The Daily Advertiser

Extract from a letter of late date, from Nova-Scotia.

"I cannot forbear communicating to you some intelligence, wherein the hand of God was singularly manifested in bringing to light a most atrocious and cruel robbery and murder, which was perpetrated in the city of St. John's, Nova-Scotia, about three years since. A gentleman in that place who moved in the mercantile line, and had great custom from the army, found at length that it would not answer to sell any longer on credit, as his repeated losses would, he perceived, be finally his ruin. He therefore refused to credit, which gave great umbrage to the disbanded provincial loyalists, who raised and circulated a report, that he had wished them all sunk in the ocean before they arrived there. This was calculated to enrage the soldiery, and too well succeeded, for, they attempted to rob him, but were foiled in the attempt. Sometime thereafter, about fourteen of them formed a strong confederacy, and were determined, at all hazards, to carry the point: They accordingly assembled on a night appointed, and tendered to each other an oath of secrecy, and what appears truly desperate, they agreed, that if any of them should get wounded in the attack, he was to be put to death by the rest of the party, in such a manner as they chose, in order the more effectually to prevent a discovery of the robbery. They then, after settling those shocking preliminaries, proceeded to the onset and broke into the house, the man stood on his defence and wounded one of the party, but being overpowered by numbers, he was most inhumanly murdered, together with his wife, two children and a servant. The poor man's brother and one of his young daughters, made their escape unperceived by them. They rifled the house of every thing valuable which was easily to be carried away, among which there was cash to the amount of eight or nine hundred pounds; they then set fire to it, and consumed the remaining contents, and the unfortunate victims of their fury. When they had retired to their place of rendezvous, they examined whether any one had been wounded by the discharge of the man's pistol, and found one had received a slight wound through the shoulder. He remonstrated to them on the cruelty of putting him to death, alleging that it was by no means dangerous, and he could manage it so, that that should never be the means of a discovery being made: But they deafened their ears to his cries, and all his pleas could not avail; they carried him off bodily, and after cutting a hole in the ice, they thrust him under, and then dividing their booty, they took their different routs. This man had left a wife and children, on the banks of the river St. John's to bemoan his loss, and who not, until very lately, were made acquainted with his hard fate. Notwithstanding every possible means had been taken to discover the villains, all means proved abortive, until God, in his wise providence, disposed one of the gang to visit, very lately, the uncle of that child, whose life was preserved, on business: Scarce had the wretch seated himself, but the child viewed him attentively, and recollecting his features, she instantly flew to her uncle, and said, "this man uncle, killed my pappy;" this she repeated, and caused the uncle to notice her; upon which he taxed the man with it, but he denied it, though he was exceedingly confused; however, he found means to detain him, until a warrant could be had; with which he was apprehended on suspicion, and carried forth with before Garrer Clopper, who it seems is a magistrate in that place. He, by stratagem, extorted a full confession, on his assuring him that his life should be preserved, on his turning King's Evidence. This he has done, and unravelled the whole affair. He is safely lodged in goal, special warrants have been issued to apprehend his accomplices, and it is to be hoped they may be secured, and meet with their just demerits."