The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-07
RED RIVER CAPTAINS STORY
Cotton at 81 so q P0und-An Ominous
Wedding Mysteries Of Cotton
Trans pOrtatiOn.
BY NAPIER BARTLETT.

There is no sensation or excitement that
stirs up the feelings of q full grown man
like the prospect of getting hold of pig
sum of money at one haul or drag Of the
net suppose that when he first starts on,
full of vigor he will do and suffer as much
from the love Of woman, ana if he has
been educated to that kind of feeling, and
finds Il career opening before him as soldier
or politician, he will brave everything and
suffer good deal to get ahead in that way
but it don't happen to many to have either
the chance or the ambition and where they
do, the hope of wealth looms up in the fu
ture along with the aspiration for honor.
But talk to man about the possibility OF
acquiring his thousands at one venture-oi
letting Kim or his friends take gold off a ia
Die when served to them at feast, RS Alex
aIder did for his sOldiers-as much as each
man wanted; or of being warned, when it
was spread out before the soldiers of Cor
ties in neglected piles, on the 1'iste Noche,
not to burthen th. mselves with too mach
plumber; or better than all having large
room heaped with twenty million dollars of
gold, as happened to Pizarro. Then watch
how the eye sparkles. 1t is all the same
whether the man that listens is the sci.n-
tific speculator-the Vanderbilts, Fisks
GOulds and SCOTS, or the California gold
digger, express rObber, or carpet-bag treas
Mry plmnderer! They all want the yellow
boys, and want them badly! And when the
knowing man comes to you and whispers
that there's a movement on foOt-a whisky
ring or combination to get III sugars or
other articles free of duty, you heed what
1,a tInr <l,.,. 10, l., 49,
science.
| have had my dream realized, or nearly
so, once or twice. l once had in hand
dozen plantatiOns-mOre than | knew how
to managerial as for bales of cotton and
blockade goods to correspondence. this is
what | started to tell about, if l can ever
get to it.
1t was about tie close Of the war, when
the cotton famine was the greatest, and
when cotton was worth 81 80 IL pound.
Butler who had with his brother controlled
the market by military force, had shown
what could be done in this way, and had
by awakening the fears of cotton and sugar
holders, and controlling the navy, been ena
bed to carry away his millions.
The example was not lost on Others who
were watching the signs just as attentively,
and who soon discovered that where they
could achieve the necessary work, or act in
concert with the headquarters movement.
that there would still remain large mar
gin for individual gain.
What had to be done was to obtain the
money from wealthy hackers for buying
with, in the interior; next, to pick out an
accessible point, at which the connivance OF
the opposing military commandant could be
obtained; lastly, as all the boats had been
confiscated by the government, it required
still more powerful influence to get possess
sion of one of these, even where the boat
that was detained was your own property.
The truth was, about the time of TIE wind
ing up Of hostilities, the government officers
were bent on getting the whole, by with
holding transportation, where the Federal
4ines had been extended, or by charging that
a planters cotton had been sold to the Con
federate government, and was therefore liza
ole to constiscation. Under this state of facts,
a great many bales, where not disposed Of
for song, were hid away in inaccessible
swamps awaiting an opportunity of getting
TO market.
Thus situated, had made several attempts
to get possession of my boat, with no hope of
success, and finally upon meeting rude re-
ceptiOn, from the officer who controlled the
matter, decended the steps of the magniti
cent building that had been seized for army
headquarters with the full determination
percillous aids, who had nothing to do but
jingle their spurs and pull their mustaches
gave themselves SO many airs, that begun
to despise myself for ever having made APP
pication at all. To increase my annoyance
to the last pitch, one of them halted me. just
rs was passing out of the whole atmosphere
of the place. as | then believed, forever.
What do You want with me-" asked
him roughly. and if he had replied in the
tone which | expected, l was angry enough |
to have dealt him blow.
. Have we never met before ?" he asked.
eff so. you have the advantage of me-"
1 replied, taking a step as if to move off.
If | am not mistaken you once rendered
me great service"
Then you can best repay me by permit
ting me to move away from place in which
it seems my presence only suggests super
rilious stare and ill-natured remarks"
. | am the very man, and what is more,
am in situation here to do You much more
of favor in return than when we last met.
l suppose things have gone wrong with
you, from your sour looks, and that you
have not got what yon wanted, up stairs ?"
told him briefly that was rot worth a
cent, but that if | could get back my boat,
1 thought | could make fortune that
everybody was crazy for the cotton move
nent to commemorate have it brought down
from the Interior and that none could be
got to the market.
In that case come tomorrow and make
application the same as if you had never
before made the same request"
l hesitated at first, but ultimately, in
spite of my resolution the moment before,
did as he told me.
The result was that l got possession Of
my boat and collected on my first trip back
for freight, clear of expenses. about three
lines the value of the steamer when new
was offered more cotton than l could
bring away at $50 BALE or, in other words
nearly thirty times the price for which l
nave since carried it over the same route.
Large as the amount was, it did not sat
sly me. Ny imagination became excited at
he prospect of penetrating some Of the
almost unknown bayous, where the white
staple had accumulated in large quantities
Turing the war, and where bale would
lave sold for less in gold, owning to the
Lancer of contiScation than I uoul1 h,va |