June.] 



CHRONICLE. 



s\ 



when on reaching the spot where 

 he had just before taken up the 

 dead body of Miss Evans, melan- 

 choly to relate, the poor fellow 

 sunk and also perished, leaving a 

 wife and child to lament his loss. 



20. Extract of a Letter Jrom 

 William Porter, Esq. Consul of the 

 United States at Palermo. — You 

 will probably have read in the 

 newspapers^ before this reaches 

 you, an account of the piracy and 

 diabolical murders committed by 

 six abandoned wretches about six 

 weeks ago, on the north of this 

 island. If, however, you should 

 not have seen any statement of 

 this cold-blooded business, the 

 following may serve. 



The miscreants armed them- 

 selves at Messina with muskets, 

 sabres, and long knives, and pro- 

 ceeded to a place three or four 

 miles distant from that city, where 

 they stole a small row-boat, and 

 embarked themselves, taking a di- 

 rection towards Melazzo, (thirty- 

 five miles on the coast west of 

 Messina), near wliich place, in 

 the afternoon, they took a station 

 for the purpose of seizing upon a 

 small vessel they knew to be ready 

 to sail from Messina for this 

 place, and on board of which they 

 likewise knew of several passen- 

 gers on whom they supposed mo- 

 ney might be found. 



Soon after the approach of this 

 vessel, these wretches, apparently 

 as fishermen, rowed towards her, 

 and at about half past 7 o'clock, 

 being within i-each of musket- 

 shot, a volley was fired into her. 

 Shortly after they boarded her, 

 and in a few minutes murdered 

 and mutilated every person on 

 Board. Of the murdered were 12 

 flaen, one woman, and one child j 



and 6{ the ffltltilated and left for 

 dead were three men and two 

 women. One of the 12 men, the 

 woman, and the child, were of 

 one family. To the woman two 

 alternatives were offered, one of 

 which was instant death, which 

 she preferred. They then searched 

 for money and other things ; and 

 actually, with all this carnage be- 

 fore their eyes, cooked victuals, 

 and partook of a supper, and re- 

 mained on board the vessel until 

 the next morning. 



In a few days afterwards, these 

 same wretches took another small 

 vessel, only a few miles distant 

 from this harbour, bound to one 

 of the Lipari islands, and after 

 murdering three men, drove the 

 remaining sLx under deck, nailed 

 down the hatches, and bored holes 

 for the purpose of sinking her j 

 fortunately, however, a boy, who 

 in the confusion had covered him- 

 self with one of the sails, and was 

 not discovered by the villains, was 

 able, with the assistance of those 

 below, to uncover the hatchway, 

 and the vessel was kept above 

 water until assistance was render- 

 ed by some fishermen. 



The day after this second but- 

 chery, the villains landed at one 

 of the king's tunny-fish establish- 

 ments, about ten miles from this 

 city, and retreated to the moun- 

 tains. It was impossible, however, 

 that such monsters should long 

 escape being apprehended. The 

 orders of his Royal Highness the 

 Hereditary Prince were prompt on 

 the occasion, and the measures 

 immediately taken did away the 

 possibility of their escaping from 

 the island. In a few days after, 

 four of them were apprehended 

 in this city ; one has since been 



£ 2 found 



