by a retributive
Justice, fell dead upon the deck, the other passsenger
haviflg plunged a knife suddenly into his back. Five
of the Dutchmen, observing the fate of Mr. Stein
and two others, ran below, and arming therrnselves
with knives, made a determined resistance, but were
ovet powered by the pirates, all of whom were welt
armed, Before six o'clock in the evening, the
whole of the crew of the brig -were thrown into the
sea, and one of the passengers, a planter, belonging
to Savannah, was stretched, mortally wounded, on
the deck. The only remaining one was Senoy .oap.