THE CHESAPEAKE PIRACY.

New Zealander, Volume XX, Issue 2080, 2 April 1864, Page 6

THE CHESAPEAKE PIRACY.

(From the New York Herald, Dec 16th.) Captain Willets and nine of the crew of the steamer Chesapeake, which was captured a few days since while on her passage from this pert to Portland, Me., arrived here this morning’. We arc now enabled to give full particulars of this da ing act of piracy and murder. The piratical party consisted of fifteen persons headed by one Osborne, a wellrknown coast pilot;, of and from St. John’s, N.B. A scoundrel, styling himself Col. Braine, formerly a sailor, boarding-housekeeper, and shoulder-hitter in St. John’s, N. 8., acted the part of the second villain, while the balance of the party came either from St. John’s, N 8., or Caraltoi, N.B One H. A. Parr bore the title of first lieutenant, while another scapegrace gloried in the name of D. Collins, and was booked as the second lieutenant. Mr. G. Robinson, alias Scars and half a dozen other aliases, was counted as the,sailing master of this crew of savages. The crew consisted of eleven men, who lad, in their day, acted in various capacities, from baggage smashers to lordly highbinders. These are the men who performed the deed, and claim to be Southerners, polite and chivalrous. But the truth is they are no less than British subjects, pirates, and murderers. Cap ain Willets says that a quarter past one o’clock on the morning of Monday, the 7th instant, he was awakened by Mr. Johnson, the mate, who told him that the second engineer had been shot. The captain supposed it was done by the passengers, who afterwards turned out to be pirates. At the time of the rising of the villains the vessel was about twenty mile.s north-north-east of Cape Cod, heading up for Portland, and the night was dark. The mate went to the pantry for some purpose, when he saw one of the pirates fire a pistol at Mr. Shaffer, the ball taking effect under the right ear and in the neck. Mr. Shaffer had been down below oiling the engine, and had just come up on the grating when he received his first mo'tai wound ; but enough of life remained in him to reach the deck, when he fell a corpse. Two more balls were put into his head after he was dead. Mr. Johnson, the mate, now fled to warn the captain, while three or four of the devils incarnate pursued him, firing at him rapidly. No sooner had Captain Willets reached the deck than he met a volley of pistol balls. lie went aft, aud sought to regain his room, where he had firearms, but finding he was pursued to>o closely, he endeavoured to reach the pilot house, and just as he was about to enter it he was seized, and with a pistol held close to his face, was put in irons. Strange to say, while he was at the engine room door and in his run around the deck, although over fifteen balls passed close to him, and at one time two men who were pursuing him were not twelve feet from hire, and while at the pilot house three or four persons fired at him, yet he escaped harm. After being ironed, Capt. Willets was placed in his room and a guard put over him. < )ne pirate went down into the fireroom, and found a fireman at work, busily engaged in attending to his duties. He let fly a shot at him, but missed his mark The pi-or fellow sought reiuge in a coal bunker, but was finally brought out and put in irons, and kept below in charge of this would-be murderer It seems that the pirates did not relish much talking, as the second engineer, who was kil’ed, was not spoken to by this murderer. Mr. Johnjon, the chief engineer, was shot in the chin ; and Mr. Johnson, the chief officer, was wounded in die arm, and in the knee-joint. The. e men were put in irons, and then the sailors and firemen who were below and asleep at the time of the shooting, and had been kept below by securing the, forecastle hatch, were brought up and placed in irons. Daring this time, which only occupied a few minutes, the ship had been going ahead at her own will, the engines at their usual speed, and the helm still remaining in charge of the helmsman. Osborne now took charge of the vessel, put heron her course, ordering the body of Shaffer to be thrown overboard, and sunk by means of a large piece of iron which was fastened to him. The captain and the officers were now sent to the cabin and a guard placed over them. The five lona fide passengers, who were were old ship captains, were not molested, bat were told that if they interfered in any manner they would be shot. The third assistant-engineer was now relieved of his irons, and put in charge of the engine, and one fireman was released to keep the fires in order. Occasionally the chief engineer was allowed to visit the engine-room, to see if everything was going on right, as they feared the inexperience of the junior engineer might lead to some disastrous results. From two o’clock in the morning until daylight, Captain Willets had no opportunity of learning what going on upon deck. At any rate, everyhing whs quiet. At sunrise, and occasionally afterwards, the prisoners were allowed to come up to get the air. At the usual time, the steward was notified to prepare the breakfast, which was conducted in the usual manner, save that, for fear of being poisoned;- the cook was compelled to taste of everything in their presence, and he was watched very closely.: After breakf-st, of which the pirates, the captives, and the passengers partook as_JC,.nothilffa^3sr^ ! W^ J| (frficers’ room's n were ransacked. Of the contents of the cargo they knew full well, and did not disturb it.

Nothing unusual occurred on Monday night, but on Tues lay morning, at seven o’clock, the Chesapeake was brought to anchor in Seal Harbour, at the Island of Grand Menan. Colonel Brame then ordered a boat to be lowered and manned by the pirates. He theu went on shore to obtain further orders. lie returned at noon, when the steamer was got under weigh, and stood off to the south-westward of the island, then entering the river, headed up to St. John’s N.B, On arriving at a given point,|tbe American ensign was set union down, and in response a St. John pilot boat, commanded hy one Captain Mulhcron, put off. The steamer was stopped, a"d a boat came alongside, bringing a man who gave his name as Smith. This fellow confcred with Osborne and his associates, and then returned to the pilot boat. Now “ Jno. Parker, 1 ’ formerly commander of the privateer Retribution, came on board, and assumed sole command, leaving Osborne, who had been kicking bis pirate crew unkindly a little while before —out in the cold. After Parker came on hoard, the pilot boat was taken in tow. Smith still being on board of the pilot boat, and the steamer was headed for Dipper Harbor, which is about twelve miles from St. John’s. At seven o’clock in the evening, she came to at Dipper Harbor, and the captives were allowed just ten minutes to transfer themselves and their allowance of baggage to the pilotboat. The captain, officers, and men, were robbed of half their clothing and effects. Having- embarked on the pilot boat, the Chesapeake towed her up the river towards Stl John’s, when she cast her tow off, and started off. She then went off the same way she came, picking up a schooner, which is supposed to have guns, ammunition, and a few coals on board, for the pirate steamer. The two engineers who belonged to this precious party of scoundrels, and were to have embarked when the fifteen did, got drunk the day she sailed, and were left behind ; so, to fill their places, the pirates retained all the Chesapeake’s engineering corps on board until they could obtain a lot, which they probably have ere this. The pilot boat landed the party, who from St. John’s proceeded to Portland, Me., on the steamer New England, and from thence, to New York by rail. Mr. Johnson, the chief officer, who was wounded, was left in Portland. These sea-devils behaved with some degree of moderation after the capture ; but in wresting the vessel from her officers and crew, they behaved in a most inhuman and barborons manner. The recklessness with which they used their pistols shows that they are a set of cowards, and would grace a yard-arm in a most becoming mann r. It is believed that there are from twelve to twenty gangs of “ Blue nose” blockade runners, paroled privateers’ men, and other gentry of like kidney, who are banded together for the purpose of capturing our merchant steamers. The George Washington, Potomac, and others have narrowly escaped capture, as wellas the New England and other Boston boats. These pirates boasted that it would not be long before other steamers would join them, being captured as was the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake pirates expect to shield themselves, if captured, by producing their “ orders from the Confederate Government ” —a copy of which was handed to Captain Willets by them, and is now in his possessionu ; it has no official seal or mark, and is the fabrication of a smart but not otherwise cutthroat. They did not even have a rebel flag with them, nor any thing else to show they were in the service of the arch traitor Jefferson Davis. The whole affair is one of the boldest and most cold-blooded atrocities of the war, and it is to be hoped that the perpetrators will speedily be brought to justice and the gallows. There is not one palliating circumstance connected with the movements. They wanted even to iron Captain Willet’a son, a little fellow half a dozen years or so, bat his father begged him off.