The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-24
BURNED AT SEA.
Four Senmen Committed to Answer the
Charge of Arson.

Charge of Arson.
The n. Y. Tribune of to-day says
'Charles Purdol, Charles Meredith, Samuel Dun
can, and Frederick Allen arrived at this port on
Saturday on board the steamer South America,
charged with arson at sea, and were Immediately
taken before Commissioner Osborn for examination.
On the 10th of May last the ship Robert Edwards
1856 tons, Captain Thomas e. Pease, sailed from New
Bedford, Mass, on q whaling cruise with crew of
thirty-t officers and men.
Among the crew was the prisoner, Charles Purdol,
q large and muscular man, who had served as an
English convict in Australia and soon after leaving
port this man determined @ to cause the destruction
boasted in his desertion from the United States
army, to join him in the work. Three others OF the
crew-Jansen, Meredith, and Duncan, the latter q
mere boy, and the son OF clergyman at Fall River,
Mass.-were induced to join in the plan to destroy
the vessel, preliminary to which the officers were to
be killed. Ihe conspirators made an attempt to sink
the vessel by boring holes in her null, but, fearing
detection, subsequently stopped them up.
On the 2Oth Of July, when the Robert Edwards
was 500 miles from Bermuda, the nearest point OF
land, an alarm OF fire was raised and on examlna-
ton the lower hold between the fore and main
matches was found in flames, and all attempts to
eXtinquish them were fruitless The between decks
were filled with water, the matches were baCUened
down, and holes were cut In the upper deck through
which to pour down water. The crew worked all
night and next day. and 1t appeared as II the names
had been controlled, but on the second night the
flames burst from the sides of the vessel and spread
to the sails and the masts
crew entered them, and the boats were then lowered
and all abandoned the ship except Captain Pease
and one man. When the ship was almost entirely
enveoped in fames the captain and sailor embarked
in small boat and stood by the burning craft all
night in company with the other boats. In the
morning the captain and officers steered for Bermu-
da, but on the following day they were picked up by
the brig Mary Kice, Douna I 70 t hio de 9anelro'
Pease, suspecting something wrong, called POrdOl
and asked him If he had started the fire. Pardol
acknowledged that he had, and that he was assisted
by two others, but refused to give their names He
said his accOmplices had entered the hold with him.
Purdell admitted afterwards that Meredith and JAM
sen went into the hold with him. Jansen and a
seaman named Burns jumped overheard while efforts
were making to extinguish the fiames, and Jansen
was drowned On board the Mary Rice the captain
questioned the consprators and they admitted that
they had no fault to find with the ship, and that
they could not tell what had prompted them to fire
the ship.
The prisoners were brought before Consul Cordno
at Rio, and ordered home. Commissioner Shields,
before whom they were taken on Saturday, ordered
them to be locked up in the Ludlow street JAIL aud
an examination into the case will be made to-day.
The crime Of burning ship at sea is punishable
with death. Captain Pease, Edwin Winslow,
Eugene Freeman, and Ambrose Landre were also
detained as witnesses