Daily Richmond Whig

From the N Y Courier and Enquirer of Dec.

MUTINY AND MURDER.

This morning we are enabled from having sent a Reporter to Flatbush yesterday, to lay before our readers the particulars of the horrible murder so recently committed on our waters. The number of persons now in custody who had been on board the vessel is four: Robert Dawes, John Brownrigg, Charles Gibbs, and Thos. Wansley.

Dawes stated that he was born in England, and is aged 18 years. he appears, however, to be near 20 years old. he is tall, and has nothing ferocious about his countenance, it is of that cold figure which indicates that little of good or evil originates in the heart of one too young to have meditated a deep crime, and too weak to resist if seduced to it.

Brownrigg appeared to be aged about 40 years, and to have rather a benevolent countenance. He and Dawes appeared in the examination as witnesses for the people, but Brownrigg appeared by far the more anxious to relieve his conscience from what was, we believe, involuntary knowledge of the foul deed. Gibbs who has not been examined yet, states that he is a native of R. Island. He appears to be about 28 years of age, with a sharp wan countenance, betraying something of recklessness and corruption; with little of the brutishness of feature which might be sought for in a deliberate murderer. Wansley, the colored man states, that he was born in Delaware, and is aged about 23 years he appears to be about 25. His countenance is large, with no trace of sensibility in it: nevertheless there is no moodiness, no preference towards the infliction of pain marked on it. His forehead is erect and his hair rises to some height above it, he appears more like one who would join in with, and could commit a murder, than one who in ordinary circumstances would think of planning one.

By the accounts published yesterday it will be perceived that the prisoners, with three others having scuttled the brig, left her -- the prisoners in the long boat, and the others in the jolly-boat. The latter with about $21,000 sunk in the gale which followed and the prisoners got ashore, after having thrown over, as they say about $24,000. When they arrived on shore a man whom they met gunning, directed them to the house of Johnson the only one on Barren Island there they stayed a night, and to Johnson the murder was divulged; the next morning they went to Mr. Leonard's where they were arrested.

We here subjoin the substance of the depositions of Mr. Leonard and of John Brownrigg, taken Wednesday. Johnson and his wife, who were detained yesterday, have not yet been examined.

Samuel Leonard, being sworn, says, that on the 30th day of Nov. last past four men came to his house in the town of Gravesend, in Kings County and one of them engaged him to take them down to Brooklyn for three dollars. That after getting nearly ready to do so, one of them, who was called Jack by the others, and who since has called his name John Brownrigg, said they should go no further -- that they were murderers, and had murdered the captain and mate. The deponent says that the said man called Jack, spoke these words to a man who called himself Charles Gibbs and a colored man who called himself Thomas Williams. That the other person of the four calls himself Robert Dawes; and that he also said afterwards, that what the man called Jack had said, was true. After this conversation, Charles Gibbs asked deponent to step aside with him, and hurried him to carry them to Brooklyn, and offered him $100 to do so. It was mentioned among the said four persons, that they had been on board the brig Vineyard of Boston.

John Brownrigg, mariner, being duly sworn, says that he is a native of Great Britain, and that he was lately a sailor on board the small brig called the Vineyard, of Boston. That the said brig sailed from New Orleans, on the 8th or 9th November, for Philadelphia. That a colored man who was taken into custody yesterday (Tuesday) at the same time with this deponent, and who was steward on board the said brig, informed him and the others of the crew of the brig, that there was money on board, for Stephen Girard, of Philadelphia. That on Tuesday night the 23d November, this deponent was up in the rigging, attending to his duties, and while there, he heard some one cry, "Oh! oh! oh!" That when he came down, one Henry Atwell, a sailor, said, "We have taken charge." And this deponent says that he then asked where the captain was, and the said Atwell answered that he was overboard. And this deponent further says that after this, the man that calls himself Charles Gibbs, acted as captain of the brig and the said Atwell as mate. That Gibbs was the only man then left on board the brig who was a navigator. That the steward was washing up blood on the quarter deck, and on the cabin ladder. That Gibbs and Atwell were engaged in overhauling the papers and cargo of the said brig. The deponent says there were ten kegs of silver money, in Mexican dollars, and that they counted three of the kegs, and found that each keg contained about $5040, as near as deponent can recollect. That they continued to sail the brig until last Sunday, about 12 o'clock at night, when, in sight of the floating light of L. I. they got into the boats. The said Gibbs, the steward, Rob't Dawes, and this deponent, got into the long boat, and the said Atwell, a colored man by the name of Church, who said he belonged to Block Island, and a man called Jim, who is a white man, got into the jolly boat. Before leaving the brig she was scuttled, and also set on fire in the cabin, as this deponent was informed by those on board the long boat, and this deponent saw that the brig was on fire when they had got considerable distance from her. This deponent further says, that when the crew left the brig, each one had his share of the money on board the boat he was in. That he took a share of the money to save his life, as he was afraid they would kill him if he did not. And further that he heard a paper read, while on board the brig after the murder of the captain and mate, which was called an invoice, and that the amount of money mentioned in said invoice, was $50,000. And this deponent further says, that after leaving the brig, and about 7 or 8 o'clock on Monday morning last, he saw the mast of the jolly boat go over her side -- that the sea was then very heavy, and this deponent believes the said jolly boat to have sunk. That there were no other persons on board the brig from the time she sailed, than have been mentioned before in this deposition. That after leaving the brig, they threw over considerable money, for fear the boat would sink. And this deponent says that the said money was taken from the kegs and put into small boxes and bags before they left the brig. And further that the principal part of what was brought ashore, and which deponent thinks would amount to $4000 or $5000, was buried in the sand near where they first landed. The name of the Captain was Thorne or Thornton, and the name of the mate was Roberts and further, that the said man called Jim, who went in the jolly boat, and this deponent, had privately agreed to discover the criminals as soon as they could get ashore and do it in safety. And this deponent says that he did give the information the first opportunity he had.

Immediately after these examinations were taken Mr. John Brown, Inspector of the American Insurance Company, and Capt. Samuel Davison, Inspector of the Ocean Company, who attended the examination, proceeded with an officer down to Barren Island, in search of the money said to have been buried in the sand. They found the place, according to the description given, with the corresponding marks, but none of the money indeed this was not expected, as the place had been previously visited by order of the magistrates, one of the prisoners being sent with the officer for that purpose.
taken along to designate the spot. The house of Johnson was then searched, and nothing was found but what he showed them:--This consisted of eleven Mexican dollars: a five dollar bill of the U. S. Bank; a sword cane, a spy glass, and a silver watch, which Johnson stated the sailors had given him to pay for bringing them off the Island. They also gave Johnson some clothes and bedding, wet and dirty, which the inspectors left. They brought Johnson and his wife along with them to Flatbush, and left a guard at the house.

Yesterday--Dawes, Wansley and Browning were examined. The following are the examinations.

Robert Dawes examined--Six persons and the cook shipped on board the brig Vineyard, bound from N. Orleans on the 5th or 6th of November for Philadelphia. The Captain's name was William Thornby, the Mate's name was William Roberts: on the 5th day out, the Steward came forward and said, here is money on board; the following persons determined to take the vessel, to wit: Charles Gibbs, A. Church and the Steward. They asked James Talbott if he would join them: he said no, as he did not believe there was any money on board: it was not first determined to kill the Captain and Mate, and if Talbott and Brown did not join them, to kill them also; they determined to commence the night following this decision, the witness was afraid to say anything lest they might kill him also; after they had prepared their clubs they put it off to another night, as they did not wish to kill Brownrigg or Talbott; on the 22d Nov at night they had everything ready, and on the 23d while Jack Brownrigg was aloft, witness told the Steward to come aft and trim the light. The Steward came forward with a knife in his hand, the Captain was standing beside witness--the Steward struck the Captain with the pump brake over the neck; the Captain fell, and the Steward immediately struck him on the other side of the neck, the Captain then hallowed "murder"; Charles Gibbs and the cook then seized the Captain by the hands and legs and threw him overboard; Henry Atwell and A. Church were standing by the companion-way waiting for the matter to come off; he asked what was the matter, and they immediately struck him over the head with a club; the mate ran below and Gibbs followed but was not able to find him: Gibbs then took out the binnacle light and returned to search for him; they found the mate below bleeding: witness left the helm to see what was to be done with him, Gibbs held the mate while Atwell and Church struck him three or four times on the head. They then dragged him on deck and he was yet alive; they called witness who went to them, the mate caught a hard firm grip of his hand and the other threw him overboard: the mate swam for about three minutes, making use of exclamations all the time. Talbott was then called up, and they gave him some grog, and said they would not hurt him if he would be true to them. They told Brownrigg the same. Gibbs took charge of the vessel, and told witness to steer N. E. towards L. Island. That night they went below and took the money, and overhauled the captain's clothes, from which they took a gold watch. Talbott, Brownrigg and witness were compelled to assist in the division. Next day they divided one keg, making about $700 each; three more kegs were divided so; each keg contained about $3000. On Sunday evening, while the vessel was about 15 miles south of Southampton light they scuttled her, and took to the boats. The money belonged to S. Girard, of Philadelphia, as appears by the papers. All hands steered for Long Island; it blew very hard, and witness saw the other boat go down; witness and three others were in the long boat; they had to throw more than half the money they had overboard: they saved about $5000. They buried, on Barren Island, very slightly, above high-water mark, the money they had saved. On arriving, they saw a man who brought them to Mr. Johnston's: Mr. Johnston took them to Mr. Leonard's, at Gravesend, where they were arrested. At Mr. Leonard's house, Brownrigg told him (Mr. L.) that the others were murderers: Brownrigg told the same to Mr. Johnson, and gave himself up, as did the witness. Witness is 18 years old, and was born in Lancashire, England; sailed with Church and Gibbs before: in the ship Lexington, from Boston to New Orleans. The story Gibbs told was, that they had belonged to the brig William, and had left her four days before that the captain was lost, and they wanted to get to New York or Brooklyn--this story was all false--They gave a jacket, a spyglass and a watch, to Johnston for his trouble with them. Witness does not know that any money was given him. The first conversation on the subject of the murder took place about a week or ten days before the murder was committed. Never told the captain because he was afraid of his own life, as men going to do what they were about would not stop at anything. There were no arms on board, except an old gun. There was no ill will against the captain, as both he and the mate were as good men as ever stepped on board a vessel. Understood the captain was of this city. Neither he nor the mate were married men. Witness intended, when he arrived in a safe place, to give information.

Thomas J. Wansley, the colored man, was brought forward and apprised of the charge against him. John Brownrigg was then brought forward and his deposition of the day previous was read to him in the presence of Wansley.

Brownrigg examined says, did not see them kill the Captain: saw the Steward, now here, wash up the blood: the Steward himself told witness after, that he had killed the Captain: Wansley was cook and Steward: the Steward never told witness anything about the murder until after it was done: the Steward told witness that he had hove the captain overboard after he had killed him: he also told witness that he had killed the mate; the reason given by the Steward and the others was that they all would make their fortune by it and would never need going to sea again: the occurrence was frequently talked of after it had been committed: the Steward never threatened witness, but told him that he had saved his life and that of Talbott.

Thomas J. Wansley one of the prisoners examined--Corroborates the facts of his having shipped as a cook and steward and as to the date of the murder. Knows that a murder was committed on board but does not know who committed it: refuses to answer who struck the Captain: several struck the mate; there was a combination on board to kill the Captain, can't say who it originated with; it originated between two; can't say who those were: believes one of them is now in prison here: the combination was entered into about 10 days before the murder; the time was not fixed but the place was: was not the person who commenced the combination: nor can he say if it was the one that was lost, or one in prison: witness believes he himself was the person who gave the information that there was money on board.

The object of the murder was for the money: did not ask the others to combine to get the money, but the question went round the ship's crew: it was resolved to kill the Captain off Cape Hatteras, before they should arrive off the Delaware: did you strike the Captain or the Mate? "No" did you strike either? I told you I did not strike both, and you will find it out by and by: "did you help to throw either overboard? you will hear more from the other witnesses:" was on deck when the Captain was murdered, and saw the deed done: did not offer to assist the Captain because he did not call on him: was not standing near when the Mate was murdered the witness was on deck and the Mate was murdered below: did not help to throw him overboard: "was he dead when he was thrown over? I don't know that he was --but he was so nigh it there was no fun in it: washed the blood up by orders of our captain who took charge.

Who was this captain? "You have been told that already" Counted his share of the money when all was over as every one had to take his share whether he was guilty or not. The money was thrown over on a bar within about three quarters of a mile of the shore, and outside of the Inlet: Thinks there was about $27,000 thrown overboard --Each man in the boat had about $7000 or upwards, and some belonging to the other boat the money was in a box a trunk, and in bags; the parcels were thrown over at different times: it was scattered along as they sailed: in one box was $2100, in the bags about $100 each: Henry Atwell who is sunk, scuttled the brig: did not set fire to her nor does he wish to say who did is a native of Delaware.

Before the examination of Wansley had closed, Mr. Morris the U. States Marshal for this district arrived at Flatbush, and in form demanded the bodies of the prisoners who were of course given up to him and put under the charge of some of the New York officers. Wansley is the person whom we stated yesterday to have escaped --he made an attempt, but was arrested in a few minutes. All the prisoners can read and write: Wansley asked for a bible on Wednesday night, it was of course given him. He told the keeper of the prison, that an expression of a former master's had been impressed on his mind. "He said to me " says Wansley, that I should be hanged: "and added he," I am better pleased than if I was in the other boat as I would not like to be drowned. In the cell yesterday afternoon, Gibbs who was handcuffed with Wansley, asked a gentleman who stood near, "when do you think we shall be tried." "Not for some months," answered the gentleman. Well" said Wansley, "if we are condemned, how soon after must we be hanged." "I can't say," replied the gentleman. "No matter" responded Wansley, "our poor ship mates are gone, and we soon will follow them" "I must only leave my soul to the mercy of God" said Gibbs, "its a bad business." In fact these prisoners from the circumstance, perhaps, that they heard the evidence given against them, appear to have made up their minds for death. When Wansley was asked if he would consult a lawyer before his examination, "no" said he, "I will have no lawyer but my conscience."

The Ocean Insurance Company was on the Specie to the amount of $25,000, and the American the same amount. Between $110,000 and $15,000 have been found, we are informed.

Gibbs remains yet to be examined. Mr. Lang of the Gazette, returned thanks to the Magistrates, on behalf of the several gentlemen of the Press who were in attendance, for the accommodation afforded during the examination.