The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-07

fered them to the judge. but the latter
refused to receive them.
The very best lawyers in the city were
confident that Capt. Briggs would go
GEAR. for his own defense was masterful.
and without the missing papers the charge
of piracy could not be sustained Even
Capt Rogers of the Sparrow ana his Off
GERS forgot their prospective prize money
in admiral ton of the cool bearing of the
audacious American.
IL was $3.50 o'clock on the afternoon Of
the second day of the trial. I'm another
half-hour the court must close In favor
of the American The clrcumstautiat evil
dene against him was strons, but the
actual proof was not such as would e0tis-
fy any ordinary jury \ few minutes
more and the court would adjourn. after
having declared Capt. Briggs guilUcss and
the schooner Nancy free 10 proceed ON her
voyage to Curacao.
While the preiminaries for closing the
court We're about to begin the boom of a
gun was heard down the bay. In a short
time the news flew through the court that
the war brig Abergavenny had just nr1iv-
ed from the south coast Of HaNti This
news in itself was not startlmg. There
was no reason why the arrival of an
English man of war should ian any way
interfere with the proceedings of a court
A few minutes more and the eavel Of
the judge would announce the closing of
the court, and to Briggs the favorable
ending of the trial. In the meantime an
officer in undress uniform entered the
court and, advancing to the bench. laid
before the judge a bundle of water-stain-
ed documents. They proved % be the
missing papers of the schooner Nancy
Now comes the most remarkable part Of
this remarkable story, the part which
it would be hard to believe We're it not
backed by the sworn evidence OF the
Abergavenny's officers and crew:
A few days before this a tender of the
Abergavenny, in fishing Off the coast of
HayU, struck a shark. The shark was
taken on board the AberSavenny. There
1t was cut open in order that the sailors
might secure the liver for the sake of the
oil which it is known to contain.
Great was the surprise of these rude
dissecters at finding in the stomach of the
shark a bundle of papers. These papers
were the records of the schooner Nancy
which Capt. Briggs had thrown overheard
when he found that he was being over
hauled by the Sparrow.
Dramatists have racked their brains to
produce a startling situation, but there is
nothing in dramatic literature nor in the
pages of fiction that at all equals the scene
that followed in that Kingston court when
Capt. Briggs was confronted with the evi-
dence of his own infamy, and was declar-
ed by the court, just about 10 free him, to
De d pirate.
The evidence was overwhelming Con-
fronted with this testimony from the sea-
brave though he was, all the courage and
GOODNESS of the American skipper depart
ed. Feeling that heaven had arrayed its
powers against him, Capt. Briggs confess
ell his guilt,
This man must have had In him some
elements of nobilityfor when he found
that his own fate was sealed he tried TO
shield his crew. lie made "A speech, still
remembered for Its eloquence and reason
in which he tried to show that he was the
ruling spirit, and that his men We're en-
tirely guilIless, or, at least, that they did
MOI understand his purpose and that In
doing what they did they simply obeyed
his orders. The outcome of the trial was
that Capt Briggs and his crew of seven
were found guilty of piracy and soon after
ward were executed in accordance with
the law, by hanging from the mdsts of the
vessel on which they had recently sailed.