The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-02-06
4 PIRATE Vessel



month. were prominent characters IN the
trisl of the Spanish pirates 10 the I nlEed
States circuit court At Boston, which
resulted in the hanging OF five men up0n
one gsllows on the 18th Of Sune, 1885
Both these gentlemen were present at the
execution OF the de2th sentences, and
recent conversations with them have
brought out the particulars OF an atro>
cious crime and its terrible punishment,
which are but d.mly recOllected even by
those whose memory reaches back 10 that
date. Mr.. Thomas z. N"rcross, o, the
firm of J. W. Plsiste 4 Co WAS one OF
the iurymen who sat upon the case, and
afterwards attended the hanging, having
gained admission a. E medical man by
the connivauce of off ;ers of the court
He was the youngest man on the jury,
and l., a. far a. ne knows the sOle survivor
OF the twelve. Captsin William II. Pey-
ton, who il now working at mis- trade as
painter, was the court interpreter at the
trial, and in erpreted the dying remarks
of the condemned memo the scafOld. He
is an old sea captain, who, in his youc
DAYS, was the master OF q 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
wnom he helped bring to Justice. The
CAPTAIN spins his yarn in a decidedly
taking way, and brings out smsny points
in the narrative which we're not covered
by the accounts OF the trial published In
the unenterprisingn newspapers OF that day.
The pirate schooner, which sailed
under the name OF the Junista, from
Havana. in the spring of 1882, was in
reality SLAYER bound to the west coast
OF Africa for a cargo of slaves. 1t had a
large crew, among whom WAS one Manuel
Boyga, who had previously made q
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 Juniata that Captain Peyton likes to
speak of it. After the Juniata had been
out week or Two it fell in with the
Yankee brig Mexican, Captain John
Graves Batmon, bound from Salem,
Mas, for RIO JaneirO, with $20, 900 in
gold To buy return cargo. The SLAYER
stopped this brig with the intention
probably OF taking some articles in the
way of supplies nom her, but finding
the money aboard, they compelled the
crew to 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 horizon, and the pirates,
fearing capture and punishment, drove
the cagtain and crew of the Mexican
below decks and fastened them there,
while they rsnsscked the vessel stealing
the nautical instruments, destroying
the compass and wsntOnly cutting the
sails and rigging. Then they collected
together a lot OF com bustible material,
set the vessel on fire, scnttled the boats,
and rowed back to their own vessel,
leaving the Mexican ard is 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 let unisstened, and through
this the captain crswled after the de-
parturs of the pirates, and released the
imprisoned crew Just in time to put out
the fire and avert a most horrible death
10 all on board. Tae English man-Of-
war disappeared from sight before the
crew rega,ned possession or the vessel,
and the unfortunate men found them
selves alone on the sea in q most pItisbie
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
ia 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 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 Pinda up the river Nazareth, and
when near its anchorage sent several
boats filled 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 a 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
nando Pc, British naval station, where
one of the crew, named Perez, turned
states evidence. They were then taken
20 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 as mate on
board the Governor Brooks to Cronstadt,
Russia, whence be came to Boston, ar
irving at home February 10, 1853.
1t having become known that he knew
pers nally 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, to appear
As witness. After he mad given mis-
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,
so Captain Peyton's services were called
upon. Late in the trial three Portuguese
sailors who had been shipped in the
SLAYER off the Western Islands, after the
pirscy had been committed, were put
upon the witness stand to hel p convict
their fellow-slavers, and their testimony
wa also rendered into English by Captain
Peyton. These Portuguese testified 10
inc division OF the money among the pi-
rates. and on their testimony, together
w'th hat of Perez aud the crew of the