Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-10-06
from The New- York Erenins Post.
COMMODORE TAYLOR

COMMODORE TAYLOR.
On Saturday last, the case of this person
was argued, on point OF law, in the dis
trict court of the United States, before
Judge Van Ncs. Suits had been instituted
against him by the Spanish consul, TO reco-
yer the value of sundry captures made by
Taylor, while commanding the privateer
called the Patricia.
Among the captures made was an Ameri-
can brig called the Gazella, on board OF
which was Spanish gentleman named
Juan Juando. Ii was stated in some OF the
affidaviis that after the capture this gentle
man was examined respecting the owner
ship of the property, and denied its being
Spanish: that Taylor was at this time sail
ing in company with small privateer, the
captain Of which was a Frenchman, and
the crew mostly blacks from St. Domingo.
This captain told Taylor that he would
make the damned Spaniard confess the
truth, and would hang him up for that pur-
pose if Taylor would permit it: That hav-
ing received the permission, he did actual
ly put rope round his neck and tied it to
one of the yards, and then hauled the rope
taut, and choked him, until he confessed
the property belonged TO him upon which
he was let loose, and Taylor took posses
sion OF the vessel. On the following day
the Spaniard sent ashore to Santiago, and
procured $1,000 dollars for the ransom of
this property, which was delivered 10 lay
Dor; which SUN of money the libelant now
sought TO recover in this case.
The judge having, in the first instance,
ordered the defendant to be held to bail,
be now applied 10 be discharged from the
arrest. This application was founded on
an affidavit OF the defendant himself, stating
that he was born in Bermuda, subject TO
the King Of Great Britain, and had served
in the British feet i: that in 1910 he be-
came a citizen OF Buenos Ayres, and a
commander in their naval service: that he
was in the United States in l8 10, and there
contracted for a vessel TO be loaded with
naval stores, and to be delivered to him
on, OF the jurisdiction of the United States:
that the vessel called the Fourth-oi-July
was accordingly prepared, and at sea he
purchased her, changed her name TO Pa
triota, and put her under Bucnos Ayres
commission which had been entrusted to
him by the Buenos Ayres government: that
the vessel was public armed vessel, be-
longing to the government of Buenos Ayres,
and not private property that he was not
in any manner concerned with the fitting
Out OF the vessel ia Baltimore, nor with en-
listing any of tue crew. He ayowed making
two of the captures which were charged a.
eanst him, and said that lie had been pro-
secuted in Baltimore by the Spanish consul
for the same causes Of action. He also pro-
duced commission which had been made
out in blank, and was filed up with the
name of the vessel, and the signatures OF
which were proved by witness. The de-
fendant also made oath, that since 1910 he
had been a citizen of Buenos Ayres, and
had nvt been citizen Of any other state
or country whatever
On the pari Of the Spanish consul it was
proved, that the brig ur,h-of-July was
built, armed, equipped and owned in Bal
tinore by sunGry merchants Of That place
aud commodore Taylor: that all the crew
were enlisted there aud at Norfolk, in De-
cember, 1916, and the beginning Of Jan
thereafter: that Taylor sailed in the vessel
at that time from Baltimore that within
the jurisdiction of the U. stste, he hoist
ed the Buenos Ayrean Hagr and changed the