750 Slide – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

718

X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

hey in the eanoe, he (the eaptain)
asked why she had not been
Blown up; the carpenter said he
did not know why an explosion
had not taken place. The eap-
tain and mate asked him why he
had not bursted a barrel of pow-
der over the deck, loaded a gun,
tied a fish-line to the lock and
pulled it when he eame off in the
eance. The cabin scuttle leads
down into the magazine,

Sixty negroes had been bonght
with the cargo of the Panda, and
the remainder had been sent off
to buy more. Captain said he
intended to take 450. The na-
tives were against the English.
Captain of the Panda asked the
African king to let a guard of
negroes stand upon the beach,
armed with muskets to prevent
the English from landing, When
I reached Fernando Po asked if
I belonged to the Panda, and
said, no; but when they put me
under oath I confessed. All the
rest denied until the boatswain
being confronted ‘with a Portu-
guese, confessed. They were
then examined before Governor
Nichols, the captain of the Eng-
lish boat that brought them to
Fernando Po, and some clerks.
‘When I told them about the $20,-
000 taken from the Mexican, one
of the clerks, who had an Ameri-
ean paper in his hand, aaid, “very
true, very true.” Before I left
Nazareth, a Portuguese pilot boat
left that place to coax Capt, Gi-

bert to Prinee’s Island that he
might be caught. They told mo
if I did not tell all about the
maiter I would be bung; my
heart failed me and I confessed;
Delgardo also confessed a short
time afterwards. The governor
told Delgardo he need not be
afraid, for be would write to
England and get his pardon.
Captain Trotter was present at
these examinations. The rest of
the crew were in the hospital;
I was in the hospital when the
boatewain of the Panda died
Presents or money were never
offered to Delgardo to make him
confess. His own fear made him
tell all; he was told if he spoke
truly he might get off with a
short imprisonment.
Nov. 14.

Peres. I did not come here
bribed by any one. Domingo
Guzman had confessed on board
the English vessel, that they had
robbed two vessel, one besides
the Mexican; in the former, how-
ever, they got no money; do not
Imow of any inducements being
held out to Delgardo, to make
him eonfess. He confessed with-
out the English saying a word to
him When Delgardo saw the
corpse of the hoatswain, he did
not say: God forgive me for the
false witness I have borne
against you; do uot remember
whether I ssid at Fernando Po
that I eould not read or write;
said so at Salem.

Mr. Child here gave Perez the indictment to read, and he read s
part of it with greater facility than he did the previous day. Mr.

Child then wished him to write.

The Courr said that the counsel

for the prisoners had no right to put the witness to this test. The
District Attorney asked that the experiment be permitted to be made,
under the proviso that the witness should not be called upon to write
his own name, a4 many men could write that, who could write noth-
ingelse. Perez then came down from the stand and took up the peu,