New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-22
A MARINE MYSTERY,
A DERELIcT sLoop FOUND.
Bloody Traces of a Terrible cds6ct

Another terrible and mysterious tragedy becso POO
Nc yesterday, which, from present sppesrsncss prom
ses to unfold chapter In crime Of tho most bsFsrous
character. The facts Of the case IN or re2efses
has been able 10 ascertain are these On Thussday,
the 18th inst, the soop T. A. johnson, Of Lip, a l.,
Capt. George Burr, called from the kot of SgFsdng
street, bound to Virginia for load of oysiers. On
Sunday, the 10th in, having called at Ksypor, she
sgsin set sail and went to sea, since which ns hs was
not seen until yesterday morning, when shswss Picssd
I'D between the West Bank and the Romsy Shoals BY
the schooner Telegraph, of New-Lcadon, wsh bow
sprit gone, and abandoned.
When boarded, tho deck presented most horriess7
spectacle being almost literally covered with clotiod
blood and hair. On entering the cabin no pers> was
visible, but large pools orbloOd both sdss OF tas
49,. ond n the eor,uauiou- way The sist board
quarter was aso stained with Bloody hnger4 'asks
Her boat was gone. In the cabirwcre fbuad AR or
Tada-rubbsr beets several shirts, beddn and nnnS
er of other articles which could hsye beeness taken
away II tlssvessel had been honestly abandoned-
The Telsqraph made fast to her and they were betn
FAST drifting ashcre, when the steamtng Ceres, Csp'
Stevens bssg in the neigborhood toef them - tow,
and brought them both up to the city. 7sey wa sub
sequently neoset At -MsEkstslp,. wisgs they
now lie.
ccOu tclf1cie etOEy OF aWfU nfsvoc auo mf1Hen-
murder spread throughns the lower portion Of tho
city and legions of the curious hurried to the vessel TO
view the tragic and 10 it's given details.
Information was Immediately communicated to Captain
Weed of the Second Precinct, who, with some Of his
officers, boarded her. The first thing which pre-.
ssnted itsef to them going aboard was blood, and
everything which they examined in close succession
was blood-sained. The idea of floating slaughter
cd f,a IA Of
From the rudder the bcwevsrythiDg was besmsarsd
with blood, the scens being varied at intervals by
locks of matted hair tending oay to make the already
rouaed suspicious of foul play certain and con-
frmiDg the idea that terrible had ocoarred
previous to the abandonment Of the vessel.
The cabin, which is small was also entered. Tiers
only the splashed blood and matted hair remained Of
what had been human hSss The floor, every piece Of
furniture the stove, and articles of wearing apparel
were covered with blood Everything was in dissr-
ranged condition. bearing unmistakable evidence that
terrible struggle for life had taken place. On the
floor lay hammer weighing three pounds, TO which,
beside being bloody, was sticking quantity Of human
hair Doubtless this had been used as weapon in the
vainous assassination BY the murderer marderers.
cofee-pot was also found in the cabin, tssneared
with blood and locks Of human hair sticking to IL.
showing that this had Teen used first, probably
weapon of defence, and afterward as implement Of
murder.
At all events, tremendous contest had taken place
in the cabin after which the rufans appear to have
dragged the body bodies deck and there making
bloody procession, leaving its dreadful Fa2 to have
thrown them overheard, perhaps not qzjss dead snd
yet too far gone TO make any effort to themselves
or even to utter cry of alarm.
Looking more particularly It tho vsxious objects
which presented themselves deck, The sxAuis s&oa
left no doubt whatever that most barbsrous and cold
blooded murder had been perpetrated on board. An
unbroken canal of blood flowed fromths cabin to the
guards. AT intervals the pools of blood appeared to
have been the ground of struggle, the treating Of
feet having spattered the gore on all sdes andsxm,ed
footnarks of blood on both sides of the deck.
bloody landmarks evident at different portions
Of the guard. Forward Of the mast smother terrible
struggle had taken place. A pool Of blood Lay there
extending to the bow, and further contributions of
matted hair were scattered around The mast itself,
the Sails and the ropes all more or less seseared
and where the blood could not Aow human hand had
left its prints.
Itappears, upon further Inquiry that this Inflated
vessel ran into the schooner John B. Martha, Capt.
Nicksrson, yesterday morning just of Statsn leland
in which collision quantity of the gear belonging TO
the bowsprit was left on board the. John B. Martha
and has since been taken TO the Second Precinct Station
House, where it now lice. r
Captain Nickerson states thSa when the collision
took place. there was one man on board, and he was
at the wheel, others were seen ON deck. At that
time the boat hanging to the dsvite. Just a. the
vessels about to siiks, the man referred to ran
toward the bow The sloop struck the schooner about
midships, almost sinking her. No words were ex-
changed between the vessels, and the soop dropped
asern but, when found by the Telegraph no ono was
on board, and the boat had been cut Away from the
davits
1t is supposed that when the sloop started from the
city Captain Burr had some $JOeia his possession,
with which he intended to purchase cargo. Two Of
the deck hands youths belonging TO the neghbor
hood Of the Captains house. at lslip, L. L. and the
third hand was stranger who had been shipped In
this city. The names of the two boys were Smith
Watts and Oliver Watts. The name Of the third man
was not discovered The Captain was 81 years Of age
and his family reside at Isip.
Severs theories have been advanced relative to THE
affair. One is that the johnson had on boards good
.vGi1 =: % money this fact was doubtless known
to the river prates who have probably gone on board
the sloop a. night surprised the crew in the cabin,
after first killing the man deck and murdered them
ALL afterward throwing their bodies into the water.
Another theory Is that, the night OF Tueseay or
euly on Wednesday morning, the third deck hand,
wtose name unknown had reenacted the tragedy Of
the Eudora Imoeene, at Hell Gate. 1t Is supposed
that he had been left on deck in charge of the helm
with enc Of the boys forward on the lookout while
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