The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1867-02-13

'J 60"o"iiy ineI Will Ill SallIOrnla,
Therefore he passed on TO the Sandwich
Islands, from thence TO China, and from
thence to Siam. Soon atterward his
friends heard that the King of Siam had
presented to him two white elephants as
mark Of the royal favor, and the pa
pers OF this country announced that he
was holding the Office of Admiral in the
Siamese navy, and was engaged in the
work Of capturing pirates in the Gulf Of
Siam.
ENTERS THE slAMEsE SERVICE.
In letter written to his sister from
Siam in 1857, after describing his adven.
lures in China, and as a Captain of a
Peruvian vessel sent to cruise after
pirates, he SAYS he went to Bangkok,
where the two Kings Of Siam gave him
command of a brig sent out to put a
check to piratical depredations. He
then continues:
So | was duly commissioned and in
stalled full post captain in the navy of
the two Kings ot.Siam to catch pirates.
We'll, l got under weigh for the Gulf,
with one hundred and twenty-five sailors
and marines, and two Coons. These
Coons are Siamese officials ofthe Kings,
sent along to see what you do. Bang
kok is situated about thirty miles from
the Gulf of Siam, on a river called the
Menam; probably three thousand people
living in floating houses. The entire
population is estimated at about one
hundred and seventy thousand Siamese,
Birmese, Mons, Laas. Mussemen, &c.
Well, passed into the Gulf, orulsed
four days, and at last, in behind an
island, found two suspicious looking
crafts made sail for them, the brave
Coons looked rather blue. l, then not
speaking the language, had to issue all
orders through an interpreter. order
ed my chief boatswain, when in hailing
distance, to ask them to heave to; but
they kept OH their course Finding that
hailing did no good, gave them an
eighteen pound shot across their bows.
As yet they paid no attention to us. l
then beat all hands to quarters, ordered
the big gun shotted, which was sixty
eight, an English made gun; hailed
again, no answer. / then pointed the
gun myself and fired, tore away her
bulwarks and down went her mainmast.
They r.turned the fire. Ho hol say |,
you have woke up at last! They then
showed about thirty men. and got their
boarding netting ready to keep us from
boarding. I gave them another from
the big gun, killing five of their crew.
They returned the fire, putting shot
through our spanker, aud very near the
head Of one of my Coons, which caused
him to start below. Said I, No you
donu The Coons in my country stand
fire better than that. Come back!'-
Which he did, quite ashamed OF him,
self, saying he was not used to such fun.
l then gave them full broadside from
my big gun, two long eighteeus, and
two short eighteens which perfectly rid
died them, and unshlpped all their guns
but one on that side. Icould SEQ with
the spy glass what I had done, and to
make short job Of it, and it was GET
ting late in the evening, got all hands
ready tor boarding. 1 ran slap into
them, and led the boarding party myself.
When we jumped on board the pirates
ran below, and no lives were lost in
boarding or capturing. Well, we have
that clap all right! The leaders were
all Chinese, the sailors Ceylonese, said
they had been shipped,as they supposed,
sailors in merchant junk, but they had
been piratlng for some time, unable to
run away, and threatened with death if
they did not do their duty. We took
all on board, and left the junk at place
called Bo-Chang. The next day took
the other, and as we could not find any
more, stood away for Singapore, where
we spent about twenty days, getting all
the information we could about pirates.
I HIS DEATH.
After this, no tidings from him reach.
ed America, until, about six months
after the event, there came a rumor of
his death He had fallen sick during an
expedition into the interior of Siam, and
in the wilderness. in the thirty ffth year
of his age, He had made one success
tul expedition, but second proved fatal.
He had been exposed to the mlasma Of
the jungle, had fallen sick, and there, on
the Mountains Of Siam, with sad surroan.
dings, with no sympathising relatives
about him, and no minister of religion to
inter word Of counsel or Of prayer, the
earthly life Of Captain Prescott H. Devol
had reached its end, 4 Ds~'' !'tts4 .''