Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-12-08

DciOW Important lnLcllgonG6 VI nnaA
result Of the great pfstca sohemo 10 seize the Pacific
Mail stesnship Oompanys vessels, account o. the in
cepHon 81 which ss copied from the New York Tves into
the Integencsr Of tho 18th ultimo Referring to that
account readers viii remember that the plot was laid
In Havana from which city the rebels proceeded Panama
and New Granada to carry out their viiany Part Of
them arrived at Panama about November l. bat found that
the Guatemala the vessel which they intended TO seig
hadIaed and they therefore waited until the 10th utmo
the day of sailing Of the steamer Salvador In the
time syery thing had been got ready, the pirates
allowed 10 get board and when thirty miIes out guard
of sixty marines suddenly appeared on tho scenes and the
parties woro taken into custody The details are given
In the following letter;
PANAMA, TUESDAY, Nov. l6 1864
One of the most important captures of the cap
turs that has saved the whole Of extensive
on the Pacific from destructionhas just been made In
these waters
On the 25th OF lss month information was received by
Consul McKee, at Panama. from Thomas r. Savage. Esq,
Acting United States Consul General, which detailed with
great particularly plot Of Confederate praes to
Of the ships Of the Panama R1lroad Company The
Guatemala, and with her to make war on our comerco
generally on the Pacific The 25h was the day appointed
for the departure of the Guatemala for Central American
ports but IL the intention Of the agent TO held her
couple of days for freight destined for the Great Fair of
San Miguel Salvador Hearing that the consprators were
on their way from Aspnwal and wishing to have good
look at them before they should embark the agent
to the conclusion to send the Guatemala to at once
and lot the pirates wait for the Salvador OF the line
to sail on the 10th instant
Jeffs gang reached Panama. and were much disappont
cd to find the Guatemala had left but there being help
for it, they quietly settled down into the best hotels to wait
Here they all recognised from the description OF the
Colsul General and watch kept upon their movements
The leader purchased three hundred pounds Of
powder saying was for blasting purposes 10 Gustemaa
had it put up tnslby advice Of Mr. Nelson, commercial
agent of the Panama Railroad Company and agent Of the
steamer and in duo time shipped it and took his bills of
adng
In the mean time Admiral Pearson on board the steam
corvette Lancaster had been informed Of the plot and all
the preparations made for the capture Of the gang 1t
arranged that sixty should be ready in their boats
and placed under the lee of the Pacific Mail Companys
steamship SACRAMENTO which vessel scarcely
throw from the anchorage Of the Salvador That
the passengers who embarked the tug should
touch the deck Of the Salvador they should all be uved
into the large upper saloon by Capt Douglass, show
their tickets and there kept till the ancasters could
jump board and surround it, All the doors closed
but one, and all the staterooms f0cHed that one
could enter from the saloon to destroy ptprs throw
thsm from the portholes When the sigual was given
from the Salvador for the boats aopgside ii wcs
promptly responded 10 by Capt Davenport whose bost
were in instant alongside the vessr In another
instant the whole force was on deck and had complete
possession OF the ship The Lancaster had previous
ly gone down the bay leaving orders for the Salvador
to follow her till both vessels should be least three
rine miles from headland which would take them die
lance OF about one hundred miles from Panama.
As the Salvador under way the list of pas
soDgers read over and 1t found the following per-
comprsng most Of the leaders of the gang,
board viz IT, &. Hogg, alias Ersop acting master and
commander of the expedition e. A. Swain alias Young
acting masters mate and executive officer John Hid
die acting chief engineer T. j. Grady acting assistant
engineer J. L, Black, acting assistant paymasteri r
b. Lyon. sailingmaster and Joseph Higgins (Hhoas
| name is believed to be Reed paymasters clerk.
The baggage having previously been recsved, every
suspicious person on board was thoroughly searched IN
Guiding three four gamblers, who had been exercising
their vocation in Panama, and whe 1t believed
in the league. Nothing found any one, however
except few ugy-ooklng dirk knives But Capt Brad
bury, of the Sacramento who board the Salvador
had previously made most important dscoveIythat OF
the papers of the chsf which had been hidden the
first Alarm under the cushions Of sofa in the saloon
Among the papers the duplicate orders OF Hogg,
signed by g. K Mallory Secretary Of the Confederate
Navy, and lat OF initials corresponding with the
of the gbng assigning the shares to the parties from
the chief down to the cook The plan Of the pirates,
then capture the then usreent and the
California steamers then proceed to the negkborhood
of the Cbncha Isands capture all vessels then
to capture and destroy Pacific whaling fleet and after
to destroy or molest our commerce generally the
Pacific
At about thirty miles outside of Point Malo at daylight
the 11th the Lancaster and Salvador hove to- and the
prsoners with their baggage, which had been de-
nuded during the Of lots OF pistols balls caps knives
handcus, &c. transferred TO the Lancaster which
ume datey started back for Panama while the Salvador
proceeded her voyage. Nothing but very srong sus
pcons having been fastened upon gamblers and few
others, they released but strict watch will be kept
upon them by Capt. Doueiasn during the voyage.
The following is the official report Of Commander DA-
yEAPoKT Of the United States frigate Laocaster who
had been ordered By Acting Rear Admiral PEARSON to
srrcst the pirates
UNITED STATES STEAMER LANCASTER,
Panama, h0pember IL, 1854
ADMIRAL Your orders to me Of the instant have
been obey ed "7trbafim tsratiua This under binary
crcumstances would be sufficient, the Instructions
given me perfectly clear, but / presume yon
oes report in detail bsg submit the following
On the morning OF the 10Th left this shp with
four armed boats and went alongside the Pacific Mail
Steamship Companys steamer sacramento, had been
previously agreed upon with the master Of the Salvador
also arranged the boats that they could not be from
the Salvador Cat anchor BY but unfortunately the
master OF the tug, with seeming forgeulness round
the Sacramento and thus gave the passengers opporu
aroused they took advantage of H. After all were com
fortsbly board the Salvador the signal which had
directed TO be made hoisted and board la one
minute. had previously instructed the officers TO their
should get board the alvaaor and
am proud to ray that my orders most implicitly
obeyed.
All the passengers had been assembled in the cabin BY
Captain Douglass the commander Of the Salvador sppar
entity with the view of examining their tickets This had
arranged with him some days previously Every officer
aud went to the station had assigned 90 soon M he
board BY this was euabled to capture papers
Of value orders from Mr.. Mallory OATH distribution Of
shares OF the prize, DO DO 6c had cautioned officers
and men to seize every scrap OF paper they might
After having examined the passengers informed them
was on board simply a. police officer, TO that MOTH
ing was wrong they under the protection of the
Government of New Granada and that they were perfectly
free to whhereoeyer they pleased ordered the cap
tain to get under possible overhaul the
Lancaster which had gone to sea Having given all