The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-28
PIRATES IN HIGH LIFE
Pillars OF society Engaged In Rob-
bins and scuttIins shtpa.

bfnr and scuttling Shtpa.
The Nova Scotian authorities are In a
fair way Of breaking up n OF the most
dangerous gangs OF pirates that ever in
tested American shores.
Their discovery. and punishment have
| been the more difficult because Of the
very prominent, respectable and even Of
fetal position in society held by some Of
the aceused.
For a long time past the people Of
Whitehead and Guysboro have been liY-
ing ii a state Of terrorism because Of the
lawlessness OF the unknown pirates who
were operating round about them. Yes
sells have been designedly wrecked, rob
bed and cast away, and nets, fish, cash
and valuable goods have been stolen and
property destroyed. sometimes to conceal
other crimes, sometimes out Of pure
spite, at other times to defraud insur-
ance companies.
These crimes gave birth to q genuine
reign of terror in the district, everybody
living in constant dread Of ineendiarism
and perhaps murder at the hands of the
unknown criminals.
Justice has at length overtaken some
Of the guilty parties, and a sentence Of
six years In the ~penitentiary has been
pronounced upon Perry and Arthur Mum
roe and Otto ". Feltmate upon their con-
viction for perjury ID ship scuttling in
order to obtain money from the under
writer's.
Genuine as was the sensation at the
discovery that members Of such eminent
" respectable families should have been
involved In these nefarious practices, it
was as nothing compared with that
which has followed It.
Mrs. Melinda Munro, wife Of Hugh
Munro and mother Of two Of the con-
victs above mentioned, nov comes for
ward and makes a series Of terrible ac-
cusations against her brother-inlaw,
Enos L. Munro, collector of customs at
Whitehead, Guysbero county, who, she
charges, in conjunction with Cranswick
and Howard Munro, set fire to and burn
ed the government buildings at White
head.
Enos Munro. who has hitherto posed
as one Of the leading and most respecta-
bic people of rhe place, had no difficulty
a few years ago in obtaining $500 dam
ages from a Halifax detective who had
arrested him on suspicion
He is now safe behind prison bars, and
the alleged confessions of other mem
bers of the gang are to be used against
him.
Numerous stories of scuttling and
! wTecking are now attributed to some of
the members OF the lawlcss band. Many
Of these were responsible for the fnan-
cial ruin and one at least for the death
Of the conspirators' victims.
According to the confession of Arthur
Munro, he assisted some of the other
pirates in satsyratipg with oil and burn
ing the property of a poor man named
Hendcsbcr.
Al vessel from Halifax, on her way
home to Cape Breton. was compelled BY
stress of weather some time ago to put
into Whitehead for safety. She had on
board a number OF men returning home
from a summers engagement in Halifax.
with their earnings.
She carried also a valuable cargo of
merchandise. Her passengers and crew
came ashore. They were told by the
wreckers that it would be dangerous for
anybody to remain on board her during
the night.
At midnight. however, she was visited
by the pirates, who took away the best
I Of the cargo and the possessions of the
passengers and slipped the anchor, so
that she would 90 to PIECES pom the
rocks. Instead Of doing so. however, she
drifted out to sea, whence she was
brought back by Captain Harris and a
prize crew. when the piracy was fully
discovered.
Indirectly it va the cause Of the death
of the vessels wners, Messrs. HamA-
ton.
They were unable to pay the salvage,
and, being obliged to take an inferior
craft, they went to sea in the latter and
were lost.