A narrative of the horrid murder committed by George Gidley and Richard St. Quintin, both Weft of England men, Peter M'Kinlie, an Irishman, and Andres Zeker man, a Dutchman, late mariners on board the brig The Earl of Sandwich, belonging to London, whereof John Cockeran was mafter, on the faid mafter, the reft of his crew, and the passengers; and of the apprehending the murderers, and recovering the treasure of which they had plundered the jaid ship.

TH

HIS fhip failed from London in the month of Auguft 1765, laden with bale goods, hard-ware, hats, &c. for Santa Cruz, at which place they arrived and difcharged their cargo. From thence they failed to Oratava, and there took in a cargo of Teneriffe wine, raw and manufactured filk, cochineal, and a large quantity of Spanish milled dollars, of 4s. 9d. value each, fome ingots of gold, fome jewels, and a fmall quantity of gold duft. About the month of November, they failed from Oratava for London, and had then on board the faid John Cockeran, matter; Charles Pinchent, mate; Peter M'Kinlie, boatswain; Geo. Gidley, cook; Richard St. Quintin, Andres Zekerman and James Pinchent, brother to the mate, mariners; and Benjamin Gallifpey, the cabin-boy; with captain Glafs, his wife and daughter, and a fervant boy belonging to them, as pafengers.

Before the fhip left the Canaries, the faid Gidley St. Quintin, Zekerman, and M'Kinlie, entered into a confpiracy to murder the mafter and all the other perfons

on board, and to poffefs themselves of the treasure in the ship; which on their paffage they, on three different nights,intended to accomplith; but, by fome accident or other, were prevented, till, at length, on Saturday the 30th of November, at eleven o'clock at night; when the four affaffins being ftationed on the night watch, and the mafter coming on the quarter-deck to fee every thing properly fettled, and returning to his cabin, the faid Peter M'Kinlie téized him, and held him faft, till George Gidley knocked him down with an iron bar, repeating the blows till he was killed; when they threw him overboard.

The noife occafioned by this murder, and the captain's groans, having alarmed Charles and James Pinchent, and captain Glass, they arofe from their beds. The Pinchents being foremost, were attacked by thofe villains, knocked down, and thrown overboard. Captain Glafs, feeing what they were about, inftantly turned to the cabin for his fword. But M'Kinlie obferving his retreat, and imagining that he went to arm himself to oppose them, went down the fteps leading to the cabin, and stood at the foot of them in the dark, until captain Glafs returned; and on Captain Glass's afcending the fteps to get upon the deck, M'Kinlie, behind his back, feized him in his arms, and held him faft, and called out to his affociates to affift him, who thereuponimmediatelyrufhed uponcapt. Glafs, and, with much difficulty wrefted the fword out of his hand, in which fcuffle, however, Zekerman received a flight wound in his arm. When they got the fword,

they

they gave capt. Glafs two flabswith it, in the fecond of which M'Kinlie, who held capt. Glafs, received a wound through his left arm. When they had thus murdered Mr. Glafs, they threw him over board. This extraordinary noife foon brought Mrs. Glafs and her child on deck, and the feeing what the villains were about, im plored for mercy; but Zekerman and M'Kinlie came up to her; and, fhe and her daughter being locked up in one another's arms, then Paid hold of them and threw them both into the fea. Having thus difpatched all the perfons on board except the two boys, and being then in the British channel, on their course to London, they immediately put the fhip about, and fteered for the coaft of Ireland. On Tuesday the 3d of Dec. 1765, about two o'clock in the afternoon, they arrived within ten leagues of the harbour of Waterford and Rofs, and then determined to fink the fhip; and, in order to fecure themfelves and the treasure, they hoifted out a cock boat, and loaded her with bags of dollars, to the quantity of about two tons, by computation; and then knocking out the ballaft port, quitted the thip, and left the two boys in the tinking veffel to perith with her.

One of the boys having entreated to be taken on board the boat, but refufed, leaped into the fea; and the boat being heavy Jaden and not making much way, by fwimming, foon got up to her, and laid his hands on the gunnel; when one of the fellows gave him a ftroke on the breast, and knocked him off, fo that he was immediate. ly drowned.

Seon after they quitted the fhip,

fhe filled with water and overfet; and they faw the other boy washed overboard and drowned.

The boat having reached the harbour's mouth, about fix o'clock in the evening, they rowed her about three miles up the river; and being afraid to proceed further with fuch a quantity of treafure, they landed in the county of Wexford, within two miles of the fort of Duncannon; and, having left out as much as they apprehended they could carry without horfes, buried on the lands of Broomhill, between high and low water mark, the rest of the dollars, which amounted to 250 bags, and proceeded up the river of Rofs with the remainder of the dollars, the ingots of gold, jewels, and gold duft, and landed at a place called Fisher's-town, in the county of Wexford, within four miles of Rofs, and refreshed themselves at an ale houfe at Bally Braffel, and there had a bag of 1200 dollars ftolen from them.

On Wednesday the 4th of Dec. 1765, they proceeded to Rofs, and fet up at an ale-boufe, and there exchanged 1200 dollars for their amount in current gold, and bought three cafes of piftols, hired fix horfes, and two guides; and on Thursday the 5th of December fet out for Dublin, where they arrived on Friday the 6th, and ftopped at the Black Bull inn in Thomas-ftreet.

Having lavished and expended a confiderable fum of money in Rofs, and an account having arrived there, that a veffel was driven on the coast of the county of Waterford, richly laden, without a living foul on board, it caused a fufpicion, that thofe perfons had deftroyed

deftroyed and plundered the fhip; upon which the collector of the port of Rofs fent off exprefs two gentlemen of that town to the chief magiftrate of Rofs, when in Dublin, to inform him of their fufpicions, with intent that the faid perfons fhould be taken, and required to give an account of themselves.

Thofe gentlemen having arrived in Dublin, on Sunday the 8th about three o'clock in the afternoon, and having informed the faid magiftrate of their errand, he, with the affiftance of the lord mayor and one of the theriffs, on the night of the faid day, apprehended Richard St. Quintin and Andres Zekerman, who, being examined fepara ely, each of them con. felfed the murders, and other matt rs before related; and alfo, that fince they arrived in Dublin, Gidley and M'Kinlie had fold to a goldfimith, whofe name they could not tell, to the amount of 300l. worth of dollars, and were to be paid for them on Monday following. And the theriff, on the information aforefaid, by direction of the faid lord mayor, and the faid magiftrate, went amongft the goldfmiths, and having found out the perfon to whom they were fold, by that means, on Monday evening difcovered and apprehend ed Peter M'Kinlie, and got intelligence that George Gidley had fet out in a poft chaife for Corke, in order to take fhipping for England; upon which the lord mayor fent off the high conftable with proper affiftance in purfuit of him. The faid chief magiftrate of Rofs, on getting an account of

the 250 bags of dollars being hid on the fhore of the river of Rofs, difpatched back, on Monday the 9th of Dec. the two Rofs genflemen, with directions to the collector of Rofs, and an order from government to the commanding officer of the fort of Duncannon, to aid and affift the revenue officers with the forces quartered there, in making fearch for the bags of dollars. And thefe gentlemen, in their way back, apprehended the faid George Gidley in his way to Corke, at Caftledermot in the county of Kildare, on Toefday the 10th of December, and had him committed to Carlow gaol, and found upon him 53 guineas, a moidore, and fome filver.

In pursuance of the orders fent for fearching the ftrand in the county of Wexford, the collector of Rofs, with the revenue officers, aided by the commanding officer quartered at Duncannon, proceeded on Thursday the 12th, and Friday the 13th, on which day they found 250 bags of dollars fealed, and brought them to Rofs under a guard, and lodged them in the custom-houfe there.

There was found in the poffeffion of M'Kinlie, Zekerman, and St. Quintin, fome toys, a few guineas, an ingot of gold, and a small parcel of gold duit.

The whole of what was recovered being brought together to the treafury in Dublin, it appeared that not above 500l. of the treasure men. tioned in the invoice had been em. bezzled by the murderers: fo that the reft of what they made away with muft have belonged to the unfortunate captain Glass.

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