The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-08-16
JOSEPH WILSON.
me Seostf VE0 BrGred Fire and Death if
the Pittsburgh Riot.


the Pittsburgh Riot.
From the Pittsburgh Giazette.I
The soldier who acted as scout and
kept up communication between Gen.
I.atta Mt the Union Depot and Gen.
Brinton in the round-house was Mr.. Jo-
saph G.. Wilson, Sergeant in the .Teffer-
son Cavalry, and one of the five men
who stood by his colors with the Cap
tain. About midnight, when Gen.
Brinton found the mob mt the height of
its fury, he determined in some way to
open. communication with headquarters
at the Union Depot. The telegraph
line was cut, and SO he had only re-
course to the men, and only a Pittsburgh
er who knew the ground could be chosen.
In this dilemma he consulted with Capt.
Murphy, of the Jefferson Cavalry, who
recommended Mr. Wilson as man who
answered to the description of the scout
needed by Gen BrintOn-''a man who
would come back at all hazards. Mr..
Wilson was consulted, and expressed
willingness to do n soldiers duty. He
was accordingly arrayed IN blouse and
oyerails and taken from the roTund-house
through the carpenter-shop and into the
undergrad. Nobody but the staff
officers knew him or of his mission, and
hence when he attempted to pass
through the undergrad he was inter
cepted by the outside sentry. Capt.
Murphy, who was with him to show him
the way ont, tried to get the soldier to
pass him, and the result was that both
Brinton, who quietly released them,
bui made no explanation. The
scout then started out again. There was
a fence on the Liberty street side OF this
yard, and the fence also partially closed
mp the yard on the east side The fence
on the east side stopped Just where the
car tracks ran. On the inner track, next
to the lumber, was Il train of freight
cars, and between the end of the fence
and this train there was small space.
through which man, by passing side
ways, could edge his way out A man
passing through the carpenter-shop and
into the undergrad was protected on
one side by the cars and on the other by
the lumber from the observation of the
mob, and this way Sergt. Wilson passed
ont. Once outside the fence, ne crawled
under the cars for some distance, and
finally came out from underneath the
cars and joined a small group of the
rioters, who were talking about 'sroast-
IN them Philadelphy fellers BY lit
tie loud talk he won their confidence and
escaped suspicion, and III short time
got away. He had no trouble then in
reaching the Union Depot, where he
found Gen. Latta, Secretary Quay, and
a number of others, none of whom he
knew. He secured admission to them
10y telling the guard, and showing his
uniform underneath his blouse. His
story was verified when he produced his
dispatch to Gen. Latta. 1t was written
on piece of paper torn from Gen. Brin-
toms memorial book, and scrubbed in
ates. after reading the note, questioned
him further about the situation of af-
fairs, and then retired to consult. In a
short time he was given IN answer, and
made his way back. In going back he
was intercepted by several bands of
workmen around the cars-but as he al
ways pretended to be on the same en-
rand as themselves plunder-he easily
qnieted their fears. He was compelled
To crawl some distance toward the end
Of his journey in getting back, but got
through.
He made two other trips, going and
returning in tie same way, but on the
last trip barely escaped detection sew
cral times. As he was going out on his
third trip he encountered gang en-
gagged in firing freight cars. They
stopped and asked him, ''Who the HI
are you?"
Putting on a braggadocio front, he
replied: And LII like to know who
You are. belong to the gang" They
then asked him for his partner
Oh, said he, "he's gone down Penn
street to get some more oil to wet these
ears. The men were engaged in wet
ting the cars with oil themselves. so thew
readily took the story in. They told
him if that was the case they'd leave
hlm to wet these few, and they'd go on
down, and SO he escaped. A little
further on he was again halted by a
mrderous gang, who We're showing the
cars down. They didn't believe his
story at first, but proposed to search
hnu. lie had the dispatch in his blouse
pocket, and knew it would be death if he
was discovered. But, keeping cool, he
sand: All right, fellers. you can
search me, Int before you do I'd like to
have a ehaw of tobacco. I'm most
starved for chaw" Several of the men
felt fer the nicotine, but had none. So
said, "Well, maybe I've got a few
crumbs in my pocket; wait till L see"
and with that he fumbled IN the blouse
pocket until he had rolled the dispatch
into quid, when, with the remark.
BY golly, that's lucky, have Just
bite, he whipped it into his mouth. He
seemed to have some work to chew it. and
one of the men remarked: 'sThat must
ne hard chaw, when he said, well
II you'd been in that pocket rs long and
exposed to the heat you'd he hard, too. =
The roughs then commenced the search.