Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-17

A Cerrect Account Of the Manner IN
which They were Captured. p

llltlt uttuiA'fI Aoof~t '".@- ~~~@-' -
Arkansas boys, and the cargo Of fire.
arms she was carrying to Radicals lover
the way thrown into the Mississippi
river. We now give the particulars Of
the seizure. as stated by Capt. John Ford,
whose tug. the Nettie Jones, was i'm
pressed for the service;
"On Thursday afternoon the tug
Nettie Jones, under my command,
left the wharf for Fort Pickering,
having a barge In tow, and intend
ing to return with lumber. The tug
reached its destination about half-past
five o'clock. No one was in sight; but
the line had scarcely been fastened be-
fore the spot was covered with men, all
so masked as TO be unrecognizable' They
we're probably hundred IN numser, and
had evidently been concealed for some
time under the bluff. Had they sprung
out of the earth their appearance before
the startled crew could hardly have been
more sudden. Without speaking word,
they quickly boarded the tug, took pos.
session Of the pilot-house and engine
room, and ordered me TO Immediately
start down the river, adding, BY way OF
an incentive TO promptness, that some
body might be hurt in the event Of re-
fusal.
"As soon rs | could sufficiently re-
cover from my fright to decide whether
nv unbidden guests were hundred or q
thousand in number, | comprehended
that resistance was out Of the question.
Accordingly ] ordered one Of the crew
to cast off the line, and in few mo-
ments the tug was rapidly steaming fo-
Presidents Island chute. Upon taking
possession, the new commanders kept
vigilant eye on the crew, not allowing
any one Of them to leave his post for
even a moment. The engineer was not
permitted to oil his machinery, the mys-
terious passengers evidently fearing he
might suddenly put it out of repair,
"The head Of the tug was held stead
lily down the river until approaching Cat
Island, twenty-five miles below, near the
Arkansas shore This was between
seven and eight o'clock, and ! was
ordered to run my tug alongside the
little steamer Hesper, which left the city.
during the afternoon with the cargo OF
Radical arms for Arkansas, and was tied
up, woodiHg. During the trip, the lead
ers of this mysterious party informed me
that they intended overhauling the Hes
per and destroying the arms, but that
strict orders had been issued TO the men
to harm no one, and respect all other
property.
"In obedience to ordera, ran the tug
alongside. This was no sooner accom-
plished than, leaving two of the number
in the pilothouse, two in the engine
room and one in the cabin as guard,
the yelled party suddenly sprang aboard
the Hesper. Little or nothing was said,
and the boarders, who evidently had an
eye to business, placed the crew under
surveillance and commenced the work in
hand. The gunboxes were broken open
with axes and hatchets, the guns taken
out and thrown into the river. Many were
broken before being consigned to the
element. A large quantity of ammuni-
ton in the hold, marked 'sundrles, was
also thrown overheard. The boxes were
showed overheard after them, and many
Of them were seen by passengers on the
Mayhower, floating with the current.
In half an hour the task was accom-
plished, and the party quietly returned
to the tug, leaving the Hesper adrift and
in possession of ell her crew who re-
NAMED, Captain Houstos and his brother
having made rapid strides for the woods
as soon as the Nettie was seen bearing
down upon their craft. nE
1.-THE mysterious raiders once more
aboard my tug, i was required to turn
the boat northward, and proceed until
further orders. At midnight she reached
point in Presidents Island chute, eight
miles below the city. Here, by order of
the yelled commander, she was run
aground. No sooner had this been done
than some one, until that moment invisi-
BILE, on the island, was hailed. A minute
afterward a skif put out from the shore,
and was rowed alongside. Whether the |
person in it was black or white could not
be aseertained, as he, too, was masked. |
Six of the raiders got into the skif aud !
we're taken ashore, and the skiff continued
making trips until three am, when the
last six were safely landed on the Arkan-
sas shore But before any one left, strict
orders we're given to remain In the chute
until daylight. | did so, the tug not
changing position until seven am. yes
terdsy. She then returned, bringing the |
first and only intelligence of what had
occurred"
From the above statement it appears
we we're wrong in stating the steamer
Hesper had been scuttled. She received
no injury at all, and is now at the levee
in as good condition as when she started
on her trip down the river.
The latest rumor on the streets is that
Beaumont has arrested Barbour Lewis
for being the ring-leader in the capture
of those guns" We doubt this, as the
safe delivery of the guns would have been
profitable to Barbour. who, it is said,
purchased them in Detroit at seventy
cents each with the intention of selling
them to negroes in Arkansas at twenty
seven dollars apiece. However, the
manner rests between Beaumont and
Barbour. Ht
HooP SKIRTS in endless variety, at
Rice & Engers, 2S3 Main street. T
The VARIETIES, called by Memphis
connoiseurs "The Temple of Thespis,
is nightly crowded by the elite of the
city. Each attraction, in itself, is worth
the price of admission. We would praise
all, but, at the same time, would notice
in a higher manner the acting of the an
eelic Marie. The very acme Of scientific
dancing has, in her case, been blended
With the accomplished actress. Grace
Of the highest order is personifed in her
every action; and in whatever scene her
role may be cast, she is sure to be greeted