New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-28

him in the base undertaking, and Jansen,
I Meredith and Duncan, the latter mere
boy, the son of q clergyman, at Fall river,
are soon in league with the cOnspiratOrs.
They attempted to sink the vessel by boring
holes in her hull, but subsequently stopped
, them up in time to escape suspicion. About
10 u. M, however, on the twentieth of July,
when the Robert Edwards was in mid-ocean,
eight hundred miles from Bermuda, the
nearest point of land, an alarm of fire is
raised, and flames are discovered in the
lower hold, between the lore and main
matches.
All hands are Immediately mustered on
board, and means employed to avert the
danger. The seamen have buckets and bar
rels filled with water. but are unable to sub
due the progress OF the flames. They sue
cccded, however, in filling the between
decks with water, after which the matches
are battered down. and holes are cut i'll the
upper deck 10 throw water down. The
crew worked all night and the next day,
| and the next night apparently seemed mas
ters of the fire, the lower hold being then
full of water
| The fire. not 20 be overcome, soon broke
| out through the sides OF the ship, and the
plank shear was then cut near the rail-, and
| the water was spon down III the mold. The
flames were eXtingushcd III this way on the
| lar board SlCt. Out continued 10 iHC.tasc III
| intensity to the other side.
At seven clock, on the twenty-Sccond OF
| July, the boats were lowered, and provi-
sions were collected for them. The crew
then abandoned the ship. with the excep-
| ton of Captain Pcasc ana one man. who re-
manned on board steering the ship until
10 p. NJ.
At that time the fire broke out on the up
per deck and spread to the sails and ,naSts.
The captain and sailor then embarked in a
small boat. and they stood by the burning
craft all night, in company with the other
boats Shortly after midnight the masts
fell, aud in the morning the ship had burned
amidships to the waters edge. The occu-
pants of the whaleboat We're III latitude 33o
north and longitude $50 40 west. at the
time they left the wreck and steered toward
Bermuda. On the following day they were
picked up at open sea by the brig Mary
Rice, Captain James b. Pratt, from Balti
more, bound to Rio de Janeiro
Previous to leaving the Robert Edwards,
Captain Pease, suSpecting something wrong,
called Pardoe and asked hiH if he started
tie fire. The latter said he and two others
had committed the act, but refused to give
names.
He said that his accomplces had gone
into the hold with HIN. During the efforts
to stay the flames two men Jumped over
board One Of them, named David Burns,
was rescued, but John Jansen. a Dane, was
drowned.
Pardoe subsequently told the captain
that Meredith and Jansen were the persons
who went down in the hold with them. On
coming or board of the Nary Rice, Captain
Pratt questioned the conspiratOrs, and they
told him they had 10 fault to find with the
ship and that they could not tell what had
rod IN -I1T sarI
he had the stuff already prepared for the
fire, and that Pardee, Meredith and Dane
ignited it. Duncan denied that he was
afraid to expose the plot for fear of his life.
The accused were examined before Vice
Consul Cordine at Rio, and then sent home.
They were locked up at Ludlow street Jail
yesterday, without bail, to appear for exam
nation on Monday. Assistant District At
torney Brady will appear against them for
the government
The crime of which they are charged is
punished with death.