Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-07-27
Z Refuge Of Lies.

| The career of the late corsalr Alabama
was probably of the most ztupendOus and
systematic fraud ON record. l.. She pro-
fessed To be Rebel or Confederate in ori-
! gin and impulse, but was built with mon
| ey subscribed or contributed for the pur
pose 10y British enemi,-s of our Union
,. She was built ~ peaceful merchant
man, hring all the time intended for no
other ,,-,' than that 10 which she was de-
voted. 3. She stolo out of Liverpool,
where she was la II, on pretense Of max
| ing q trial trip, wholly unarmed, and
with ladies on board TO cover the decep
tion. 4. A peremptory order from the
Government for her detention, based on
proof furnished by her minister and Con-
sui OF her true character, wns treacher-
ously detained on the way, so as TO pre-
clude its reception in season TO stop her;
| her managers being meantime privately
advised that she must make herselfscarce.
). Though called Confederate, she never
dared enter aConfederate port; never was
under the protection of Confederate
shore battery; and never had even q
! tenth part of her crew composed of ma
| tive or even naturalized citizens of the
Confederacy. She was British, built
with British money, Of British timber
and iron. armed wholly with British guns
and manned by British crew, and never
fired cartridge that was not of Rritish
material and manufacture. Z. Though a
fugitive from British justice and a fla.
grant yiolatoI Of British law, she has
been everywhere welcomed and feted in
Briiiih ports. and has sailed over all seas,
robbing and burning our merchant YES
sells by the help of the coal, provisions,
cartridges. &C.. which have been ready
for her in every British harbor. 8. Tho
calling herself National ship of war,
she has shrunk from encounters with all
such, save when off Galveston she decoy-
ed the Hattsras (half her size) under her
guns by hosting the British flag and de-
claring herself the British gunboat Pc
trel. Q. She was, in spite of all preten-
ses, in tip-to condition, as one of her
officers telegraphed to Liverpool after the
fight, ''the Alabama was in frst-rste trim.
10. She was sixth larger than the Kear-
sage 200 tuns to 1,03l;) had eight guns
to our seven; and full crew Of $50 men,
which was at least equal aud probably
superior to our number, as she was ena-
bled to work her guns much faster than
ours were fired. IL. Semmes fought the
OulJ OCCduSO uC COuiG IiOS hCAP
it. Mr.. Dayton had protested against
the shelter and aid given to the corsair in
friendly harbor, and the French Gov
ernment had felt constrained to order
him out of port. Yet there lay the
Kearssge off the mouth of the harbor;
and, to get out, the Alabama must fight.
So she made virtue of necessity, and
steamed out. l2 She chose her own
time and distance. opening fire first, and
shortening the distance at pleasure. If
Semmes had chosen to lay his vessel
aboard of the Kearsage. the maneuver
would have been welcomed But he
found it hot enough where he was. l3.
The Alabama was thoroughly riddled,
disabled and demolished, and Semmes
was glad to surrender his ship TO save his
life, and she went down with her flag
stauck. lie escaped capture through
British partiality, and is this hour right.
fully Capt Winslow's prisoner. The
Deerhound has no right to steal away
with part of our spoils of victory, and
did it by deception. IA. Semmes' pre-
tense that Capt. Winslow tried to sink
his craft or her crew aftershe had surren-
dered is refuted by the log of the Deer
hound, his virtual ally. Is. And. as if
he had not lied enough, upon reaching
England, says one of his petty officers in
q statement to the News,
Capt. Semmes anxionsly asked what
the people of England thought of the
South; said that Slavery existed there
but in name; and that the South and
North would never again be united"
We never heard this matched b1t
once, and then in Cap. Marryat's tale,
where most inveterate and immeasura-
BILE liar was dying and, being warned that
the noise he was making was the death
rattle in his throat, gasped out-"No; l
have known q man to live ak weeks
making that noise"-and there his voice
failed him forever.