A ship named the
Earl of Sandwich sailed from London in August, 1765, laden with bale goods and hardware, for Santa Cruz, where discharging this cargo, they sailed to Oratavo, and took in a cargo of wine, silk, cochineal, and what proved most fatal, a large quantity of Spanish dollars, some ingots of gold, some jewels, ana gold dust. With this cargo they sailed for London, on their return voyage, and had then on board John Cockeran, master, Charles Pinchent, mate; James Pinchent, mariner; Benjamin Gallispey, cabin-boy; Captain Glass, his wife and infant daughter, with a boy belonging to them, passengers; and also Peter M'Kinlie, boatswain; George Gidley, cook; Richard St Quintin and Andrew Zekerman, mariners. The four last entered into a diabolical combination to murder the master and everybody on board. and to possess themselves of the treasure in the ship.
Accordingly, on the 30th of November, these four villains being stationed on the night-watch, the master coming on the quarter-deck to see everything safe, was seized by M'Kinlie, and by Gidley knocked on the head with an iron bar, and thrown overboard. The captain's groans being heard by the two Pincheuts and Captain Glass, they came upon deck and were immediately attacked by the assassins. The Pinchents were knocked down and thrown overboard. and Captain Glass was killed with his own sword. M'Kinlie. in the scuffle. being run through the arm. The noise brought Mrs Glass and her child upon deck, when, beholding the bloody scene, she implored their mercy; but Zekerman and M'Kinlie came up to them and tossed both into the sea, as they were locked in each others arms. Having thus despatched all but the boys, they altered their course, being then in the English Channel, and steered for the coast of Ireland. On the 3rd of December they were about ten leagues from Waterford. Here they determined to hoist out a boat, and loading it with the treasure, to sink the ship, together with the boys. This scheme they put into execution. One of the boys swam after the boat, and it being deeply laden with the dollars, made slow way, so that he came up with it, and laying his hand on the gunwale, received a blow on the head from one of the ruffians, which obliged him to quit his hold, and he was drowned Soon after, the vessel, having her ballast port opened, filled with water and overset, and they saw the other boy washed overboard and drowned.
They now considered themselves safe from discovery; the dead could tell no tales, and none could search the bottom of the sea for evidence of their villany. They landed, and buried the bulk of their plundered wealth in the sand of the sea-shore, amounting to 250 bags of dollars. The remainder, with the jewels and ingots of gold, they reserved for present use.
The hand of justice now began to pursue them. They were so incautiously prodigal of their ill-gotten treasure that they attracted notice wherever they went. The ship, which they had consigned to the bottom of the sea, floated on shore near Waterford; this occasioned much speculation, and suspicion at once pointed at the strangers, who were then living recklessly and extravagantly in Dublin, and whose manners and conversation betrayed their seafaring life.
Two gentlemen went from Ross, in which neighbourhood the ship had been stranded, to Dublin, and stated their surmises to the magistrates. On the 9th of December, St Quintin and Zekerman were apprehended, and being examined apart, each confessed the murders and other matters as related above; also, that since their arrival in Dublin, Gidley and M'Kinlie had sold dollars to a goldsmith to the amount of £300. By means of this goldsmith, M'Kinlie was apprehended; and intelligence was obtained that Gidley had set out in a post-chaise to Cork, in order to take shipping for England. Two persons were despatched to direct a search to be made for the buried treasure. In this they succeeded; and on their return fell in with Gidley, and took him into custody Thus were the perpetrators of these atrocious and sanguinary deeds all discovered, brought to justice, and executed, although they had, as they supposed, taken every human precaution to sink and destroy all that they thought could in any possible manner disclose or establish their guilt.
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