The Republican journal., 1871-10-26
The Gloucester Excitement.

|. The gloucester excitement.
The fishing schooner Horton, that made
her escape from Guysboro- where she was
detained by the Provincial authorities,
arrived safely in Gloucester, without in
reference from pursuers. Capt. knowl-
ton was greatly surprised at the excite
ment and his enthusiastic reception. The
following is the Captains story of the
rescue
When he learned of the taking of the F. A.
Horton by the Dominion authorities and that
she was hauled up in port at Guvsborough. he
at once determined that he would regain her,
whatever the hazard or the personal risk might
be- lie went to Guysborough. saw where the
vessel was lying and then found himSelfa board
ing-place about six miles distant. He disguised
his person. and in order that he might the more
securely do his work without exciting snSpi-
con, pretended to be Il gold prOspector hailng
from Prince Edward Island. This character he
assumed successfully. as he once had a long eX-
perience in the mining districts of California.
His presence was soon known. and as there
was already some excitement there ut the suS-
picion of the presence of gold in that region, he
was much sought for. He called upon by
MANY TO look at particular localities, and speci-
nation.
He would give his opinions in general way.
but tell the parties that it would be necessary
for him to send the quartz to Halifax for crush
ing before he could say how much of gold 1t
contained.
He stayed about there fer some time, and was
never suspected of being other than what he
pretended. In the meantime by night he was
busy in forming his plans and preparing to eX-
ecuting then. He studied the situation thor
II H..
the storehouse where his sails were, the guard,
the river, and in fact everything. He got a
supply Of provisions such rs they could carry
with them, and on Wednesday the 9th, they
started for Guysborough. They worked their
way through the woods. avoiding the roads, as
such a body of men would naturally excite sus-
picion.
twas Captain Knowlton's intention to take
his vessel on Thursday night but that time
proved unlavorable. and so he postponed action.
The next night and the next were equally I'M
propitous, and for three days he kept his men
hid in barns and succeeded in surreptitiously
getting food TO them. On Sunday night, at
about eleven o'clock, his men went down in the
darkness upon the wharf at which the Horton
Law. Save them. no living being was to be
seen. and the only sound was that made by the
edlyins Of the waters around the piles of the
wharf. Then Sngly. or two at a time more
men came, until there were seven of them.
They were Captain knowlton and his followers.
With military precision two men We're station
ed as guard while the others worked. All
were armed and prepared lor an emergency,
and had guard or any stranger appeared he
would have been quietly overpowered. put on
board the Horton and carried away. The men
had their own countersign, and thus We're
enabled to pass one another IN the darkness.
At that hour there We're not water TO float the
vessel, and would not be for some time With
H. little noise rs possible they forced their way
inf l,.. .haD WI pt he
ton Were. They found them without difficulty,
and took them to the end OF the wharf. As
soon rs there was enough water to float the
vessel the sails We're fastened on board, the
rigging was bent with two hoops on the MAIN
sail and two hanks on the lib, the halvards
We're rove in single parts, and quick work
generally was made Then the guards were
called from their posts, and at half-paSt two on
Monday, the 1lth, the Horton passed out with
fresh northwest breeze.
In half an hour they were out of all danger
from those on shore. They ran east-southeast
until they passed Little Canso. Daylight came
and then they steered south-southwest, rum
ming one hundred and fifty miles out of sight Of
land. reaching the north edge of the Gulf Stream.
Then they changes their course to the south
west in order to avoid any English cutter that
might have been sent after them. In the mean
time the rigging had, of course, been properly
that they looked in the hold to see what pro
visions they had on board. Luckily plenty was
there. On Wednesday they struck heavy
gale from the eastward, which prevailed with
unusual severity for four hours and split their
foresail They We're obliged to drift about
seventeen hours. After the gale they kept on
the southwest coast and reached Georges Banks
ON sunday, the 18th, which place was reached
hv dead reckoning. as they had no navigation
tools and Captain knOwlton was his own pilot.
There they got soundingS, and then another
gale sprung up which delayed them eight hours
more. From that point they shaped their
course west-northwest, direct for Cape Ann.
No armed hostile vessel was seen. No further
evening she arrived here and ran up to her
moorings at Rocky Point, where she now lies.
An account of her reception here, which so
aStonished Capt. knowton that he wanted to
know what all the noise was about, has already
been telegraphed. He and his crew remained
on board all night to guard the vessel against
possibility of any attempt at recapture.
Captain Knowlton speaks in high praise Of
the fidelity of his little crew, and says he is con-
tident that had they met opposition of any sort
they would have stood by him to the last and
given their lives even Unnecessary. at would
have taken good crowd to have stopped u.s."
he said, referring to the time they were on the
wharf getting ready to sail. He was determined,
he says, if he had met an English gunboat or
had run aground to have burned his vessel
rather than allow her to be reta!.en. And, in
deed. he even made preparations to do at Il
moments warning. Had tins contingency oc-
Cured. he and his men would have taken to
their boats. ''rhey might have taken me or
left me alone, - he said, ''but they could not
have had my vessel A sailing cutter lie
would not have feared, as the speed of the IIor-
ton was greater.