THE CHESAPEAKE PIRACY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 115, 26 March 1864, Page 4

THE CHESAPEAKE PIRACY.

Captain 'Willetsand nine of the crew of the steamer ' Chesapeake,' which mil, captured a few days since, while on her passage from this port to Portland, Me., arrived here this morning. We an; now enabled to give full particuUtrs of this daring act of piracy and minder. The piratical party consisted of fifteen persons, headed by one Oshorne, :i well-known coast pilot, of and from St. John's, X.B. A scimilrel, styling himself Colonel Brainn, formerly a « ilor, boardinghousekeeper, and shoulder-hitter, in St. John's, X.8., acted the part of second villain, while the balance of the party came either from St. .John, X.8., or Caralton, X.B. One 11. A. Fair bore the title of first lieutenant, while another scrape-grace gloried in the name of D. Collins, and was booked as the second lieutenant. Mr. O. Kobiuson, alias Sears, and half a dozen tt/ia/trx, was counted as the sailing master for this crew of savages. The crew consisted of eleven men, who had, 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 an; no leas than British subjects, pirates and murderers. Captain AVillets says that at a quarter past one o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 7th iust., lie was awakened by Mr. Johnson, the mate, who told him that the second, engin. er had been shot. The captain supposed that it was done by the passengers, who afterwards turned out to be the' pirates. At the time of the rising of the villains the vessel was .-ibout twenty miles morth-north-east of Cape Cud, hcadinir up for Portland, and the night was dark. The mate went to the pantry for some purpose, when lie saw one of tin- pirates fire a pistol at Mr. Thaller, the ball Utkimr elite! under tin; right ear and in the neck. Mr. Shaffer had been down below oiling the engine, and li.id jii.-l conic up on the grating when bo received bis first mortal wound ; but't -Hough of life remained in him to reach the deck, when lie fell a corpse. Two more balls were put into his head after lie was deadMr. Johnson, the mate, now tied to warntlie Captain, while three or four of the devils incarnate pursued him, firing at him rapidly. Xn sooner bad Captain YYillcls reachedthodeck tium he met a volley ofpi.-tol balls. He went aft and .-ought to rcirain his room, when; he bad tin-arms ; but, finding he was pursued too closely, he endeavoured to reach the pilot !-.o'>sc, and just as he was about to enter he was seized, and, strange to say, while he was at the engine room door and in his run around tin- deck, although over fifteen balls passe,! close to him, yet be escape.! harm. After being ironed, Captain Willcts- was placid in his room and a guard put over him. One pirate wnit down into the tireroom, ar.4 found a liremai; at Work, busily engaged in attending to his duties, lie let fly a shot at him, but missed bis mark. The poor fellow sought refuge in a coal bunker, but was finally brought out and put in irons, and kept below in charge of this woiild-hc-imirderov. It seems that the pirates did not relish much talking, as the second engineer, who was killed, w;is 'not spoken to by this murderer. Mr. Johnson, ehief engineer, was shot in the chin, and Mr. Johnson the chief oflieer, was wounded in the arm, and ;i]:m in the knee joint. These men were put in irons, and then the sailors and liivineji who were below arid aslei-p at the time of the sheotinu', and had been kept below by securing the forecastle batch, were brought up and placed in irons. During this time, which occupied only a few minutes, the ship bail been going ahead at her own will, the engines at their usual speed, and the helm still remaining in charge of the helmsman. ((shorn now took chariiu of the vessel, put her oil her course, and ordered 'the boiiy of Sballer |o he thrown overboard, and sunk by means of a large piece of iron which was fastened to it. Tin; captain im d the otlieers wen; now sent to the cabin, and a guard placed over them. The five lii».aji<lr passengers, who were old sea captains, were mil molested, but wen; told 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 tin-man who was released to keep the fires in older. Occasionally the ehief engineer was allowed to visit the engine-room, to see if everything was going on right, as they fear, d. the inexperience of tbt: junior engineer might lead to some disastrous results'. From"two o'clock in the ni.«rning until daylight, Captain Willets bail no opportunity of learning what was going on upon deck. At any rate everything was i ( uiet. At sunrise, and oecasionalv afterwards, the prisoners were allowed to come up'to get the air. At the usual time the steward was notified to prepare tin; breakfast, which was conducted in the usual manner, save -.bat, for fear of being poisoned, the cook was compelled to taste of everything in their presence anil be was watched very closely alter breakfast, of which the pirates, the ntptives", and the passengers partook as if nothing bad happened. The captain was detained aft while his ami the otliors' rooms were ransacked. Of the contents of the cargo tbev knew full well, and did not disturb it.

Notliiny: unusual occHi-rcJ on ilomlay night, but on Tuesday limrniiifj, at seven o'clock tlie Cliesapeal;,! was brought to :n\ imcluir in Seal Harbour, at the island of Grand Meiuu. Colonel Uraine then orderi (1 ii boat to be lowered and irnmnud by the. pirates, lie then went on shore to obtain further orders. He returned at noon, when the steamer was ,uot muter weigh, mill stood oil , to tin: smith-westward of the island, then, entering the river, headed up for St. John's, N.lt. ()„ arriving a t a given point, the American ensign was set, the union down, and in response a St. John pilot-boat, commanded by one Captain -MuHhereii, put oil". The steamer was stopped and a bout came alongside, bringing a mail whoso name was Smith. This fellow conferred with OsImrne mid his assoeitdes, and then returned to the pilot-boat. Xuw'Miw. i'aiker," formerly cominander of the privateer Retribution, camo on' board and assumed sole command, leaving Osborno—wlio had b.m Uiekinghis jiirate crew unkindly a little while beioie—out in the cold. Alter l'arker came on board the pilot-boat was taken in tow, Smith still beiusj on board of the pilot-boat, and the steamer was headed for Dipper Harbour, which is about twelve miles from St. John's. At .-(■ veil o'clock in theeveninjj, she came to at Dipper Harbour, and the captives were allowed just ten minutes totiaiistertheir.illowiineeof bairirage t<i the pilot-boat. The captain, oilicers and "men, weie nibbed of half their clothing and eilects. Havim; embarked on board the pilot-boat, the Cbesapeake lowed her up fhu river towards St John's, say ,'ive miles from 1 lipper Harbour, when she cast her tow oil', and stinted otf. Shu then went oil" the same way she came, picking up a sehoom-r, which is supposed to have had i?uns, iiuijiiuiiiti<.!i, and a i\-w coals on hoard for the pirate steamer. The two engineers who belonged to this precious party of scoundrels, and were to have embarked at Kew Voik when the liiteen did, y;ot drunk the day six.- sailed, and were left behind : So to till tbeir places the pirates retained nil of the Chcsapeaku's engineer corps on board until they cmld obtain a lot, which they probably have ero this. The. pilot-boat landed the party, who from St. John's proceeded to l'ortland, -Me.," on (liesteamer ' New Kn.irland,' and from theme to New York by rail. 31 r. Joim.-oi>, thechiof.-.nicer, who was wounded, was left in Portland. These sea-devils behaved with some defied Of 1110deniiion alter the capture : but in wrestinnthe vessel from her othcers and crew, they behaved in Urn most inhuman and barbarous manuW. The recklessness with which they used their pistols shows that they it re ;( set of cow'ards, and would jrracu a yanhtnn in a

most becoming manner. It is believed that there are from twelve to twenty gangs of "Blue Nose." blockade runners, paroled privaterrsinen, and other gentry of like kidney, who are banded together for the purpose of capturing- our mereh.mt steamers. The George Washington, Potomac, and others, have narrowly escaped capture, as well as Xew England and other lloston boats. These pirates boasted that it would not be long; before other steamers would join them, aftei having 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 wr.s handed to Captain Willets by them, and is now in his possession ; it has no oflieial s< al or mark, and is a fabrication of a smart but not overwiso cut throat. They did not even have a rebel flag with them, nor anything else to show that they were in the sen-ice of the arch traitor, Jeff. 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 their movements. They wanted even to iron Captain Willett's son, a little" follow of a dozen years or so, but his father bi ggr d him oil'. — American Paper.