The Yazoo Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1840-1842, 1842-09-16

not to speak of private charites--would |
have been withheld. They had accumuIa-
ted gold, vessels of silver, goods of various I
kinds and Value-their whole stock which |
had been parsimoniously preserved, and very
carefully concealed-with all the art of a !
small and selfish community. Their trea-
sures occupied but little space, and were
cautiously put from sight in the mass Of
their inferior baggage. In this condition of |
things, they went on board the vessel which |
had been provided for them, and soon after
put to sea.
Their voyage, was protracted one, in
half rotten bark, and with head winds great
part of the time. Wearied out with conine-
ment, and sckened with sort of travel to
which they were unaccustomed, the poor
Palatines were heartily reioiced when they
at length saw land. They made the coast
of North Carolina late in the day, and see
ing the shores so nigh, the poor creatures,
half mad with Joy, began to hoist their bag
gage in readiness for the promised landing.
But they were destined to be disappointed.
In the excitement of the occasion and mo-
ment, they forgot their prudence, and either
made an ostentatous exhibition of their
wealth, or some words escaped them which
led the captain Of their vessel to suspect
their possession of 1t. His greedy eye had
beheld their treasures, or his greedy ears
had heard their foolish boast of possessions
which they had never made public in Eng
land.
This discovery awakened the devil in his
heart. He gave the sign to his mate; per-
haps intimated his object to the seamen ge-
nerally. In those days the profession Of pi-
racy was not as odiOus as it is in ours. Sue
cessful piracy, indeed, was rather an honor
bic business, and he who practised it with
most profit, was likely to acquire from il the
most honor. II was only discreditable, like
any other speculation, when Improbable
At all events, the captain, determined upon
possessing the wealth Of the poor emigrants,
contrived to battle their purpose of landing
upon the shores which seemed 10 them Sc
nigh and inviting. 1t was not difficult fol
him so to manage his vessel, as to convince
them that landing was impossible until the
ensuing day. The hope deferred which
Imaketh the heart sick, drove the create
part of them to their hammocks. Thei
baggage, with the unhappily exposed wealth
was again restored to the interior Of th,
ship But few young men sat upon tn
deck, watching the faint lines Of the land
until swallo we'd up in darkness; even then
with ewes straining in the direction of tn
shore for which they yearned, conversin
together, in their own language, in hop
and confident expectation of their futuT
fortunes. While thus employed, the captai
and his crew, in another part of the vesse
were concocting their fearful scheme Of vi
lany. The hour grew late, the night dee
ened; the few Germans who remained {
deck stretched themselves out where the
were, and were soon composed in slumbe
While thus, under the peaceful cope al
canopy of heaven, in a slumber which Il
solemn starlight, looking down upon, seer
ed to hallow, the meTciless murderers, Wi
. cautious footsteps and barred weapon, S
. upon them. The cabin door Of the VesI
A. had been fastened-the entrances closed
1O' the hold. Each seaman stood by his victi
and at given signal they all struck toge
lima er. There was no chance given for strugg
ude the murderers had planned their crime W
e OF cOnsummate delibeTaton and skill. A sp
most modic' throe of some muscular frame
t OF faint cry-a slight groan may have oscar
worn the Victims-but little more. At least
lual- poor sieepers below were unarOused by
uni event.
e Of The deck cleared of the murdered m
SEM the murderers descended stealthily to
ong, work below. Passing from berth to be
ne with the most fendish GOODNESS, they str
ut OF seldom twiee-almost always fatally
g at men, women and children; the old,
same young-the tender and the strong
, and young mother, and the poor angel-innoC
cular but lately sent to earth-all perished or Y
I'd TO incapable Of arresting the objects Of
criminals. We may fancy for ourselves
d for horrors Of such scene. We may ina
ship some one or more Of the victims awake
q Pa under the ill-dIected knife-awaking
etime vain struggle-unkindly alarming those
COM consciousness who had no strength for
were hict. Perhaps a mother may have f
'yided strength 10 rise on her knees, imploring
lse Of ICY for the dear child Of her heart and
ted TO and may have been suffered 10 live suite
lis sort y long to see its death struggle, its
to a contoTtions, in the grasp Of the unrelel
cases, assassin. Artmay not describe such &
owev- truly, as Imagination can hardly conCei
ere in They perished, one and all-that little
j com Of emigrants-and the murdereEs, gro
GEN. around the treasures which had dai
ming, their hearts inIo the worst hell 81 cove
ith the ness and crime, were now busted IN 4
nment vision Of their bloody spells. How the