Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1879-02-08
A PIRATE VESSEL
RenIuIsceuceS OF an Old SeA Captain
Robbed by n spanish PrIJaGsSr.

trial Of the Spanish pirates in the United
States circuit court at Boston, which
resulted in the hanging Of five men upon
one gallows on the 18th Of June, 1885.
Both these gentlemen were present at the
execution of the death sentences, and
recent conversations with them have
brought out the particulars Of an atro>
cious crime and its terrible punishment,
which are but dimly recollected even by
those whose memory reaches back TO that
date. Mr.. Thomas R. Norcross, OF the
firm of J. w. Plaisted h Co., was one of
the iurymen who sat upon the case, and
afterwards attended the hanging, having
gained admission as q medical man by
the connivance of officers of the court,
He was the youngest man on the jury,
and is, az far as he knows, the cole survivor
of the twelve. Captain William H. Pey-
ton, who is now working at his trade as
painter, was the court interpreter at the
trial, and interpreted the dying remarks
OF the condemned menOn the scatfOld, He
is an old sea captain, who, in his younger
days, was the master of q Spanish brig
sal ing between New Orleans and Havana,
and it was while in the latter port that
he drst made the acquaintance o fthe men
wnom ne helped bring to justice. The
CAPTAIN spins his yarn in a decidedly
taking way, and brings out many points
in the narrative which were not covered
by the accounts OF the trial published in
the unenterpri'ing newspapers OF that day
The pirate schooner, which sailed
under the name of the Juniata, nom
Havana, in the spring Of 1882, was in
reality Il SLAYER bound to the vest coast
OF Africa for a cargo Of slaves. II had a
large crew, among whom was one Manuel
Boygs, who had previously made a
voyage from New Orleans with Captain
Peyton. The vessel after it arrived on the
African coast seems to have been known
as the Pinds, but it is by its usual name
OF Junista that Captain Peyton likes TO
speak of It. After the Juniata had been
out a week or Gwo 1t fell in with the
Yankee brig Mexican, Captain John
Graves Batmon, bound from Salem,
Mas, for Rio Janeito, with $20, 900 in
gold to buy a return cargo, The SLAYER
stopped this brig with the intention
PROBABLY of taking SOM articles in the
way of supplies from her, but finding
the money aboard, they compelled the
crew to surrender II 70 them. While
they were at work upon the brig al EGG
glish seventy four gun ship hove in sight
low down in the horizon, and the pirates,
fearing capture and punishment, drove
the captain and crew of the Mexican
below decks and fastened them there,
While they ransacked the vessel, stealing
the nautical instruments, destroying
the compass and w%antonly cutting the
sails and rigging. Then they collected
together a lot of combustible material,
set the vessel on fire, scnttled the boats,
and rowed back to their own vessel,
leaving the Mexican and its unhappy
crew to the mercy ofthe fire and the sea.
By an oversight on the part of the
pirates one smnll %scuttle, the cabin sky
light, was left unfsstened, and through
this the captain crawled after the de-
parture of the pirates, and released the
imprisoned crew just in time to put out
the fire and avert a most horrible death
to all on board. The English mau-of-
war disappeared from sight before the
crew regained possession Of the vessel,
and the unfortunate men found them,
selves alone on the sea in a most pitiable
} plight.
Repairing the damage to their vessel
as well as they were able, they shaped
, their course for Salem, where they ar.
; rived during the summer of 1882. An
! account of their trouble was published
! in the papers, and was copied into the
! English journals, one of which CHANGED
! to find its way into the hands of the
commander Of the British war vesseI
Curlew, then stationed on the coast Of
: Africa, The description of the pirate
| vessel fitted exactly with that of the
supposed SLAYER Pinda, whose movement.
he was even then watching near tie
mouth of the river Congo. He followed
the Pinda up the river Nazareth, and
l when near its anchorage sent several
; boats filled with armed men to effect itt
1 capture, On the approach Of the British
sailors the crew of the Pinda fed, leaving
on board the carpenter, Francisco Ruez
t who, just before the boats reached the
vessel, touched off a train connecting
with the magazine, and made his escape,
The explosion which followed destroyed
9 the Piuta and killed several of the Eng.
Y llshmen. The pirates were pursued on
lani, aud twelve OF them finally cap,
o turtd. They were then taken to Fer
nandO Pc, a British naval station, whert
t one OF the c.ew, named Perez, turned
stste's evidence. They were then taker
r to England, and from there taken to Sa
lem, where they were confronted by the
o men whom they had intended 70 murder
. Meanwhile, Captain Peyton had lost hi
- Spanish brig, and shipped as mate OF
board the Governor Brooks to Cronstadt
Russia, whence he came to Boston, ar
IS irving at home February 10, 1898.
e Ii having become known that he knew
e pers lnally OF the departure OF the pirate
from Havana, when the trial came on
late in the autumn of 1884, he was sum
n moned by Linus Child, who, with Judg
Hillard, conducted the defense, to appea
1t as a witness. After he had given hi
n testimony, Perez, who had turned state
d evidence, took the stand, but the oficia
t, interpreter of the court was unable t
1t understand or correctly translate tn
If peculiar Spanish spoken by the witness
80 Captain Peyton's services were Gale
|. upon. Late in the trial three Portuguese
1t sailors who had been shipped in tn
SLAYER off the Western islands, after tn
1T piracy had been committed, were pu
y upon the witness stand to help conviC
As their fellow-slavers, and their testimOn
as was also rendered into English by Capital
Peyton. These Portuguese testified t
n the division OF the money among the p
rates, and on their testimony, togethe
with that of Perez and the crew Of tn
Mexican, seven OF the pirates were cor
victed, while FIVE, including the negr
II cook and q boy fifteen years of age, wei
70 acquitted. The verdict Of guilty wa
rendered November 26, 1884, and on th
-e 10th Of December Judge Story prC
ia nounced the sentence of death in Tn
d mont temple. The namesef the convicte
men were Pedro Gilbert, the captsin
Bernardo de Soto, the mate; FranciAC
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