The Osceola times., 1879-02-08
A PIRATE VESSEL,
pens.sseea~es Of IN oaa ses Csptsss-
Rsshsd d by spanish Privssesr.

ne,sssseeu~es Of IN 0sA Sec Captsis-
Rsss.d ~ Spanish Privssesr.
The Boston Herald correspondent at
Worcester, Mass, writes as follows:
There are now living In this city two
gentlemen who, forty-iour years ago this
month, were prominent characters in the
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 afro
cious crime and is 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 4 Co., was one OF
the jurymen who sat upon the case, and
afterwards attended the hanging, having
gained admission as a medical man by
the connivance of officers of the court.
He was the youngest man on the jury,
and II. az far as he knows, the so!e survivor
OF the twelve. Captain William II. 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 men on the scafold. He
is an old sea captain, who, in his younger
DAYS, was the master Of Spanish brig
sailing between New Orleans and Havana,
and it was while In the latter port that
he first made the acquaintance Of the men
whom he helped bring to justice. The
Captain spins his yarn in . decidedly
taking way, and brings out smany points
in the narrative which were not covered
by the accounts of the trial published In
the unenterprising newspapers Of that day.
The pirate schooner. which sailed
under the name of the Juniata, from
Havana, in the spring of 1882, was in
reality SLAYER bound TO the vest coast
OF Africa for cargo Of slaves. 1t had q
large crew, among whom was one Manuel
Boyga, who had previously made
voyage from New Orleans with Captain
Peyton. The vessel after it arrived on the
African coast seems to have been known
as the Pinda, but 1t Is by its usual name
OF Juniata that Captain Peyton likes to
speak of it. After the Juniata had been
out a week or swo 1t fell In with the
Yankee brig Mexican, Captain John
Graves Batmon, bound from Salem,
Mas, for Rip Jsneiro, with $4,000 in
gold to buy return cargo. The SLAYER
stopped this brig with the intention
probably of taking some articles In the
way Of supplies from her, but finding
the money aboard, they compelled the
crew 10 surrender IL to them. While
they were at work upon the brig an Eng
glish seventy four gun ship hove in sight
low down in the horisOn, and the pirates,
fearing capture and punishment, drove
the car tain and crew of the Mexican
below decks and fastened them there,
while they ransacked the vessel, stealing
the nautical instruments, destroying
the compass and wantonly cutting the
sails and rigging. Then they collected
together lot Of combustible material,
set the vessel on Gre, 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 LETT unfastened, 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 q most horrible death
to all on board. The English man-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 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
10 the papers, and was copied into the
English journals, one of which chanced
to find its way into the hands of the
commander of the British war vessel
Curlew, then stationed on the coast of
Africa. The description of the pirate
vessel fitted exactly with that of the
supposed SLAYER Pinda, whose movements
he was even then watching near tie
mouth of the river Congo. He followed
the Pinds up the river Nazareth, and
when near its anchorage sent several
boats filed with armed men to effect its
capture. On the approach of the British
sailors the crew Of the Pinda fed, leaving
on board the carpenter, Francisco Ruez,
who, just before the boats reached the
vessel, touched off train connecting
with the magazine, and made his escape.
The explosion which followed destroyed
the Pinta and killed several OF the Eng.
lishmen. The pirates were pursued on
land, and twelve of them finally cap.
tured. They were then taken to Fer.
nsndo Po, British naval station, where
one o! the crew, named Perez, turned
states evidence. They were then taken
TO England, and from there taken to Ss-
lem, where they were confronted by the
men whom they had intended 10 murder.
Meanwhile, Captain Peyton had lost his
Spanish brig, and shipped "A mate on
board the Governor Brooks to Cronstsdt,
Russia, whence he came to Boston, ar
riving at home February 10, 1888.
1t having become known that he knew
personally of the departure of the pirates
from Havana, when the trial came on
late in the autumn Of 1884, he was sum
moned by Linus Child, who, with Judge
Hillard, conducted the defense, 10 appear
as witness. Alter he had given his
testimony, Perez, who had turned states
evidence, took the stand, but the official
interpreter Of the court was unable to
understand or correctly translate the
peculiar Spanish spoken BY the witness,
80 Captain Peyton's services were called
upon. Late in the trial three Portuguese
sailors who had been shipped in the
slaver of the Western islands, after the
piracy had been committed, were nut