Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-19
WORCESTER:

Next morning, the 4th, as soon as it was
light, the captain, suspecting that something
must be wrong, weighed anchor and hosted
signal for pilot. Inside the bar was then to
be distinctly seen barque flying the Ameri-
can flag, also two other vessels, Ca pilot-bOat
and Il river steamboat making for the town;
and, in the distance, near the town, the masts
of three other vessels, but what craft they
were could not be distinguished. The pilot
boat kept running backward and forward, as
if sounding the bar, but still keeping at a dis
lance. At IL l-2 o'clock, the captain becom-
ing impatient, raised the American flag to the
peak, run up the Union jack, and put out as if
actually going to sea. Immediately the pilot
boat started after us, and our captain turned
round, heading for the shore again.
As the pilot neared us, his maneuvres back
ward and forward were so strange that the
captain said he could not be any pilot at all.
He seemed to be lodging us, and as he kept
lacking about, we managed at last to cut him
right off and come close up to him. "What
water do you draw ?" asks the man in the
boat, who was accompanied by three others.
"Nine feet and half" is the captains an
swer. ''There's ten and a half on the bar; ;
you can go in" care you the pilot?" "No /;
he is on board the barque, and has special
orders to bring her out first, but you can
follow me in
He then droppeda little astern. 1t happen
ed, however, that while this colloquy was 60
ing on, several of the refugees on board had
recognized the four men in the boat, and had
given notice to colonel Davis (1st Texas cav
alry) that the fellows were all well-known
rebels. Col. Davis, on hearing this, ordered
the pilot peremptorily to come on board 81
don't like to go on steamer where there are
SO many people" said the man, as he COM
menced to drop off from u.s. "Stand to the
bow guns p shouted the captain, (to produce
as formidable an effect as possible;) and i'm
mediately some fifty ominous Texan muzzles
were ready, any one of which can pick mans
right eye out at 100 yards distance.
"Halloa, Capt Payne!' shouted half a
dozen refugees on board, sis that your" The
rascal, taken aback by this unexpected recog-
milton, said ''Who is it that knows me ?"-
and Immediately added: ats no use; I'll
come on board; I'm your prisoner" When
on board, and Col. Davis began to question
him. he evidently set off with the intention to
deceive us in everything. He said that Capt.
Wainwright was in command of the rebel
forces and, when asked about our boats
crew, who had not returned, he said they were
all drunk ashore.
The captain, knowing that the men he had
selected were not the ones to be guilty of such
behavior, at once taxed the rebel with lying.
Upon which, seeing that all his subtertuge
could avail him nothing, he exclaimed: We'll,
| may as well tell you the truth-my mother
learnt me not to tell lie-the place is in the
hands of the confederates." As soon as Col.
Davis learned the astounding fact, he at once
determined to detain the fellow, but allow the
other three to return to the shore, SIS a sort OF
blind, while he had time to get away. His
duty was evident. His boat was quite unable
to cope with any war steamer. A vessel, sup
posed to be the Harriet Lane, was seen firing
up, with intent to pursue, and he was, more
over, running short Of coal. His only alter
native was to move off as rapidly as possible,
and he did so.
The prisoner then owned up to everything !;
told us that Magruder was in command of
the rebel forces, although he protested not
to know their number or strength; declared
that he was the identical pilct who directed
the rebel steamer when she boarded the Har-
riet Lane; and, moreover, that he was on
board the barque when our boats crew APP
preached her in search of a pilot, thinking
her to be a friend; and that he himself
seized them and conveyed them to shore as
DriSonnrS