Captain Crawford’s Voyage
The “City of Norfolk” was one three voyages brokered in 1860 by Albert Horn on behalf of the Portuguese Mora Cartel (named after its two bosses, brothers who respectively operated in Europe and the U.S.). It had agents in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Brazil, Cuba, and American cities. They communicated via coded messages, embedded in postal mail that crossed the oceans on ship, telegrams that crossed nations by wire, and written messages concealed in wealthy travelers’ luggage, garments, and personal items. To combat the cartel, American and British agents broke codes, steamed open and re-sealed intercepted letters, created disinformation, and even inserted double agents into the cartel.
As the “City of Norfolk” neared its final delivery spot in Cuba, Spanish patrols were on watch, and it could not outrun them. The Spanish took everyone to Havana to sort things out. The Africans who remained on board were not sold into slavery. The ship’s officers and crew were taken to Key West. Those crewmen who had been hoodwinked into serving on a slaver drafted a statement that would help substantiate the later indictments against Horn and Crawford. It was printed in the New York Times of October 26, 1860:
