Morning journal and courier., 1880-05-18
Brave Repul.e of River Pirates.

1 NEW YORK, May 17.-Early this morning l boat with five men was rowed silently over Flushing Bay toward the schooner ''Victor 2 I Four of the men climbed up it's sides and I walked toward the cabin. Williams, the mate, was aroused, and believing the visitors to be pirates, ran to meet them, seizing as he did so his own and shipmate's pistol lying
 near. He saw four men standing at the con-
 panion-way and three pistol bullets whistled
 past his head. He discharged both weapons
 at the men and ran forward to grapple with
 them. The thieves retreated, firing as they
 went, but not harming the sailor, who
 reached the side of the vessel just in
 time to see the boat upset and hear
 the cry, ''Save me- I am drowning" The
 crew and Mate Williams lowered boat and
 rowed out to where three men were seen
 cinging to the gunwales of boat. They
 were taken off and bound hand and foot and
 laid on the deck of the Victor. Two hours
 later the watch on board the schooners Eliza and Rebecca, lying at anchor in the bay half mile from the Victor, reported boat adrift with one man cinging to it, and Captain Price at once rowed out after him. He found a young man, hatless and almost exhausted He was taken aboard the Victor and lashed to the other three. They admitted that they had been of the five, and that one of the four who had boarded the ship must have been shot dead or drowned. It was his voice that had called for help. They were taken to New York and handed over to the police.
 The West Point Inquiry.
 WEST POINT, May 17.-In to-day $ inquiry after several witnesses had testified, Recorder Sears said he did not place Whittaker's un- finished letter among the papers given to the experts in the first place, for the paper would have revealed the individuality of the writer, and this he avoided carefully in all the writ ings. He did not show it till the experts were called second time, and MT. South worth's. discovery was carefully covered so that the others could not see the edges. When all had reported he took the covers off. Thomas Thompson, chief detective of the United States sub treasury said he began this case by selecting at random sixteen cadets from each class talk en purposely from all points of the Union. Each he subjected to searching cross-exam- inatiop. In none did he discover anything but the truest candor. He admitted a prej udice against Whitaker on account of his color and some mannerisms. They all said it was their plan to let him alone and denied any desire to harm him. He did not observe the degree of frankness about Whitaker observable in the rest but thought it attributable to Whittaker's peculiar position here. He asked Whitaker if he could help witness in any way, offering to follow any clue suggestion Whitaker had to make. Whitaker assured him he had no suspicious. Whitaker swore Saturday that he did suspect Cadets Mcdonald and Blake.
 Good Sized Snake Story.
 NEW YORK, May 17.-Alfred Lamb of Moriches, Long Island, while passing near the house of Mrs. Floyd, at Mystic, on Satur- day, killed black snake that measured twelve feet in length and six inches in diame- ter. A black snake eight feet long was killed by colored man at Hayestown on Saturday, and shown in the village of Jamaica.
 A Protest from Insurance Companies.
 NEW YORK, May 17.-At meeting to-day of representatives of the principal fire insur- ance companies memorial was adopted pro- testing against the passage by the Legislature of the ''valued policy" bill making it compulso- " on insurance companies to pay the full amount of policy on property destroyed, no matter whether or not it can be replaced in | IS good condition as at the time when burned for a less sum than that for which it was in- l sured This is considered unjust to the con- l panies on the ground that many buildings | insured for five or more years were construct sd when labor and material were costly and it | s possible now to replace them for less | ;ums It is contended that the bill would be | great incentive to incendiarism from the ;act that if the whole amount of the policy were to be paid down the insurer would in many cases be enabled to realize more by fire han he could possibly do by sale, and have he ground on which the buildingw was erected eft to him free. It is argued this would ne ,essitate the employment of a large corps of surveyors and valuers to appraise property before granting policy, and as this could lot be done without large expense it would ,e necessary to raise the premiums on all uch property. A copy of the memorial will ,e presented to each member of the Legis- ature.