Daily national Democrat., 1861-07-13
A Captured Priyateer.

ana were conveyed to the Iomos as prison.
ers, The Tribune has the following, in con
nection with the Imprisonment of the prva-
teermen, While the pirate we're in the Mar.
shals private Office awaiting the removal to
the Tombs Capt p. N. Meyer, of the brig
Joseph lthe first and only prize of the Savan'
nah) came into the ante-room. He is a frank
open-hearted man, with an honest counte-
nance, and seemed quite cheerful at the idea
of his captors being captured in their turn.
| His account of the chase and capture Of his
| vessel is as follows: He was standing on
south esterly course off Charleston harbor,
| when he sighted q small schooner to leeward,
with the American ensign hoisted in her main
rigging, the usual signal to a vessel to speak
He as not deceived 10y her colors, however,
| for with the aid of his glass he saw great
ugly swivel gun amidships, which could not
he mistaken, although covered with canvass
and partially hden He kept on his course
in the expectation of outsuiling the pursuer,
but after leeward chase of about four hours,
the stranger had come within half gun-shot
distance, Seeing that further fight was use
less, and knowing that the big gun of The
pirate could blow him out of water, he came
to, determined to know his fate, but barely
hopeing that after all his pursuer might
prove an American vessel in reality, as she
| wished TO DE IN appearance.
| The schooner coming up, her captain hailed
the Joseph. and ordered her captain to come
on board with his papers Capt. Meyer de-
manded by what authority the order was
made, and was told-"by authority of the
Confederate States of America. He then
went on board the pirate, and was told he
was prisoner. His boat aud the pirates
boat filled with armed men, were sent off to
| the brig, the crew sent below, and six of the
pirates were left ashore as u prize crew, with
directions to run into port. The second mate
of the Joseph was requested by the pirate
captain to take an afternoon sight" so as to
determine their longitude, as there was no
chronometer on board the Savannah. The
vessels kept on together, the schooner in ad-
vance, until two O'clock, when the observa-
! ton having been made on the Joseph, the
schooner dropped astern, and the two vessels
occupied their relative positions when the
brig Perry hove in sight. Cold, the pirate
Scotehman at once recognized the brig
but Captain Heyer thought she was the
Brainbridge. The officers of the Perry
thinking the schooner was chasing the Jo-
seph, and had not yet captured her, made all
sail after her, and the Savannah was imme-
diately tackled, SO as to run OF, if possible
before the wind
If she had succeeded in this rlannuver,
the case by the Perry would have been fruit
less, for the schooner is a very fast sailor be-
fore the wind, and would ontstrip the Perry
with perfect ease But the Perry, getting
! the windward Of her, bore down rapidly, and,
when within gun-shot, pitched a shot across
| her bo ws. Capt Meyer was sitting on the
poop when he heard the first shot whizzing
just ahead of the foremast so he moved aft,
but in a moment a second shot flew near him,
and as this was followed by a shell, which
! burst in the water little to leeward the
| Captain, thinking his quarters little too hot
for comfort, went below. Here he found the
cook and steward coiled up in corners and
half frightened to death Before long the
party was increased by the arrival of the
| three principal officers who said they want
ed to pack up their things before going on
board the Perry. but whom Capt Meyer
thought badly scared.
| The shots of the Perry were answered
from the pirate three times, Cold acting as
gunner. Evidently he did not know his
| business; for when the recoil sent the piece
aback, it was not hauled ahead, and the next
two discharges broke out the bolts and the
bridge rope. One more would have caused
! the monstrous awkward piece to jump off its
pivot and smash through the deck. At each
discharge the timbers of the little vessel
creaked again, and she shivered from keel to
transom. The gun was never uncovered un-
I'll the brig got so close that escape seemed
impossible, the pirates having apparently
counted on showing light pair Of heels to
her pursuer The brig finally came within
haiing distance, and the demand, "Do you
surrender?" was instantly answered by the
crew as with one voice, "Yes, wei dot Her
colors were then hauled down, prize crew
was put on board, and the pirates transferred
to the Perry.
When Captain Meyer was taken prisoner,
on board the privateer, he requested that he
might go back to his vessel and get his
clothes and instruments, but was told that
when they got into port his private property
would be restored As, unfortunately in one
sense, but fortunately in another this never
happened he lost everything of value that
he had. His treatment during the nine
hours of his sojourn on the pirate, was good
the only man who offered him any insult
being that fellow Cold. He had the distin-
guished honor of messing with the officers,
and was RECALLED with some of the good
| brandy and claret from the captains private
locker He has a very poor opinion Of the
bravery of the three chief officers of the Sa-
vannah, and of the seamanship of Harleston
and the purser. The latter young mans
chief financial occupation seemed to be the
supplying of whisky to the crew. Capt.
Myer says that the Joseph was worth $4,000
or $4,000, and was owned by George Ii.
Cables and others, of Roclland, Maine, but
the cargo of sugar. worth S22 900. was Span
ish property. being owned by Moreales, of
| Cardinas. That this Gables is n perfect trump,
may be judged from the following letter re-
! ceived by Capt. Meyer and which he has
kindly lent us for publications.
RoCKLAND, June 90 1861.
CAPT. T. n. MEyER-Dear Sir: Yours of
the nth came to hand yesterday. and also a
dispatch of the 18th. [ am very glad to
hear that you are safe out Of the hands of
those pirates, and | hope that all the rest of
the crew will be as lucky. don't care SO
much about the brig, since they have caught
the pirates that took her. There are so many
stories going, that cannot find out the truth
about the taking of the brig. and want you
to write me an account of the whole voyage
Let me know all about the taking Of the
pirate and what became of the Josephs
crew AS | had no insurance, it is total
loss; but / will try and stand it. If they
will only let me have the prize. will go out
and try to get revenge for what they have
DONE Write me all the particulars.
Yours truly. 6. II. CABLES.
| L. S.-Teli ME about my pig.
This pig, for which Gables justly feels so
much solieitude, was huge porker, weighing
over $50 pounds OF course, he was left on
the Joseph, and Capt. Meyer, in informing
the owner of the circumstances, sententously
remarked that, no doubt, by this time,
Lord Davis, Lady Davis, and all the little