Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-12-23
THE CHESAPEAKE RE.TAKEN.


The steamer taken by rebel pirates last
week. has been recaptured by our navy, but
being taken in British waters, could not
be retained. We copy from the Spring
field Republican as follows:
At one o'clock Saturday afternoon the
steamer Chesapeake and prisoners on
Board of her we're delivered over to the
British government by A. G. Clary, CONF
mander of the Dacotah. Upon the arri-
val of the boat containing the prisoners
at the queens wharf, the excitement be-
came intense, The prisoners ware imme-
diately seized by the boats crew in the
slip and hurried off by the crowd in at
tendance. Upon the government officers
moving to arrest the prisoners under a
warrant, they were seized and held by
prominent citizens and rendered powerless
to perform their dnty The crowd finally
succeeded in getting the pirates off in a
small boat, which forthwith moved down
the bay. The affair caused the greatest
excitement throughout the city. What
course the authorities will pursue in the
matter it is as yet impossible to say. The
pirates are now all at liberty, scattered
throughout the province. The federal
vessels and gunboats Niagara, Dacotah,
Ella and Annie, Acacia and Cornubia were
preparing to leave on Saturday, aud some
of them left Saturday night.
ENGINEER JoHNsoN's STATEMENT.
The following is the statement of first
engineer johnson in regard to the course
of the Chesapeake and the conduct of the
captain after the boat was taken possess
ion of by the pirates aud before her re-
covery by the federalgunboats:
after we left St. John. the first port
we entered was Shelburne, where We ar
rived on Thursday night. Here We took
in ten tons of coal and some wood. The
next morning we left for Lahore river,
and seeing steamer off the mouth Of the
river, we concealed the vessel as best we
could and assembled the river on Friday
night. We laid to this point until Tnes-
day night, discharging part of the cargo,
for which we received one thousand dol
lars. We sold the sugar for three cents
pound, the -four for three dollars barrel.
and the other articles for proper prices
We left the river at three o'clock in the
afternoon, laying to at its mouth all night
and loading schooner with goods which
we had not disposed of. On the morn
ing of Wednesday we steamed for st Ma
rvs bay, about ninety miles east of Hall
fax About nine o'clock on the following
morning we saw a steamer, and immedi-
ately concealed the vessel by hugging the
shore. When the steamer disappeared,
we started again. We arrived off Sam.
bro without meeting with any further
trouble, and were boarded by a pilot
named Flynn, who took the vessel into
Sambro harbor Capt Locke now salts
flying himself that there was not coal
enough on board to complete the voyage,
conclud d to anchor the vessel, and he
did so at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In
the meantime he started for Halifax to
procure coal and engineers for the vessel.
He told me that as soon as he obtained |
new engineers he intended to release me,
and | told him that would not on any
account remain with the vessel any longer.
The captain returned about 9 o'clock on
the following morning, having been sue.
cessful in his expedition, and schooner
came with him. About o'clock on the
same morning the pilot Flynn informed
the captain that the federal gunboats we're
entering the harbor. The captain salts.
flying himself that this statement was
correct ordered me to scuttle the vessel.
| replied that could not do it. The cap
tain then hastily scared what plumber he
could. and he and his officers and crew
took to boats, as the Ella and Annie APP
peared in sight"