Claims on Hayti : message from the President of the United States

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remained there 12 days, and on the night of the 3d December last, about midnight, while it was raining and very dark, forty-one men, armed with muskets, pistols, sabres, and cutlasses, came alongside said schooner, in four canoes, and came on board said schooner, and took forcible possession of said schooner P e r r y and cargo, detained deponents and crew below under strict guard, and proceeded with said schooner P e r r y and cargo for sea, and, being short of water, put into Little Corn island, where they ob­ tained some water, remaining there about forty-eight hours, and then pro­ c e e d e d for the coast of N e w Grenada, near Carthagena, w h e r e , being again short of water, they put into Rio, about 30 miles to windward of Carthagena, w h e r e they supplied themselves with water, and then put deponents and the remainder of the crew on shore, plundering them of every thing they had, and not permitting them to take any thing with them on shore. At the same place, fourteen of the said armed men were also landed. From that place, deponents and crew proceeded by land for Car­ thagena, w h e r e they w e r e arrested and taken before the Governor of that place and detained four days. While at Carthagena, the master, with his mate, made a protest before two American citizens—he offered to do it before a notary t h e r e , but was refused permission to do so, because he had not money to pay for it ; after which they obtained a passport, and pro­ ceeded for Jamaica, where they arrived on the first January last, where the master deposited with a notary the protest he had made at Carthage­ na, who gave him an attested copy thereof, which he forwarded to Balti­ m o r e , and w h e r e Captain Smith left the crew, and proceeded for A u x C a y e s , with the intention of endeavoring to find or hear something of his vessel. At Aux Cayes, deponent heard the schooner Perry was met with off the port of Aux Cayes, without having any one on board her, or any cargo on board her. At Aux Cayes, deponent saw in the prison of that place five men, part of the forty-one armed men who took forcible possession of said schooner P e r r y and cargo, at Old Providence. Depo­ nent also learned that the schooner P e r r y had been sent around from A u x Cayes to Port-au-Prince, by order of the Government of that place ; de­ ponent then returned to Jamaica, and from thence went to Port-au-Prince, where he arrived about the last of March, and there he saw the schooner P e r r y under the Indigene flag, having been condemned and sold by the Government of that place. He was informed by Mr. Correy, of that place, that he had applied to the Government of Hayti to have the schooner P e r r y restored to her former owner in Baltimore, having re­ ceived instructions from Baltimore to that effect, and had received for answer that the Government of Hayti would not do any thing in the case unless formally applied to by the Government of the United States ; and deponent, finding he could not obtain his schooner, he proceeded from Port-au-Prince for the United States, w h e r e he has arrived, and now desires to enter his protest. JAMES SMITH. G E O R G E C. B O T E F E H R . Wherefore the said, appearers did declare to protest, as by these pre­ sents they do most solemnly protest against all and every person and per­ sons whom it doth, shall, or may concern, but particularly against fortyo n e armed men before mentioned, for taking forcible possession of said


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