791 Page – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

Here is the translated text as follows:

On the 20th or 26th of August, a vessel commanded by Captain Gibert set sail, manned by a crew, part of whom were the prisoners at the bar. This fact was undeniable, as it was corroborated by the Custom House documents and the testimony of Perez and Guzman. Perez stated that the vessel sailed on the 20th or 26th, and the ship’s papers and Moro Pass, dated the 18th, lead us to believe that the voyage commenced on the 20th of August.

The track of the Mexican vessel is before us, marked by the mate of that vessel until the day of the robbery. The Panda, which sailed on the 20th or 26th from Havana, had a course that lay directly over the spot where the Mexican was encountered. Mr. Peabody, the owner of the vessel and a former practical seaman, testified that the two vessels were likely to meet.

Further testimony on this point comes from Mr. Briggs, who has been a captain for thirty-two years. He informed us that the Panda would probably come as far north as 87 degrees and would be more likely to meet the Mexican at 33 or 34 degrees than at any other point on the chart. Captain Rich also confirmed that the latitude mentioned is where the vessels would meet, stating that if he were bound for the coast of Africa, he would come north as far as Cape Hatteras.

Additionally, Captain Budd, an officer in the U.S. Navy who has commanded two sloops of war on the Havana station, agreed with Captain Rich. The line indicating the course of the Panda, which he traced with his finger on the chart, passed over the very place where the robbery was committed.

Consider also the evidence given by Captains Bethune, Faulkner, Bacon, and Devens, which supports this conclusion. We have witnesses from the Mexican, and one from the Panda herself, who swear that the prisoners are the individuals who committed the robbery.

What sort of vessel was the Panda? She was a clipper schooner with raking masts, painted black with a white streak, and her armament consisted of two small guns and one large pivot gun. Captain Butman testified that the piratical vessel was indeed a clipper, painted similarly.

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