The Weekly Gazette for Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Cleveland District. — 1880-01-10 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MUTINY AT SEA.  Particulars are now to hand of the mutiny on board the Italian baique Francisco Donavaro, when the two mutineers were killed by the captain after they had succeede I 'riddling two of the crew. The Francisco Donavaro sailed from Savona on Nov. 26th in ballast. Two of the seamen, Gregorio Pedro Irene, of Iloilo, and Antonio Aredundo, of Manila, had from some cause conceived a strong hatred towards their , shipmates. Na serious disturbance arose during the first 35 days of the passage. At midnight on Dec 6th the watch below had been called, and were coming on deck, when Irene and Aredundo drew their long sheath knives, and attacked Sebastian Aquarome, the cook. The latter was stabbed by the two mutineers, who then murdered Antonio Marahesia, the boatswain, who had gone to the assistance of the cook. In the meantime Captain Stefano who was in his berth in the cabin, had been warned by one of the crew, and, seizing his revolver, he ran on deck. The greater part of the crew rallied round the master, who was confronted by the two villains with drawn knives, from which the blood of the murdered , men was still dripping. An effort was made : to seise the mutineers, but the latter made a , desperate resistanoe. One of them plunged his knife into the side of the mate just below his heart. The wounded man staggered away from his assailant, and it was thought that he was killed. Another o the crew had been seriously wounded in the struggle to take the two mutinous seamen. Captain Stefano ordered his men to stand sway from Irene and Aredundo. Be then shot both men dead, and ordered that their bodies should be thrown overboard. Atter the crew had followed his directions it was found that the mate, although dangerously injured, might recover, and his wound was carefully dressed after be had been placed in his berth. The wounded seaman was also taken care of. The bodies of the boatswain and cook were removed from the deck, and the blood was washed away by the horified sailors. During the day following the two innocent victims of the mutiny were buried at sea in an appropriate manner, the vessel being hove to with Italy's flag at half-mast. A short servic a was held over the bodies before they were committed to the sea. The barque was very short-handed during the rest of the voyage, four men having been killed, and the mate and another seaman being laid up from the wounds received in quelling the mutiny. Both slowly recovered, but the mate is still very weak. It cannot be stated whether at the outset the mutineers intended to kill the entire crew and take possession of the vessel or not. Another account says that before dying the mutineer Irene called the crew around him and revealed the purpose of his attack on the mate and the attempt to murder the captain and crew. Re and Aredundo had formed a scheme to murder the captain and crew, and then, leaving the dead bodies on the ship, to desert the vessel in a small boat, taking all the plunder they could carry. They settled on the 4th of December for the attack, because at that time the ship was only a short distance from Manilla, of which both were natives. They expected to be able to reach land easily in a small boat, and trusted to their knowledge of the place to get ashore with their plunder unobserved.