Connecticut western news., 1881-05-04
A STORY OF THE WAR.
The Capture of the Chesapeake by
 Party of Confederates.


 The steamer Chesapeake of the New York and Portland line that ran ashore on Fishers Island is the same steam ship that was captured by agents of the Confederate States off Cape Cod in December, 1863. She was built for the Cromwell line in Philadelphia in 1853, and was put on the line between New York and Portland. She is 155 feet long, double decked, and was purchased about 1870 by the Maine Steamship Company, her present owners. She is of iron, and copper fastened. She captured Capt. Reed and his crew as they were attempting to run away from Portland Harbor with cutter. Sub- sequently, on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 4 p. m., she started from New York to make her regular trip to Portland. Between 1 and 2 o'clock on Sunday morning fifteen men, who had taken passage in New York for Portland, made an attack upon the officers and crew. Second Engineer Orin Schaffer was shot dead. Chief Engineer James Johnson was wounded in the chin. The mate, Charles Johnson, end the third engineer, Augustus Starbeck, were also wounded. Capt. Isaac Willett was fired at a dozen times, but was not hit. having taken possession of the vessel, they notified the passengers that they were prisoners of war of the Confederate States of America. After Capt. Willett had been put in irons, the leader of the captors showed him paper, signed "John Parker, Captain of the privateer Retribution," and addressed to Lieut. John Clebbon Braine. 1t instructed Braine to proceed to New York with First Lieutenant H. A. Parr, Second Lieutenant David Collins, Sailing Master George Robinson, and a crew of eleven men, for the purpose of -captur- ing the Chesapeake. As to time and place, he was to use h1s discretion. His action toward the Chesapeake's crew and passengers was to be according to the instruction of Jefferson Davis. The Chesapeake was to be taken to Grand Menon Island.
 The body of Orin Schaffer was weighted with iron and thrown over- board. Engineer Johnson, Starbeck, and three firemen were forced to remain on board to run the vessel. All the rest of the officers, crew, and passengers were sent by small boat to St. John, N. s.
 The Chesapeake had on board 100 bales of cotton worth $40,000, sugar worth $1O,OCO, and some flour. She steamed into several small ports of Nova Scotia, where she sold the sugar for three cents pound and the flour at $3 a barrel, and endeavored to get full supply of coal. The United States steamship Ella and Anna, Lieutenant Commander J. F. Nickles, followed. her from one Nova Scotian port to another in her search for coal, and on Dec. 17 found her taking coal from schooner in Sambro harbor. The captors deserted her on the approach of the Ella and Anna, and Engineer Johnson hoisted the American ensign, union down. Two of the rebel crew, who had been shipped since the capture in Nova Scotia, were found on board, and one of the captors was found secreted in the schooner's cabin. All three were made prisoners, and, with the recaptured vessel, were delivered into British custody in Halifax. The prisoners escaped on shore through the action of sympathetic crowd on the wharf where they were delivered The vessel was subsequently, restored to the United States authorities ano through them to the Cromwell line Braine and Parr were tried, but they escaped punishment