Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-10-16

Jury full and unbiased performance of the du-
. ~ devoiving upon them, ImpressIng upon them
the importance to the prisoner and 10 the country,
he proceeded to call his witness.
The TESTIMONY William Wells. who was
sworn and Intercepted by Mr.. Wood.
Mr.. W.-Mr. Wells, where do you resldel
Witness-In Buffalo.
! Mr.. W.-IIow long have you resided there?
Witness-l was born there, and have always
lived there pretty much.
Mr.. W.-Was You the owner of a steamboat in
/ the wear 1887?
! Wl:ness-I was. 1t was the Caroline. In De
cember she was yIng III the canal al Buttiio, and
| fitted her up, and ran her TO Schlosser. % the
29th December | ran her to Schlosser. arrived
there about in the evening, and rpade her Jas!
with a chain cable to pile at the end oil the
deck. AS soon we got our suppers we set our
/ watch and went TO bed. On board of steamboats,
or vessels, 1t is usual t, set watch over night
Our watch that night set about 8 o'clock
Syivanus Saring ono of the wa tch that night
do not recollect the others. About II O'Clock !
woke by some Of the hands, who had been
to Niagara Falls, came back and finding their
berihs occupied by strangers, they called me up,
and | directed the strangers TO get up and give
my men their ber,hs. While on deck one of the
bands told me he saw n boat approaching. told
him to look after il and see who in it, but al
low one TO come on board. then went to the
cabin and got in bed again, but presently the
watch came down and told me there were four
could ge! my clothes on | heard people on the
deck maxi ing great noise, and also heard the
report of several guns pistols deck. |
heard good deal of hallooing, but could not dis
nngu.sh what was said. | concluded that the
people who had come on board wanted to get pos
session of the boat; and knowing could not
sist them, dressed myself fully, secured my pa
pers, and made for the companion way. Before
| go, to The stairs which would take me on deck,
heard orders given to "give no quarter" to
skill the damned Yankees,' words to that eff
feet. | then became alarmed. and asked Capt.
Appeby who with me, what we should do?
He replied, we must do the best we could.
Capt. Appleby was in advance Of me, and had
just pu, his foot on deck; he seized by the
collar by some person, who told him not to go out
there, or he would kill him. AS he stepped back
there appeared TO be two parties of men-one
coming from the bow of the boat, and the other
from the stern. They met by the cabin door,
which shoy aiosad, ~nd hoard worda oiaehins
and guns firing. Captain Appleby and myself
then returned INTO the cabin, and turned round
the machinery toward the forward part of the
boat to make my escape from the forward hatch
way by plank communicating with the dock. |
While stood near the hatch, watching my chance |
to get out. man put his hand upon the hatch~
way and sprang down into the fire room without |
touching the plank. He Immediately caught hold !
of the poker, and commenced working nj the fire,
as supposed for the purpose of getting up steam
and taking the boa, off stood there, not dnr- |
ing to make noise, till he got buslIy engaged,
when ! crawled back into the cabin. without his |
hearing me- to escape through the cabin door. |
When put my head out of the cabin door, my
hat brushed the calf Of the leg Of n man who
standing there, and, thinking he felt it,
sprang below again. The cabin door at the top
OF the stairs was open at the time. again went
forward, and IN doing so met some one, who ran
against me; supposed him TO be one OF the at
lacking party
We spoke and each passed on. When got to
the irerootn, and was watching my chance to es
cape, the man who first entered 1t still sat there
He arose. seized by the collar some one who
had secreied himself there handed him out to the
light and in rough language asked him who he
was, and what he doing there then
it was Amos Durfee whom he had seized Dur
fee replied that he belonged 10 the boat. l did
not then know his Duriee, but only
knew bin stage driver. The other then used
very opprobTious language to him. and keeping
bold of him ordered him to follow him deck, or
he would blow his brains out. They both went
upon deck
NV intention at first to go up and surren-
Ger, but from the treatment, saw Durfee receive,
conc luded had better not do / observed
that the port hole on the starboard side of The
boat, uscd for throwing fire out, was open. 1t was
s 10 inches square, and tried TO get
through It. | then went into the after cabin, and
threw off my overcolt with the purpose Of swim
ming. | then returned to the hole. looked out,
and saw close by yawi boat with men in il, arm
ed with boarding pixies, &c. They appeared to
have just thrown the painter on board the steam
boat, and made il fast, and their boat was swim
ming round with the current. Isaw there was no
chance of escape then. and returned TO the after
cabin, and had got one Of the windows nearly out.
when discovered Two yawl boats made fast 10
the stern of the steamboat, with man in each.
backed out again, and stood waiting till felt
the boat move from the wharf. ran up the stairs.
( and while doing SO, felt the boat strike the wharf
again. Seeing no one standing at the cabin door,
but from the noise at tho stern of the boat,
Guided ii was safe TO venture out Hearing
The word CIV 10 cast off, TO fire. and an enquiry
Y tor rockets, stepped on deck. and three
standing close by, armed. concluded 10 surren
der 10 them, and stepped up the first one for