Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1877-11-03 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

WHOLESALF, MURDERS BY WRECKERS.  The Mystery surrounding the fate of captain Mott and his crew, whose vessel Wrie wrecked in December, 1874, on the Newfoundland coast, and probably the fotea of many other vessels end their crews, is likely to be cleared up in the course of a few days in the Canadian law courts. In the above mouth Captain Ridout's schooner went ashore and became a complete wreck at Bonne Bay, he and his crew of six men safely reaching land. It was known by many that the men had been saved, but beyond that no.hing further was heard of them, and it was generally supposed that they had met with foul play, though this suspicion was not openly asserted in conseqr emu of the notoriously had character of the suspects.: persons. Recently, however, an old trapper named Jacko, being, as he supposed, on the point of death, made a confession as to the murderers of the shipwrecked sailors. Captain Erskine, of H.M.S. Eclipse, hearing of this, went down to Bonne Bay to investigate the matter. He there found the daughter of one of the suspected persons, who were four brothers named Benoit, a French-Canadian family. She had been driven from her home by her father, and, when discovered by Captain Erskine, was living amongst the rocks, subsisting on dead fish and birds, and was almost naked. She also made a statement implicating her father and her three uncles in the murder. She said that Captain Ridout had about £3OO in gold and notes in his possession, and encamped with his crew near the settlement of Trapper Jacko. Her father and uncles undertook to pilot the men overland to George's Bay. On the way Captain Ridout and three of the sailors were stooping down together, endeavouring to kindle some wood, when the brothers fired on them. Those of the four who were not killed at once were a,terwa de deepa.ched with axes. Seeing this horrible treachery, the three remaining seamen attempted to escape by crossing a thinly-frozen pond; but, breaking through the slight covering of ice, they were shot down by the murderers, who then divided the plunder. The man Jack°, who was aware of the unfortunate men having encamped by his abode, and also that they had set out on their journey under the guidance of Ike brothersovas bsibed with a portion of the spoil, and he did not disclose the secret until he was on the point of death. Much diffnelty was enerienced by Captain Erskine in eaptd: ng the murderers, as they had got information 'that they *ere being pursued; but by placing several men in each seaport on the coast the whole of tile brothers wens appreliOnded. 'They'. were lodged in prison at Channel, where the girl was also detained as a witness. Ills expected that when the trial, which will ilkw place at St. John's, comes on, some farther revelations will be made. .Some time ago it was alleged that these wreckers placed beacons on certain-part* of the coast to decoy vessels on the rocks, and afterwards to murder the crews and Sunder theflessals.,  The Swiss Times says that 988 journals of a political character are published in France, and the amount of" caution" which they have had to deposit with the Government represents a 'total of 6,598,811 t, very nearly £264,000.