Batavia - by Peter Fitzsimons

Batavia

by Peter Fitzsimons

Betrayal. Shipwreck. Murder. Sexual Slavery. Courage.

A Spine-Chilling Chapter in Australian History

What an amazing read. It is going to be very hard in 2025 to top this book. I picked it up on a whim, thinking it might be better than many of the historical fiction books I've tried about Ships and their crew. Wow, what a read.

The story was as gory and devilish as promised, but for me it was how the author told the story that made it memorable. Mr. Fitzsimons first gives the historical setup. Then he introduces us to the key players with their likes and dislikes which eventually play out in the most treacherous of ways.

This book is not for the weak of heart reader. I was informed of this in book reviews beforehand but took it lightly. I now know better and forewarn those tackling this misadventure after me. 

Warning: There is a monster within these pages. One the likes of which you might never have come across in your past reading. I especially warn mothers and some fathers who choose to read "Batavia," children are not spared from the jaws of this monster. He is a terminator. And as in the 1984 movie "The Terminator": 

"It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead!"

What I liked about so monstrous a setting as Batavia's Graveyard is how you are placed on the island with the predators and prey, not knowing what horrendous incident is to come next. You have about as much hope as the prey do for rescue, but violence, death, thirst, hunger and weakness have drained you all of hope. Everyone is functioning in survival mode, including you the reader. Everyone, that is, with the exception of the Monster. For he merely entertains himself by having those who fear him carry out the violence unto death. 

Meanwhile, the surviving prey are on the clock awaiting a rescue which is taking too long. Some discover a hero and hope in one man who organizes a group on a neighboring island where they were put by the Monster and meant to perish. But a showdown is inevitable between our hero and the Monster. And should the Monster succeed in his devious plans, the killing will continue until even the arriving rescuers are slaughtered and all opposition silenced.

I actually stayed up late on multiple nights turning the pages of this easy-to-read adventure/horror story. Maybe knowing the historical truth to the story added to my interest. I challenge anyone to start this book and put it down for more than 48 hours. You can't. You'll want to know what happens next and what evil ways and methods of killing will the monster come up with next. You can't believe some of the vicious things that have taken place in the book, yet you can't turn away from its pages.

Seeing the Monster's Mutineers carry out his every evil wish is very disturbing, and yet you read on. Because it reminds us of the evil influence one human being can have on a group of human beings. Also, it shows us what lengths fearful people are willing to go to when threatened with violence and/or violent death. And really, how can we judge any of these folks. We can try putting ourselves in their shoes, but there is simply no way of knowing how any of us reading this today would handle such a brutal predicament. Given the choice to kill a defenseless person or be killed yourself, what would you choose?

The challenge I had in reading this book was in some of the similar Dutch character names. The author does an excellent job of immediately translating anything written in Dutch, but the common Dutch names shared by some individuals did pose a bit of a challenge. But, in the long run, name identification wasn't as important as whether the person had joined the Monster's Mutineers. You knew them by their murder committed. 

What really mattered most, thanks to the connect-the-dots, storytelling author, was what was happening on the page I was reading at the moment. Because every page seemed to add to what happened earlier or would happen later. The book kept me on alert for both past and future pieces to the puzzle. However, when innocent men, women, and children, with no chance of escape, are selected to be viciously slaughtered by a Monster, a story about being marooned on a desert island is taken to a whole other level. The only rhyme or reason to the madness lies with the Monster.

Yes, Jeronimus Cornelisz is every bit the monster as told of in book reviews and comments. But until one tastes the actions of said monster, one is like an atheist until his/her life is touched by a humbling God. So, tread cautiously should you choose to venture along with this Australian Bestseller by Peter Fitzsimons. Once you read what men are capable of under the leadership of a tyrannical beast like Jeronimus, you might never again let down your guard amongst so ambitious and inhumane narcissists in any leadership role, much less that of political leadership. 

 

Letter from Australia - Murder Islands - Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2022

Raiders End 2024 (4-13) - Make it Rain

They say crops, people, and organizations must go through humbling periods of storms before success rewards their labors. We been laboring a long time, Raider Nation. We been humbled by failed crops, devastating injuries, castoff and deserting all-pros, and a dizzying coaching carousel that just won't end. 

We are saddled with Buzzards Luck; "can't kill nothing and nothing's dying." It's hard enough to win in the NFL. But add to the fray Raiders organization bad decisions and self-inflicting setbacks and winning becomes a far and away mirage. Like a promising dream you wake up from just as the going gets good.

Here we are again, making team leadership changes in coaching and management. Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco are out. The Raiders are out of the running for drafting a quarterback at No.1 or No.2. And it just so happens we are in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL (AFC West), with three teams making the playoffs. Happy New Years 2025 Raiders!

How the heck am I gonna watch the NFL playoffs when my beloved Silver & Black are lumped in with the Buzzards of the football world. Sure, I'll wear my colors proudly should I choose to attend a Super Bowl party. But Damn! Damn! Damn! it gets so old watching the same old retooling scenarios playout during or after a losing season. I want some consistency on and off the field for the Raiders. 

"I Want Winners"

There. I got it out of me. Thanks, Mike Singletary, for setting the table with a memorable winner's quote. Maybe when all is said and done, Raiders new minority owner Tom Brady brings in his pal Bill Belichick to jumpstart a new era of winning. As of today, reports are Bill has no plans to leave UNC. We'll just have to wait and see about that.

Meanwhile Raiders fans, keep your head up. We've been through this before. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Buzzards are predators. The one thing you'll never see a Buzzard do is give up on small prey. So, until the Raiders return to their glorious ways of consistently winning and dominating in the NFL, stay hungry while feeding on lesser teams.

Win, Lose, or Tie!

A Gift For Cousin Cheryl

 

A Gift for my cousin Cheryl, in memory of Aunt Kizziah and so many other Black Women who raised us.

I was so captured by coming across this book. It brought out in me the memories of aunts, grandmothers, and other community women on their way to or coming from church. My mother raised us Episcopalian, but me and my siblings sometimes attended the Baptist church with relatives. The difference between the two churches was like night and day. Episcopals chant Amen, Baptists shout AMEN!

As a young boy, some of those differences stuck with me as I learned of the many ways to worship the Lord. Baptists had a soulful band and gospel choir, matrons dressed in angelic white, a sweating & shouting preacher, a responsively shouting congregation, and folks spasmodically falling out while being filled with the Holy Spirit. There was much to take in during those visits to the Baptist church. Enough to make a young Episcopalian have dreams of heaven or nightmares of hell. But there's one memory that I'd almost completely forgotten about until seeing and opening the book "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats."  

Seeing all the Black Women in Church Hats gave such elegance and pride to the Baptist church service.  Everyone, men, women, and children wore their best outfits to church. But the many eye-catching Hats being worn by almost every woman in church stamped the service with a respect and dignity I had never quite felt in a religious service. It almost made a child like me feel as if he was being welcomed into heaven. It felt like sitting in a royal hall maybe seen in a movie or on television. Like the "Land of Oz" perhaps.

Every hat had its own unique character, and yet with any conformity seemed to give its wearer honorary membership to some spiritually uplifted women's society. Everyone looked good, appearing joyous and dignified.

It really was like entering a kingdom of some sort where all subjects were aware of and expressed reverence to their King. I always wondered what tradition it was that had all these women sitting in church wearing hats. The men removed their hats when in church out of religious respect, why not the women. And why were there no standards/restrictions set for types of hats being worn. 

Coming from the Episcopal church I had always associated church with conservative attire, and a place to fit in, not stick out. Some outfits worn in the Baptist church were bright and colorful, like those seen at a festival or party. Some of the women's hats would likely have drawn glares of criticism in our conservative church, looked upon as being over-the-top and perhaps gaudy (too loud) for a church service. Some hats had glitter, some feathers or a netted veil. Some brims were slouched low, partially hiding one's face, while another brim might be wider than the wearer's shoulders. And then there was the chic, elegant hat towering upward and slightly outward upon the head, like a Queen's Crown, i.e. Nefertiti Headdress. 

After a few visits to the Baptist church the culture shock wore off and I began to understand how church is a celebratory expression for folks' minds, bodies and souls. The clothes worn are simply the icing on the cake. You need not go to church service wearing dark, gloomy clothing with a glum facial expression and attitude as if attending a funeral. Church is a celebration of God and the human spirit, and nobody does it quite like the Baptist Church. 

Here, some fifty plus years later, after opening and perusing through pages of this book, I am filled with that early impression I had of beautiful Black Women wearing Church Hats. A huge smile creases my 62-year-old face as pictures and testimonials in the book fill me with that familiar spirit of church and black community. The many unanswered questions of a young boy finally put to rest by the wise, revealing memories these beautiful, hat-wearing church women reminisce on in this extraordinary book. Scholars might categorize this book under ethnic customs and cultural relativism. But coming from within the culture, I'd say it depicts the strength, style, and love of Black Women in Black Communities of America, who are forged by their Faith in an Almighty God!

What would any culture be without strong women to nurture and bring its children into the fold of a strong, healthy community/society.

What Are Church Hats?

For many congregations, they’re more than just an elegant accessory.

By 

Betsy Cribb Watson

 

 

Updated on June 17, 2024

PHOTO: DIGITAL VISION.

In many Christian congregations across the country, statement-making hats are as synonymous with Sunday mornings as robed choristers and gospel readings. For writer Craig Marberry, who grew up in a Chicago Church of God in Christ congregation, the spectacular toppers were just part of the sanctuary topography. "In my church, women only wore three types of hats," he says. "Large hats, larger hats, and 'why'd you have to sit in front of me?' hats."

The pastor's grandson took the tradition for granted as a boy. However, Marberry gained a new appreciation for the fabulous millinery of his youth when he partnered with photographer Michael Cunningham to produce a tome telling the stories of church-hat-wearing Southern women. Filled with portraits, their book, Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, published in October 2000.

"I realized that church hats weren't merely fashion accessories," he says. "They are an expression of faith, as well as a celebration of fashion. Every woman has a different and compelling story about what church hats mean to them."

The Origins Of Wearing Hats In Church

Historically, men have taken their hats off when entering an indoor space as a sign of respect. But for men removing their caps in churches, there's also a biblical reason—a passage from one of Paul's letters to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 11:7, Paul writes that men should remove their hats while worshiping "as he is the image and glory of God."1

The tradition of women wearing church hats has its roots in that same biblical scripture. In 1 Corinthians 11:5–13, the apostle declares women should cover their heads during worship to honor God. "In many religious denominations, women cover their heads for worship as a sign of respect for God and the church hierarchy," Marberry says. "But Black women alone have interpreted that edict with singular flair."

There's an important cultural element at play, too, he notes. "African Americans oftentimes think we were severed from our African culture, our heritage, because of slavery," the author says. "But there are a lot of things we do without realizing that they're connected to the motherland." Hats are one of them. "Many African societies believe that the soul is housed in the head, not in the heart, and therefore you adorn the head as a way of honoring it," he says.

Hats And The Civil Rights Movement

Wearing hats in church grew in popularity during the Harlem Renaissance and throughout the early 20th century. They became status symbols for the growing Black middle class. During the Civil Rights Movement, women leaders often marched in their church hats as a symbol of dignity.

"If you look at the photos of Civil Rights marches from the '60s, you'll see women wearing church hats: Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King, and countless others," says Marberry. "Even Rosa Parks, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, had on a hat the day that she refused to give up her seat to a white man."

Church hats, in other words, are a proud declaration of who you are, how you worship, and what you stand for. And the grander the hat, the better.

The Future Of Church Hats

Shortly before they finished shooting portraits and conducting interviews for their book, Marberry realized that they hadn't yet visited a Church of God in Christ, his childhood denomination, which is known for especially flamboyant hats. They visited a congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he lived at the time. There, they showed the women some photographs of the other hat-wearing ladies set to appear in the book. One flipped through the photos, seemingly unimpressed. "I said, 'What's wrong? You don't like the photographs?'" Marberry recalls. "And she said, 'No, it's not that. Those are Baptist hats, honey.'"

And while these women of older generations may feel closer to God depending on the height and splendor of their hats, Marberry notes that younger church women he interviewed don't necessarily feel the same attachment to them, citing that they're uncomfortable or mess up their hair.

"Unfortunately, it's a tradition that's dying out with the current hat queens," Marberry says. "But I won't lose faith."

About Crowns

Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats

Classic - *she'll never burn down your garage*

 

Mere words just don't do this classic car justice. She says more in her body shape, colors, and overall character than any modern-day diva. Eat your heart out Tesla!

And then I saw her Face

Now I'm a Believer

And not a Trace

Of doubt in my Mind

I'm in Love

I'm a Believer

I couldn't leave her if I Tried

San Francisco's Magical Winter Days

 

Raiders Win - Brock Bowers Breaks NFL TE Rookie Record

Raiders' Brock Bowers breaks Mike Ditka's 63-year-old record for rookie TE receiving yards

Raiders show defensive dominance and offensive balance in their first back-to-back win of the season. It has been a challenging season for the silver and black. Injuries drained much talent and veteran leadership straight out of the gate. A star wide receiver abandoned ship. A starting quarterback who was ineffective eventually joined the injured list. A shuffled offensive line was unable to open holes or protect the passer. A questionable offensive coordinator finally was let go. A nine-game losing streak.

And with all the negatives, I still choose to be a loyal fan of the Silver & Black Raiders Football Team. Why? Because we Raiders Fans live by a motto  .   .   .  "Win, Lose, or Tie, I'm a Raider 'Til I Die."

As Raiders fans we can't turn away from supporting our team. How do you turn away from family? We might curse and criticize them, ready to rip the wall-mounted tv down after a bonehead penalty or turnover. 2024 Example: Against the two-time champion KC Chiefs the Raiders were all but ready to kick the winning field goal and celebrate another Holiday game victory at Arrowhead Stadium. An errant snap by the center results in a Raiders turnover, securing a 19-17 Chiefs victory. 

We who love Raiders football simply bleed silver and black. It is something that any loyal sports fan understands and doesn't question why. The agony that comes with being loyal to a team unable to consistently win makes the ecstasy of them finally winning that much more celebratory. I went years waiting for my Giants baseball and Warriors basketball teams to finally win championships. So, I know the exciting reward when my team finally snatches a league championship. There is nothing like it as a fan who has waited many years to finally celebrate a team championship with their sports family. If I had one word to describe it, I'd probably label it  .  .  . Orgasmic!

It ain't happening this year for the Raiders. Eliminated from the playoffs, their win-loss record stands at 4-12, with this season's final game next week against the Chargers. Their win over the New Orleans Saints today gave some respite from a long, disappointing season. I'll also admit, I've enjoyed watching Aaron Rodgers (R-E-L-A-X) joined by Davante Adams, struggle through a NY Jets 4-12 season following so much post-season media hype. Maybe Rodgers (41 years old) will finally retire and perhaps join fellow conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. in the next fake presidential administration. Be there Aaron, "will be wild."

Rookie Tight-End Brock Bowers broke league and franchise records, giving some shine to the future outlook of Raiders Football. Unfortunately, when any team ends a season with a lowly record, "A Change is Gonna Come," in one or more forms. I wouldn't mind seeing head-coach Antonio Pierce return. The players are still fighting to win games for him. He is still learning how to coach games but his leadership and passion for the game, and for the Raiders, is unquestionable. He's a Raider, win, lose or tie!  And that's something we Raiders fans haven't had in a very long time.  The rest is simple: Just Win Baby!!!

Final Score

Raiders 25

Saints 10

Brock Bowers sets rookie tight end receiving yards record - Silver And Black Pride

Sharon Stone - Actor, Artist, Humanitarian

 

Its My Garden, Asshole - 2022 painting by Sharon Stone

I am one of those practical folks who's never been much impressed with celebrities. Nothing against them, I just find so many talented people outside the field of movies, television, music and sports. Maybe it's my aversion to the whole superficial Hollywood/L.A. culture, which is fed to society like the ultimate success story is fame and fortune. Success as a human being is so much more than becoming famous.

Unfortunately, there have been so many beautiful souls who've been eaten up and spit out while trying to make their dreams a reality in the film, fashion, & music industries. With promises of stardom, these industries tend to feed on ambitious young souls drawn to the glitter, hype, money and superstar status. Only to learn, sometimes too late, that stardom can take away just as much if not more than it gives. 

But not all natural talents are compromised and/or fooled by the snake oil Hollywood is selling. Some seem better able to hold on to their core morals & values, turning their fame and fortune into causes for the common good of society. 

One such veteran actress is Sharon Stone. I met her many years ago at a Glide Charity Dinner and was so impressed with how she came to our table looking like a star but sounding like a genuinely caring soul. She was there offering her fame and support to causes for fighting hunger, homelessness, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, and other societal ills.

When she strolled over to our table of about eight, wearing a long white flowing cashmere coat and thigh high pirate-like black boots, I was simply flabbergasted (astonished, amazed, shocked). I remember thinking, is this really the star who seduced Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct just by sitting in a chair and crossing her legs? But when she smiled and greeted us all, thanking us for our support, the Hollywood Star image was immediately replaced with a human humility so loving it felt like a motherly hug. Imagine, a table of eight looking up at this radiating, visiting star and made to feel like we were the stars of the show, just by her expressed honor and respect for us.

Now I don't know if Sharon simply pulled off a perfectly rehearsed charity appearance routine, or if perhaps we had all been overly wined and dined in preparation for the Main Event (It was my first- and only-time having Kobe Beef). But what I and many other guests took away from our direct eye-contact and brief greetings with Ms. Sharon Stone that night was not her fame, fashion, or fortune, but her Kindness. And it felt as heartfelt, loving and genuine as if coming from family or a very close friend.

So, when I came across a 2023, article about Sharon Stone as an Artist, I was not surprised. When a person is capable of expressing the beauty of the human heart in one form, there's no reason for surprise when that same person demonstrates it in another form. I am as touched by Ms. Stone's artwork as I was meeting her in person. I am no art connoisseur, but you need not be when it comes to being touched by art. Again, Sharon Stone has flabbergasted me with artistic expression.

We all have natural born talents from which we can draw on to express ourselves. Such talents become blessings when engaged in the act of helping support others.

God Bless you Ms. Sharon Stone!

Sharon Stone Explains Her Second Life As an Artist

Artist Sharon Stone Returns to San Francisco - Powerful Solo Exhibition at Gallery 181

Sharon Stone: Charity Work & Causes - Look to the Stars

Radiate | Bruce McIntyre

Former Fabulous Florida Congressman Statutory Rape Law Violation

How else to end the 2024 political year than expose a former Florida U.S. Congressman-(R) for House rule violations and Obstruction of Congress. It is reassuring to see the Congressional Committee on Ethics is capable of cleaning House of bad apples and actors. Regardless of party, no elected official in a country ruled by laws should place him/herself above the laws they loyally pledged to uphold.

On November 13, 2024, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz chose to run away from serving the citizens of the State of Florida rather than face all the allegations and evidence of legal and moral wrongdoing released in a U.S. Congressional Committee on Ethics Report. 

Committee-Report.pdf

What Floridians should be asking themselves is not whether the evidence against Gaetz is credible, but what it looked, smelled, and felt like the last time you put faith and hope in someone who abused your trust. Because the problem with a law breaking, pledge abusing politician does not lie with those like Gaetz, but with the misled, ill-informed citizens who chose to vote them into office. 

 You Knew It Was a Snake - H. E. Butt Foundation

Citizens who vote into office a representative who puts his wants and needs ahead of those of the people who entrusted him are left without representation at all. They are left with a scathing report listing evidence of their chosen one's abuse and misconduct while neglecting voters' congressional needs. And when an abusive, unaccountable representative abandons his congressional post, he is saying loud and clear for all his voters to hear: I Gotta Look Out For Me, Not You!

So, you got to ask yourself, was he ever looking out for me? or was it just about him all along. Life is truly about learning lessons. The old saying of falling for it the first time, shame on you, the second time shame on me applies here. Anyone can make a mistake. The good thing about mistakes are they give us the opportunity to learn and make corrections. 

I sincerely wish you all the best in correcting your congressional choice, Florida. Because we are all in this together. One Nation, Indivisible!

Offices of the First Congressional District of Florida to Remain Open to Serve and Assist Constituents

PRESS RELEASE Washington, DC—The Washington, DC, office and the district office of former Representative Matt Gaetz will continue to serve the people of the First Congressional District of Florida under the supervision of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Representative Gaetz resigned November 13, 2024. 

The Last Slaver (Book) or Slave Ship (Movie)

 

The Last Slaver Hardcover - 1933

by King, Dr. George S.; Hall, Charles H. (Postscript)

Based on true accounts of the sailing vessel called 'The Wanderer'. Originally built for other purposes, the ship was sold and became the last American ship transporting slaves. A work of historical fiction based on a true account of 'The Wanderer' and its voyage bringing African slaves to America, as seen through a sailor duped into working on the ship. Served as the basis for the 1938 film "Slave Ship." Printed in the United States of America. 322 pages. Insured post. This is the story of an American sailor - an officer and a gentleman - shanghaied by deceit rather than by force or choice, aboard the notorious slaver 'Wanderer' - the slaver that sailed under the Burges of the New York Yacht Club. Over two years at sea with a Captain who when sober was a devil incarnate and when drunk was unspeakably worse. With a crew of cut-throats, knaves and murders on deck, while manacled below in the blackness of the hold in unbelievable filth and horror, six hundred terror-stricken African blacks alternately howled and wept or strained at their chains to escape from the awfulness of their confinement. 

The Slaver is of an age that has passed - an unwholesome parcel of history, but like all history it had its romance and heroes. Thrilling, humorous and strong in its characterization of the various types aboard such a ship, this book enthralls from beginning to the last page. The author, Dr. George S. King, a well-known surgeon who was brought up as a sailor, has pieced together stories of the sea told him by many old sailors - one of who actually sailed on the 'Wanderer', in an endeavor to depict the life on board. Written by the author while on a voyage from his store of imagination and knowledge. If you love the sea - if you have a ship - if you believe a ship has a soul, this tale you will find interesting. 

'Slave Ship' (1937)

based on novel 'The Last slaver' (1933)

Facts:

Wanderer - New Georgia Encyclopedia

The Wanderer was the last ship to bring enslaved people from Africa to Georgia and one of the last ships to smuggle bondsmen to American soil. On November 28, 1858, the Wanderer arrived at Jekyll Island, where its crew smuggled ashore 409 West African captives.

Wanderer

Courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center

The incident is especially noteworthy because the federal Slave Importation Act, passed in 1807, had officially banned the foreign importation of enslaved people into the United States. News of the Wanderer and its cargo quickly spread across the country and contributed to the sectional tensions between the North and the South that would soon lead to secession and the Civil War (1861-65).
Beginnings
Late in 1857 Colonel John D. Johnson, a New Orleans, Louisiana, sugar baron who was also a member of the prestigious New York [City] Yacht Club, commissioned a 238-ton luxury sailing vessel to be built on Long Island for his personal use. Upon its completion, the Wanderer was considered to be one of the world’s most impressive privately owned pleasure crafts. Of particular note was the ship’s ability to achieve high speeds; its streamlined design allowed it to sail at a maximum of twenty knots per hour.
Despite the ship’s attributes, Johnson, for whatever reason, did not keep the Wanderer for long. In 1858, while on a voyage back to New Orleans, Johnson sold the vessel for $25,000 to William C. Corrie in Charleston, South Carolina. Corrie, a prominent South Carolinian with strong ties to political circles in Washington, D.C., and to the elite business community of New York City, hoped that the purchase of the Wanderer would afford him admittance into the New York Yacht Club and catapult him into some of the city’s most exclusive social groups.
The Wanderer as Slave Ship
Shortly after his purchase, Corrie was approached by business associate Charles A. L. Lamar of Savannah, who proposed that together they retrofit the Wanderer and convert it into a slave ship. Lamar, a descendent of a prominent Savannah family that included the second president of the Republic of Texas, a U.S. Supreme Court justice, and U.S. treasury secretary Howell Cobb, was a “fire-eating” radical who had long opposed the U.S. government’s restriction on the importation of enslaved people. Corrie agreed to his associate’s proposition.
Corrie returned the Wanderer to New York and oversaw its transformation from luxury yacht to rudimentary slave transport. One of the last alterations he requested was storage, with the capacity to hold 15,000 gallons of drinking water. Some observers were suspicious that this and other modifications indicated that the vessel would be used to smuggle enslaved people. Despite the rumors and red flags, however, the Wanderer managed to pass all inspections and was subsequently cleared for its voyage.
On June 18, 1858, the Wanderer departed from the New York harbor, arriving in Charleston seven days later. There it was further transformed; foodstuffs, pans, and tins were put aboard, along with sufficient Georgia pine to construct a second deck beneath the existing 114-foot main deck once the ship reached Africa. Its conversion complete, the Wanderer set sail for Africa. Still flying the triangular pennant of the New York Yacht Club, the former luxury ship arrived at the mouth of the Congo River, in present-day Angola, on September 16, 1858. Although portions of the West African coastline were patrolled by the British navy, specifically the British African Squadron, which sought to prevent the penetration of illegal slave traders, the Wanderer and its crew easily sailed up the Congo to areas where captives were readily available. It was on that river that Corrie and Lamar made contact with one Captain Snelgrave, a representative for an illegal New York slave-trading firm.
After a period of negotiation, Corrie and Lamar placed an order with Snelgrave for 500 Africans, who were to be delivered to the Atlantic beaches from the barracoons, or slave warehouses, higher up on the Congo. The Americans paid for the African captives, at a rate of $50 per head, with rum, gunpowder, cutlasses, and muskets rather than with paper or gold. The entire transaction was completed in less than a month, and by mid-October the Wanderer had begun its return voyage to the United States.
The ship arrived at Jekyll Island (a considerably more clandestine point of entry than Savannah) on November 28, 1858. The entry point had been arranged by Henry DuBignon Jr., who owned Jekyll Island and had conspired with Corrie and Lamar from the beginning. Of the 487 Africans on board, 78 perished en route, and except for the mortality figures, little else is known about the middle passage experience. Within a matter of days Lamar and Corrie dispatched the survivors to slave markets in Savannah and Augusta, as well as to markets in South Carolina and Florida.
Aftermath of the Wanderer
Although Corrie, Lamar, and others associated with the Wanderer and its illegal activities arrogantly believed that their smuggling efforts had been successful, locals quickly spread the word that newly imported Africans had been spotted on native soil. Later evidence revealed that the crew of the Wanderer had presented counterfeit documentation to the authorities, a discovery that led to an investigation of the ship’s activities. As a result of the inquiry, Lamar, Corrie, and his conspirators were tried in federal court in Savannah on three separate counts of piracy in May 1860. Prosecutors were unsuccessful in proving their case, however, and the local jury returned a verdict of not guilty. No doubt Lamar’s status as one of Savannah’s leading citizens played a pivotal role in the acquittal.
The Wanderer incident incensed many northerners and contributed to the increasingly strained and deteriorating relationship between the North and the South. U.S. president James Buchanan responded to the Wanderer incident by proposing that the federal government adopt a more aggressive stance against the slave trade.
A little more than a year later, the Civil War began. In the spring of 1861 Union troops seized the Wanderer as an enemy vessel at Key West, Florida. The Union navy converted the ship and used it for various purposes, including gunboat, tender, and hospital ship. At some point after 1865 the Wanderer was purchased by a private citizen and sailed commercially until December 28, 1870, when it sank in the Caribbean, off the coast of Cuba.