Delaware journal. [volume] (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832, 1827-06-19
PIRACY AND MURDER.

Baltimore. juno Is. The brigantine Crawford, /,
CAPTAIN Henry Brightman, belonging to Troy, !,
Mass. sailed from Matanzas, the 18th ult. with
cargo for New Y or, and eight passengers, tour OF
whom. "a Frenchrnan and three Spanish sailors) on
the first OF June, about midnight, rose upon the
captain and crew, and remaining passengers ana
SLAUGHTERED all except three VIZ; the mate MT;
Edmund Dobson, of Somerset Mass the COOK, ana
French gentleman passenger. They also stabbed
the mate but he having ran alof, where he remain
ed during the night, they spared his lie IN conside-
ration OF the assistance he might render them as
navigator. After completing their bloody and re-
voting task, the Frenchman took the command OF
the vessel, destroyed her papers and coors, and
substituted complete set OF Spanish papers,
which they had brought on board with them, pur-
porting that the vessel was Spanish, and that she
had cleared at Maanzas for Hamburg. Aware that
it would be necessary to increase their stock OF
provisions for European voyage, they tried 10 get
into st. Mary's to obtain supplies, but the wind set
ting them off they were unable to fetch INTO port
until they made the capes of Virginia, which they
did on Tuesday morning, when they were bearded
by pilot, who understanding their object to be TO
obtain provisions with the least possible delay, adj
II vised them to put in at Old Point Comfort as the
most convenient place. and they accordingly anchor
ed there about six o'clock on Tuesday evening.
Mr.. Dobson, the mate, from whom the foregoing
particulars are obtained, states that on anchoring
the pirate captain ordered him to have the boat
: lowered and brought alongside, as he intended to
= go ashore at the point He accordingly got into the
= boat and as soon she was lowered to the water,
he cast off the teacles, seized an oar and scued
away for the Shore the pirate calling after him and
!, asking if he was going to betray him? On landing,
= the mate related the above particulars to several Of
the officers of the fortress, who were for sometime
doubtful to the probability Of story but on his
mentioning that the of the vessel on the sterr
= had been obterated, captain Dana ordered boa
and rowed off to the vessel to ascertain it such Wa
:" the fact. Before he had reached the vessel, how
:, ever, he was hailed from her by the pilot and in
~ formed that the pirate captain had cut has throat
- The three Spaniards had little before, by SOM
inessee, got possession of boat from neighbor
h. ing vessel, and made their escape to the Ezabet
city shore, where due diligence has been used t
effect their apprehension. Captain Dana and hi
Il, boats boarded the vessel and kept posscssio
o. of her until she delivered to the custod
of Mr. Westwnod, the custom house officer at HamE
ton TO whom col. Gratiot had in the first instanc
"a sent information and she has been sent up to MOI
80 folk An inquest was held on the body of the pi
rate captain, (whose name believed froI
IS, IS his papers, to have been Alexander Tardy) whc
ter was the next morning inferred on the beach.
Of the victims of the blood-thirsty monsters WI
wrought this horrible catastrophe, the iollowir
particulars are obtained from Mr.. Dobson the mi,
II Of the Crawford:
oh Captain Henry Brightman, of Troy, (Mass
stabbed and thrown overheard.
Asa Bicknel, seamen, Of Connecticut, shot al
:, ~, w. thrown overheard.
tant Joseph Deliver, do Of Wesport, (Alass.) sta
ov bed desperately, but escaping from his butcher
into ran up to the mast head, where he remained,
nh' til exhausted by the loss Of blood, he fell to Il
ded deck and expired.
bout Nathan Dittee, do jumped overheard and W
sometime afterwards heard calling for plank
ests barrel to be thrown to him, but the demons regaI
pre- ed him not.
d il MIR. Norman Robinson, of Connecticut, passe
pro- ger, and part of the cargo, jumped out of
ould cabin window md was drowned.
e Of An lrishman, (namc not recollectet) murder
der while lying in his birth.
held An American, carpenter by trade, from Pro
oo- dence, N ~ who had been following his busne
null for some time at Matanzas, was killed and thro,
pre- overheard.
aims