The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-10-19
TENNESSEE.
Further Particulars OF the Seizure
OF the Steamer Hesper.-snoOt-
ing ARRAY.

Further Particulars of the Seizure
OF the Steamer Hesper.-shoOt-
ing ARRAY.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Oct. IL.
The destruction of the arms on board
the steamer Hesper still causes much
excitement. The Democratic papers
assert that they were destroyed by the
Radicals for the purpose of making po..
litical capital. That Capt. Houston OF
the Hesper, loaned his boat at Hark
Grades for that purpose. Also, that
the arms were not the property Of the
State OF Arkansas. The Republican
papers on the other hand assert that
they were destroyed by the Ku Klux.
The following particulars Of the
seizure were obtained, In substance,
from Capt. John Ford, Of the impressed
tug Nellie Jones, about five O'Clock,
Thursday, p. M, the tug Nellie Jones,
Capt. John Ford, left the wharf for Fort
Pickering, having barge in tow, in
tending to return with lumber. The
tug reached its destination and landed
about half past five o'clock. No one
was in sight, but the line had scarcely
been made fast before the shore was
covered with men, all SO securely
masked as to be unrecognizable. There
were probably q hundred in number,
and had evidently been concealed some
time under the bluff. Without speak
ing word they quietly boarded her.
They took possession Of the pilot house
and engine room and ordered Capt.
Ford to Immediately start down the
river, adding by way of an incentive to
promptness, that somebody might be
hurt in the event OF a refusal. Accord
ingly he ordered one of the crew to cast
of line and in few minutes they were
rapidly steaming down the river. Upon
taking possession the new commander
l. ont a fofl nj m al =
lowing any one ofthem to leave his post
for even moment. The engineer was
not permitted to oil his machinery, the
mysterious passengers evidently fear
ing he might suddenly put it out OF re-
pair. The head of the tug was held
steadily down the river, until, when
approaching Cat Island, twenty-five
miles below, near the Arkansas shore,
(this was between 1880 and 8 O'Clock
Capt. Ford was ordered to run his tug
alongside the little steamer Hesper,
which was tied up wooding. During
the trip the leaders of the party inform
ed Ford that they intended overhauling
the Hesper and destroying arms, but
that strict orders had been issued to the
men to harm no one and respect all
other property. In obedience to orders
Capt. Ford ran the tug alongside. This
was no sooner accomplished than. leav-
ing two of their number in the pilot
house, two in the engine room and one
in the cabin as a guard. the latter over
one OF the crew who had insulted the
leader, the party suddenly sprang
aboard the Hesper. Little or nothing
was said, and the boarders, who evident
ly had an eye TO business, placed the
crew under guard and commenced the
work in hand. The gun boxes were
broken open with axes and hatchets,
and the guns taken out and thrown
In hFnl<an
fore being consigned to the watery
element. A large quantity of ammu-
milton in the hold marked sundries,
was also thrown overboard; the boxes
were showed overheard after them, and
many of them were seen by the pas
sengers on the MayfloWer floating with
the current. In half an hour the task
was accomplished, and the party
quietly returned to the tug, leaving
the Hesper adrift, and in the posses
sion OF all her crew who had remain
ed, Capt. Houston and his brother hav-
ing made for the woods as soon as the
Nellie was seen bearing down upon
their craft. The raiders once more
aboard, Captain Ford was required
to turn the boat northward, and proceed
until further orders. at midnight the
tug reached a point in PreBident's
Island, about eight miles below the
city. Here by order of her veil
ed commander, she was run
aground and the raiders taken on
shore. No sooner had this been done
than some one, until that moment in
visible on the Island. was hailed. a
skid was put out from shore and was
rowed alongside. Whether the person
in it was black or white could not be
ascertained, as he too was Masked
Six OF the raiders got into the skif and
were taken ashore, and the skih con-
LIT frfn n hnY
the last six were safely carried over;
but before any one lett strict orders
were given to Capt. Ford to remain in
the chute until daylight. Heidi SO,
the Tug not changing position until
q. m. yesterday morning. She then
returned to the city bringing the first
and only intelligence of what had oc-
soon after the Hesper was boarded,
several shots were fired, but whether
by the crew or the raiders he did not
ascertain. Some one ordered the firing
to cease, and nothing more was heard.
No one on board the Hesper was injured
or in any way mistreated.
A notorious character named Bill Por-
tor, was shot and killed by man named
Amos Carline, near the old fair ground,
last night. An old feud has existed
between them for years, and last night,
while Porter was standing in the door
of a saloon Carline approached, armed
with a shot gun, which, without a
word he discharged fourteen buck shot,
taking effect and producing instant
death. Carline was arrested and COM
mitted.
MEMPHIS. October Is.
The wife of Bill Porter, who was kill
ed by Amos Carline on Friday night,
on hearing of her husbands death fell
down in swoon and expired without
speaking a word. Carline has been re.
leased on four thousand dollars bail,
having established the fact that Porter
had threatened to kill him on sight.