731 Sheet – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

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Reading Time: 2 minutes [250 words]

Here is the translated text as follows:

The Trial of Pedro Gibert, Bernardo de Soto, Francisco Ruiz, Nicola Costa, Antonio Ferrer, Manuel Boyga, Domingo de Guzman, Juan Antonio Portana, Manuel Castillo, Angel Garcia, Jose Velazquez, and Juan Montenegro for Piracy, Boston, Massachusetts

The Narrative

In August 1832, the American brig *Mexican*, owned by one of the leading merchants of Salem, Massachusetts, set sail for Rio Janeiro. Onboard was a valuable cargo and over twenty thousand dollars in specie. Around the same time, the ship *Panda*, with a Spanish captain and crew, departed from Havana on a slaving expedition.

The two vessels encountered each other in the South Atlantic. The *Panda* overhauled the *Mexican* and, upon coming within gunshot range, fired at her. The *Mexican* was forced to heave to. Subsequently, some crew members from the *Panda* boarded the *Mexican*, seized all the money they could find, confined the officers and sailors of the *Mexican* below deck, and set the ship on fire.

However, the pirates neglected to secure the cabin skylight. This oversight allowed the crew of the brig to raise it. Once they observed that the slaver was at a safe distance, they extinguished the fire and returned home. Meanwhile, the slaver proceeded to the coast of Africa. During this time, officers of the British man-of-war *Curlew* learned of the *Mexican*'s capture. As the *Panda* matched the description of the vessel responsible, the *Curlew*'s commander apprehended as many of the *Panda*'s crew as possible, transported them to England, and subsequently brought them to Salem.