The Flowery Land Pirates – for mutiny on the high seas–world history and facts.
The Flowery Land Pirates – for mutiny on the high seas–world history and facts. John Leone, age 22, (also given as Lyons), Francisco Blanco, 23, Ambrosio (also Mauricio) Duranno, 25, Miguel Lopez, 22, all of Spanish/Filipino origin from Manila and Marcus Vartus, (or Watto), 23, Levantine Turkish subject of Greek ancestry, were executed at Newgate on Monday the 22nd of February 1864 by William Calcraft. The execution attracted a huge crowd, despite the poor weather. This would be the first quintuple hanging at Newgate since March 1828. The British owned merchant ship, the 400-ton barque rigged clipper named “Flowery Land”, had left London bound for Singapore on the 28th of July 1863 with a cargo of wine and a crew of 19. Whilst at sea, on the 9th of September 1863, eight sailors mutinied and then murdered the first mate, Mr. Carswell (also given as Karswell) then the captain, John Smith, who were beaten and stabbed to death. After the captain and the mate had been killed the second