Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-20
LIFE OF CAPT. PELLErIER.
Given Up for Dead. His Wife Marries
Again-his Many Enterprises.
Fr0na Me M York TrilNne.

From the NelO York Tribune.
In an undertaker's shop, at No. GO Car
mine street, lies the embalmed body of
Capt. Antonio Pelletier, who died at the
Astor House on Sunday night, aged 66.
of pneumonia. Born in France. he early
took to the sea, and finally settled in the
United States in 1852, and becoming a
naturalized citizen, acquired property in
various parts of the country, and became
interested in manufacturing in Troy. He
was also member of the firm Of Du-
launy, Rice & Co., of New Orleans. He
! purchased in 1860, for account of the firm.
the bark William, a SLAYER, that had been
condemned at Key West He took the
vessel to Mobile, where she was loaded
with lumber, and sailed under his COM
mand for Carthagena, arriving in Novem-
Der, 1850, during the progress of q revolu-
/ JlOn, After the sale of part of his cargo
he set sail for Rio Hache, having on board
as passengers colored political refugee
named Blnar and Juan Cortez, his wife,
child and servant, and also a quantity Of
merchandise belonging ostensibly to Cor
/ tez.
/ The vessel being driven out of her
] -sNA'NS HAAC was pun AAiAb bbAL ab NlduU
| Caymen, on Dec. II, at the request of
| Cortez, who lett the bark after selling his
merchandise to Capt. Peletier for 81, 900.
The vessel then sailed to Port-au-Prlnce
and began to unload her cargo The crew
became drunk and mutinOus, and Binar,
the refugee, demanded money from Capt,
Pelletier to pay his passage to the Spanish
Main. His request being refused, he
denounced the Captain as pirate to the
authorities. The officer was lodged in
! Jail, and man named CanO, from Cartha-
gena, having laid claim to the goods,
the commander, after the mOckerv of
trial, was sentenced to death. This
sentence was committed to five years. i'm
prisOnment, three of which he served, sub
jected to greatindignities and cruelties He
was shackled and chained to an iron bar
in a dungeon without air or light and
reeking with filth and Yermin. At one
time he was tied to a tree, and soldiers
were stationed in front of him with loaded
muskets. At another time a convict con-
demned to death was confined in his cell,
and Peletier was warned by a Catholic
priest not TO eat soup on a certain day.
He Needed the advice. but his cell mate
greedily disposed of the soup and died in
| three hours from the poison. Louis Le-
gallin, boy from the bark, who refused
to testify against his Captain, was
dragged through the streets by the mob
and had his brains crushed out.
In the meantime it had been reported in
the United States that the Captain had
been duly executed, and his wife and
mother of his three children, after an in
terval of year, was married again. This
union Capt. Pelleter suffered to remain
undisturbed upon his return to this cOun-
try after being liberated through the as
sistance of the French and English
Ministers, who landed 500 marines and
sailors and demanded his release on Nov.
| II, 1868. On his arrival in Washington
Capt. Pelletier laId his case before Score
tary Seward and Congress, and Justice
William Strong was chosen arbitrator in
the claim for $2,500,000 damages against
the Haytien Government, and after
dragging along for over II years A. II.
Jackson, of Washington, has brought
the suit to a decision which is expected
this week. Captain Pelletier's enterpris-
ing and energetic nature led him all over
North and South America in search of
fields for the promotion of his patent de-
vices, including a composite pavement of
which the sidewalk around the post Office
is composed. He ran the telegraph lines
on the Isthmus of Panama. In Spain he
was on terms of social intimacy with
! Queen Christina and Gen. Flores. and
IN addition 10 assisting Ten. GaFlDalul
in his candle-making enterprise on Staten
Island he gave him $4,000 when he re-
turned to Italy.
In personal appearance Capt. Pelletier
was OF medium height, of dark complex
ion and robust. frame. He was eXcep-
tionany generous with his money. At the
Astor House, where he had made his
home when in this city tor 30 years, there
are MANY expressions Of regret at his
death. During the last two months he
was engaged with Capt. Gen. Revueltas,
of the Mexican army, now in this city, in
projecting plans for the improvement of
! Mexico. His body awaits the disposition
of his children. He leaves in addition to
his wife, whose second husband IS still
living, two sons, one of whom lives in
Havana. and the other in Arizona, and a
daughter, Sister NJ. Ignatius Of the Order
! OF Mercy at YanKt0n, Oak.