The Stockton Examiner, and South Durham and North Yorkshire Herald. — 1879-08-30 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE CASWELL MUTINY.-EXECUTION OF  GUISEPPE PISTORIA:  On Monday morning, Guiseppe Pistoria, alias Francesco Moschera, a Sicilian by birth, was executed in Cork Gaol for being concerned in the matins, and murder on board the British ship Caswell on the high seas in January, 1876. The story of tLe mutiny needs but little recapitulation. In January, 1876, four days after leafing Antofogasta for Queenstown, a terrible mutiny broke out to beard the Caswell, and the captain, mate, second mate, end steward were muidered under circumstances of great barbarity. Thee Greeks and two Sicilians weie the promoters and executors of the crime. Four of these men suffered death for that crime either by proccar of law or by summary means, the life of Pistons being the eighth which has been sacrificed through the Caswell mutiny. The culprit ever since his conviction had behaved in the most exemplary manner. He listened with attention to the ministrations of the Qom. Catholic clergyman who was in attendance, and received the Sacraments frequently. An effort was made to induce the Government to commute the sentence, and a strong memorial numerously signed was presented to the Irish Executive. In this memorial the reasons urged fora commutation were that the prisoner had saved the lives of the apprentice boys on board the Caswell, and had warned the other English members of the crew of the sinister designs of the On eke, and even prevented the latter from murdering them. The length of time since the occurrence took place, and the fact ales already seven lives had hoem eeeeriteea, mere also put forward. The output cad cherished some hope that the clemency of the Grown would have been exercised in his favour, but he had never relaxed his spiritual preparations for death. He received the intelligence of the unfavourable reply of the Government with disappointment, but with perfect composure. For the last four days he had given himself up almost entirely to prayer and to preparation. He seemed perfectly resigned to die, and met his fate with courage but without bombast. The execution was strictly private; no representatives of the l'ress were permitted to be present until after the execution. The culprit retired to rest at ten o'clock on Sunday night art.. slept soundly until half-past five in the morning, when he rose. He partook of breakfast, and at seven he heard mass at the chapel, and received the Sacrament. At eighteclock the procession moved to the yard in which the gallows has been placed since the Private Executions Act was passed. It was with the same instrument of death that Baumbos, another mutineer of the Caswell, perished two years ago. The office of executioner on this occasion was per formed by a man rained Stanhouee, from Gainsborough, Engla.nd, antl he was assisted by a prisoner of the gaol. The -.,crk of pinioning was properly performed. Pretoria (1.3 lost his nerve during the operation, and with steady step walked across the yard, and ascended the scaffold. Two Roman Catholic clergymen were in attendance, and the prisoner answered the responses of the Litany, which was recited, without apparent emotion. A drop of six feet woe used, and death was instantaneous and without a struggle. Mr. George Miles-n, the Italian Consul at Queenstown, paid frequent visits to the culprit during his last confinement. He was the only person not an official that was invited to be present at the execution, but he did not attend. We undarstand that Pistoria has left with the Italian Consul a long written statement in which he gives an account of the tragedy, states that he and his brother were drawn into the mutiny through tear of the Greeks, and that the captain of the Caswell had been harsh towards the men. He asserts that were it not for the interference of him and his brother the other English members would have been also murdered.