Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-10-08
THOMAS e BOWEN,
mark.
WILLIAM STRIKE,
THOMAS COLLINET,
JOSEPH CADET,
JOAS ANTONIO DEMARAIS,
his
JOSEPH MARION y COVIEL,
mark,
his.
JACOR - RRJS'TOI,.
JACOB 81 BRISTOL,
mark

CAT 6, so, p. NJ. hove to abreast of the brig,
| when the supcrcargo, I'd mate. and one of the
crew went on board 0eaving the West Indian on
board the Mentos) to examine the vessel and see
what state she was in, and found IS inches wa
ter in her, sails in very bad order, nothing to re-
pair them with, and 90 days provisions on board;
offered their services TO navigate the brig to New
| York or any port in the U. States. which the
| man acting 5 master declined accepting, alleg-
ing. as a reason, that the vessel was not in fit
condition to 60 to the United States, and that he
| Intended to 90 to st. Thomas and deliver her up
| to the American Consul. He was asked if he
understood navigation, and replied yes. He was
| then asked what was the course for ST. Thomas.
and answered s. w. when the true course was
W. N. w. w This excited some suspicion
that all was not right, and one Of the crew,
| Strike an Irishman, wished to 60 in the boat
10 the Mentos. and On showing of. he was order
ed on board, but replied he was merely going for
tobacco All on board insisted that he should
not go. but as 1t was squally and dark, the boat
| left Immediately for the Mentos, and on his ar
rival on board. he voluntarily confessed as we'll
as Bowen. the horrible fact that Capt. Woodbu-
rv was barbarouslv murdered on the 18th Aug.
bv Joas Antonio Demarais, the now acting mas
ter between the hours of L and o'clock, A. NJ.
while asleep on the starboard hencoop; he was
struck on the head three times with the cooks
axe. and stabbed two or three times with knife,
and then thrown overheard.
.'Semarais then went forward and called the
| captains watch on deck. All obeyed but Strike.
who was ordered to remain below, but was af
forwards ordered on deck and dragged aft DIV
Demarais, who made him feel of the dents in the
hencoop and informed him he had murdered the
Captain. and at the same time ordered him to re-
main on deck, and in case he was found below.
his trains would be blown out. Immediately
upon this confession of Strike and Bowen, the
West Indian and Italian were putin irons. when
they also confesse,I4sat Strike and Bowen's state
ment was corrects
~, setting sq"a'ly and very dark ,I. and
could repair the sails with, and not u sufficient
number of men attached to our own vessel to
man both, 1t was thought most prudent to send
the mutineers on board of their vessel and keep
Strike and Bowen with u.s. also the brig papers,
log book. &c. and number of letters addressed
to different Merchants in the United States. and
the $40 taken from the West Indian. and proceed
on our course. ii was Impossible to bring both
briggs in with safety.
'.At 8 Up. NJ. put the mutineers in the boat
and ordered them on beard the Orbit without
rendering them any assistance. and immediately
proceeded on our course. it blowing at the time
very fresh from E. n. <.
''.After the boat had left US, Strike took out
small package of gold dust and handed it to US
for safe keeping. it being bis proportion of the
gold. He also informed us that he bad left on
board about 900 Spanish dollars, his share of the
silver. Had he given us this information in the
first place, we should have endeavored to have
got possession of all the silver and gold. but at J.
the time, the brig was from to 9 miles, or out Of
sight to windward of US. and it would have been
impossible for us to have got to her during the /
night. and the Orbit being we'll armed with two
SIX Founders, sulasses, muskets, pistols. &c. and
we not having any arms. deemed it prudent to let r
her escape. Strike and Bowen refused to pro-
coed on board the Orbit, saying they had rather
be thrown overheard by US, as plot had been laid
three days previous to murder them aud one
other as soon as they made the land. This was
also confirmed BY the West Indian. Both ma;Ps
had been discharged on the Coast of Africa. and
the brig left there without any,"
50 The Orbit was 100 tons, built at Bath in
1924, as appears by her register, and belonged 10
Capt. W oodbury, and Messrs. B. & c. Aymer
& Co. of n. York.