The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1853.

FOREIGN MISCELLANY.

ACORN COFFEE.—An importation has taken place from
Hamburg of a quantity of ground acorns, which is liable
to the rated duty of 6d. per lb. The article is known
abroad as acorn coffee, and is much used on the continent
as a substitute for coffee.

MURDER AND PlRACY.—Advices dated Monte Video,
April 5, furnish some particulars of the discovery of hor-
rible murders on board the ship Reindeer (Capt. Wilson,
from Valparaiso) of the captain, first and second mates,
steward, and two passengers, by a part of the crew, for
the purposes of plunder, a large amount of specie being
understood to be in the vessel. A few weeks prior to the
above date some fishermen discovered the vessel aban-
doned near Cape Antonio. She was lying between two
banks, where she had evidently been run and scuttled and
then plundered. The fishermen, after much exertion,
managed to get out some of the cargo, by which they were
enabled to get at the scuttle holes and fill them up. When
she floated they got her off the bank, and, making sail,
contrived to run her into Monte Video, where she re-
mains. Previous to her discovery, a number of her crew,
who had landed from an open boat at Saladin, had been
arrested on suspicion of being concerned in wilfully cast-
ing away the ship. They were conveyed to Buenos Ayres,
where two of them confessed to certain of the crew mur-
dering the whole of the ship's officers and the passengers
who were on board.

AN IMPERIAL SPORTSMAN.—About a fortnight since
the Emperor of Austria, who was deprived of his snipe
shooting by the tyrannical ordinances of his physicians,
quitted Vienna with two attendants—an adjutant and a
chasseur—and went by rail, to a place called Baverbach,
on the Semmering, where he proposed to " stalk " the
capercailzie and black grouse. On the arrival of the
Imperial sportsman at the peasant's house, in which a
room had been prepared for him, the rain was falling in
torrents. It appears that the mouldy smell in his simple
aprrtment was not exactly to the taste of the Emperor,
as he retired for the night to a barn close at hand, where,
wrapping himself in his cloak and desiring to be called
at three o'clock in the morning, he soon fell asleep on
the straw. The weather, however, was so bad that the
monarch, sorely against his will, was obliged to return
to Vienna, without having seen a single head of game.
On Tuesday week he returned to the charge, but found
the birds so wild that, on the first day, be killed but one,
and this solitary trophy fell in such broken ground that it
was not found until after a long search. The fortunate
finder, a jager-bursche, (gamekeeper's help,) received a
10011. note for his pains. During a whole week, from
sunrise till sunset, did the indefatigable sportsman toil,
but on no day were more than four birds brought down,
although every one that indulged in his " peller, peller,
peller," was killed. The strictest orders were given that
no despatch should be forwarded from Vienna, except in
matters of extreme importance. The beneficial effect of
this short absence from business was very evident yester-
day, when the Emperor was standing in front of Arch-
duke Charles's Hotel in the Karnthner-street, where he
had been to visit the Queen of Greece.

HORRIBLE CRIME AND EXECUTION IN ITALY.—ApriI
30th was the day assigned for the execution, at Genoa, of
Mendaco and Maria Giusto, for the barbarous murder of
Marguerite, the wife of the former, in November, 1851.
Mendaco was a person of intelligence and some fortune,
and held the respectable position of syndic or mayor of
his native town, Veigotti, some twenty-four miles from
Genoa. He became violently enamoured of a young and
handsome woman of the same place, Maria Giusto, at
the time a widow with four children. An illicit connec-
tion ensued between them, and after some time, Mendaco,
with the connivance of his mistress, got rid of his wife
by killing her. The 30th of April was named for the
execution of both, at six, a.m. Even before daybreak
the streets were filled with anxious multitudes to witness
the melancholy procession. The soldiery lined both sides
of the way, from the prison to the spot of execution,
which is situated at the extreme end of the Old Mole, as
it is termed in Genoa. The was a" was first executed.
She was sustained on either side. A priest mounted the
ladder, and prayed in a loud voice while the cord was
fastened to the scaffold. Suddenly the poor wretch was
seen swinging in the air, having been pushed from the
ladder by an assistant below. To my amazement and
horror, the chief executioner then sprang directly on the
head of the dying criminal, supporting himself against the
beam above, and tried, by the weight of his body and the
pressing down of his feet, to break the neck in twain.
After a few efforts lie succeeded, having adroitly adjusted
the cord for that purpose, and he leaped back upon the
ladder with some such a flourish as a dancer goes with his
feet at the close of a pirouette. Anything more needlessly
barbarous and disgusting it were impossible to conceive.
In some ten minutes more the executioner again ascended
the ladder, and, undoing the cord by which the woman
was hanging, he coolly removed her—suspended in the
air from his arm, and before she could have been quite
dead—lower down the scaffold to make room for Mendaco,
who was now approaching. From an impulse of humanity,
a member of the Misericordia concealed with the banner
of his order the still palpitating body of his paramour
whilst the assassin was coming down the Mole. It must
have been for him an instant of supreme agony, as his eye at
last fell upon his accomplice. He turned pale, and shook
from head to foot. He recovered almost immediately his
self-possession, which he had maintained to an extraordi-
nary degree from the beginning. He ascended the fatal
ladder with singular composure, but still gazing intently
upon the inanimate body at his side. His last look was upon
her as he was hurled from his support, and in a second
after the executioner repeated the frightful barbarity just
mentioned. He stood upon the head of the wretched
criminal, stamping with all his force ; but owing to the
slipping of the cord, all his efforts failed to break his neck.
For nearly ten minutes this revolting spectacle was going
on, till the thousands of disgusted and enraged spectators
at last gave way to the most violent hootings and execra-
tions. The air resounded with their infuriated yells. By
the time lie got through his horrible office, the people
had effected a landing, and they rushed with mad eager-
ness towards the scaffold. The executioner and his as-
sistants had fortunately disappeared, else they would have
fallen certain victims to the terrible emotions that had
been stirred up. The soldiery present found it impossible
to restrain the crowd, who closed in upon the bodies of
the criminals, handling and turning them round. The
Mesericordia, to put an end to the scandal, at last cut
them down, which is their special privilege, and conveyed
them away.—Correspondent of the 211orning Post.

FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN
AMERICA, FORTY-FIVE LIVES LOST.

The New York Herald of the ith instant contains the
following account of the frightful accident, atttended with
the loss of 45 lives, which occurred on the previous day,
on the New York and Newhaven Railroad :—About
twelve o'clock yesterday (May 6,) we received a tele-
graphic despatch from Norwalk, containing the announce-
ment, and some of the particulars of a terrible railroad
disaster which happened at that place about ten o'clock in
the morning. The intelligence created a profound sensa-
tion throughout New York when it was known that about
fifty persons had lost their lives. The Newhaven train,
consisting of four passengers and two baggage cars, left
New York for Boston at eight o'clock yesterday morning,
but on reaching the drawbridge at Norwalk the locomotive,
tender, one baggage and one passenger car and a half ran
off into the river, which at this point is over six feet deep.
Some idea may be formed of the momentum from the
fact that the locomotive cleared a distance of about sixty
feet, nearly reaching the opposite abutment in its descent
to the water. There is no doubt whatever, that the acci-
dent—if accident it can be called—was caused by the
carelessness of the engineer. It appears that the draw-
bridge was raised to admit the passage of the steam-boat
Pacific, the usual signal was displayed by the person in
charge, and all the other necessary precautions were taken
to warn the engineer of his danger. Instead, however,
of checking the speed of the train, which should be re-
duced to at least eight miles an hour when approaching
the bridge, he kept it at a rate of twenty miles, so that
when ho became aware of the presence of danger he
found it impossible to prevent the train from falling into
the river. The scene which followed was terrible in the
extreme. The engine, the tender, and two cars were
engulphed in the water, and the passengers either crushed
to death or drowned. There were one or two cases of
escape which were almost miraculous ; but among the
numerous accidents that have occurred recently we do not
recollect any that was attended with more disastrous
gvneee,r
,owwf a
with
thhber
oackaepr
nos ,ritwni
portion
ceo
middle—one
it s occupants,suspended over t
half
and
the
nd side
fallingh e
intor9ef s ut
hl
tetsh.be r river,
other half remaining 'on the road. The height of the
bridge from the water is at least twenty feet, so that all
the cars which fell in were literally broken to pieces. The
engineer and the other officers saved themselves by
jumping off when they discovered their proximity to the
bridge. The baggage master, Mr. Fuller, was in one of
the cars which fell into the water, but escaped through the
side, which was broken in by the terrible force with which
it had been precipitated into the water. He was slightly
injured in the face. The conductor, Mr. Conistook, was
in the second car, but escaped with several severe, though
not serious injuries. Among the passengers were several
physicians who had attended the late convention of the
Medical Association, held in New York, and who were on
their way home. Of these, about six are reported as
killed, and many injured. The number of dead bodies
recovered, according to the latest accounts, is 45, of which
several are so horribly mangled and disfigured as to ren-
der recognition impossible. The town of Norwalk,
immediately after the accident, presented a scene ofin-
describable confusion and excitement. The wounded
have had ample medical attendance, and all possible
assistance has been rendered by the ladies of Norwalk
and the citizens generally. We may state here that the
mails and most of the baggage are saved, but in a very
damaged condition.
Under the head of " latest particulars," the same 111
journal says :—" On our arrival at Norwalk Station, we
next visited the scene of the wreck, and notwithstanding
it was some six or seven hours after the catastrophe, a
large number of persons were still looking at the spot,
and many workmen were engaged removing the wreck
where the sad affair occurred. The drawbridge is situ-
ated at some three hundred yards from the station around
a curve. About half-past ten o'clock in the morning,
William Harford lowered the signal, and opened the
drawbridge to allow the steamboat Pacific to pass through
for New York. Scarcely had the steamboat cleared the
bridge, and before time was allowed for the bridge-
master to close the draw again, round came the express
train at full speed, estimated at running thirty miles the
hour, and in an instant the locomotive bounded off at the
end of the bridge, striking against the abutment of the
draw, and burying itself in the river, the tender, baggage-
car, and two of the passenger cars, followed, all of
which were submerged in the water, and the half of one
other passenger car was shattered off with the concussion.
Here the scene was terrific. The shrieks of the sufferers
for assistance are said by those who were within hearing
to have been the most heart-rending. Unfortunately it
was high tide at the time of the accident, thereby making
the water some 25 feet deep. Had it not been for this
circumstance the loss of life would have been considerably
diminished. The engineer, whose name is Edward
Tucker, beholding the danger, sprang from the locomo-
tive, followed by one of the firemen, and the train passed
on headlong into the river. Many incidents occurred at
the scene of the disaster. Several boatmenin the vici-
nity hastened with their boats, and were the means of
saving many liveS,"