The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-01-05
rhe - oflhe rropeIIer eeorslan.

The seizure Of the Canadian propeller |
Georgian, whilst In course Of being it- I
ted out in 3 Canadian port for a raid I
on the United States lake commerce,
will be remembered Since the seizure
of the Georgian mas remained IN the
hands Of tue Canadian Government.
but she is now claimed by the United /
States as part Of the assets OF the de
funct Confederacy, TO whose estate, ac-
cordiug 10 the opinion of the high1sl
law othoer of the British Crown. the I
United States has become heir go .
law A counter claim has been filed .
by a Canadian subject named Georg-
T Dennison, the reputed owner OF thr
propeller al the time OF her seizure
and the case is now before the Court q
Chancerv in Toronto for adjudication
The affidavit Of William Lawrence
Mcdonald, one Of the party principally
interested in the operations Of the in
tended lake pirate, bat who has no
made a clean breat OF the whole affair.
gives an insight into the operations OF
the notorious Jake Thompson and hIs
gang. az far as relates 10 this one case
Mcdonald states that lac was ap-
pointed transportation agent of the
| Confederacy at Toronto, portion Of
/ his duties being 20 aid Confederate
soldiers who had escaped from Federal
/ prisons and also 90 assist iu any
/ schemes for the release OF Confederate
soldier from Federal prisons. Ia the
/ furtherance OF this latter object aut in
/ pursuauce Of Instructions from Jacob
/ Tbompson Mcdonald and ieryuis D
| Bates undertook che purchase OF the
/ Georgian. which was 90 be fitted out
and used in eiiecung the release Of the
| prisoners on JOhusons Island The
! propeller was purchased Of A. n
smith q Co for Sl6,5OO, the money be-
ing Furnished by jacob Thompson. and
he WAS then transferred % Bates. who
gave a note for SlSOlo-he having no
money to meet il or any part Of it--aDd
as collateral gave mortgage on eleven
thousand acres Of land M MississippI
which he did not possess. IN fact the
whole Transaction was a blind to con
ceal Jake Thompson.s connection with
the affair, and 10 give color 70 the re
port set aAoat that Bates aud his part
| ner Mcdonald were going into the busi-
ness Of carrying grain from Chicago &,
Buffalo.
But Jake Thompson, knowing by bis
own history that there il such a thinl
as betrayal Of trust, and disheiievin,
in the proverb that there is hon0l
among thieves, suspected Bates ola de
sign to take actual instead Of nomiua
possession Of the propeller, and selcctes
= Canadian named Dennison as q NOR
trustworthy person. The vessel Wa
therefore sold 70 Dennison, he giyin
his notes, without endorsement or sd
curity, in payment to Ihumpson, ia
latter giving Dgnais0n $3.50 10 max
certain alterations IN her that woul
better tt her for her career Of piracy
| As a further illustration Of the fact tina
partners in roguery attempt to Ove
reach each other. DenuisOn made h
notes in favor Of John Bates, instead ,
the real name, Lewis B Bates, for th
reason, according to an admission mad
70 Mcdonald, that "he thought I
b might make a little mouey out of be
and that be would have the papers pJ
| in such form that, II necessary, D
could swear be was the owner, and D
proving the non existence Of job
Bates, render the notes Of no Yalu
Having got possession Of the Georgia
E he was 10 the act Of fitting her out =
oording 10 Jake TAOmpson's iustru
lions, when she was seized By the Can
} dian authorities
Dennison now claims the propeller
his property, but there can be lit
. doubt - 70 the facts in the case II
, only bona ffs sale was that by A.
Smith s. 20, who received the mon,
foi the vessel According to = mem
randum, signed by Bates and witness
by Thompson. the former received fro
Mcdonald 81, 900 with which 10 pu
2 chase tue Georgian " for the use Of y
y / L Mcdonald as agent OF the Q S A
, and be agreed 10 hold her a. the pr
perty Of the e. S A aud subject 10 Il
81 | control Of its ageut Thus traced
. the agents Of the Confederacy, there
nothing 70 show q legitimate dspos
Of the propeller 10 other parties I'll
b notes given by Bates were confessed
valueless, and those given by DeunisS
4 were not only without security or q
4, dorsement Of any kind, but Denuist
. wss actually paid, by an ostensibly q
d interested person, money fos reiJtiI
, MS own vesseL-C'Ve.Hqt HTld