The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-04-06
Almost a War With Canada.

Of late years perhaps no event caused
such stir of excitement in this region
as the so-called Patriot war in 1S38-a
revolt of certain Canadians dissatisfied
with the government of Sir Francis
Bond Head, then ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of
Canada-which was joined by num-
Der of American agitators ever ripe for
any disturbance. The first center of
operations of these so-called patriots
was Navy Island, in the middle of the
Niagara River, where they congregated,
employing the little steam-vessel Car
oline, in carrying arms and munitions
of war to that point. At length the
steamer was captured by some Canada
ans, fired, and run over the Falls of Nj
agara. Considerable Indignation was
excited in the United States by this de-
struction of the property of American
citizens, particularly along the border,
where indignation meetings were held
and secret societies called Hunters
Lodges were formed, with passwords,
secret signals and all due attendant
mysteries, the expressed purpose of
which was revenge upon the Canadian
Government. The agitators were de-
ceived by these signs into imagining
that events were now ripe for general
border war, in which they hoped to free
Canada from the rule of Great Britain.
1t was wild, insane affair altogeth-
er, and, after some time consumed in
petty threats of attack, finally reached
a climax in the burning of the Canada
an steamer Sir Robert Peel-one of
the tinestvessels upon the ST. Lawrence.
The most prominent actor in this affair
was Bill Johnston-a name familiar to
everyone around this region-whose ca
reer forms series of romantic advent
ures, deeds and escapes-followed by
his final capture-which would fill a
novel, Indeed, we understand that a
novel has been written by Canadian
Frenchman on this theme, though we
have not had the good fortune to find
anyone who has read it. The burning
of the steamer Peel, which occurred on
the 29th of May, 1888, remains, howev-
er, an act of inexcusable and stupid in
cendiarism, answering no conceivable
good purpose.
For some time there had been NUT
terings among certain of the societies,
and for few days previous to the oc-
currence something mysterious was felt
to be in progress. The night of the
29th was dark and rainy. About eleven
O'Clock the Peel, then on her way from
Prescott to Toronto, stopped at Nc
Donald's wharf, on the south side of
Wellesley-now Wells-Island, for the
purpose of replenishing her almost ex-
| hausted stock of wood. The passen-
gers were all asleep in the cabin, and
the crew busily engaged in their occu-
patton, when a body of men, twenty in
number, disguised as Indians and with
blaekened faces, yelling unanimously
and shouting: Remember the Caro-
liner ran quickly down the bank,
armed with muskets and bayonets, led
by a tall, strongly-built man, in red
shirt-Bill Johnston himself. In mo-
ment they overpowered the unsuspect-
ing crew, while on board all was tu-
multi and terror. Some of the ladies
tainted, and several of the passengers
fled to the shore through the rain, clad
only in their night-clothes. A short
opportunity was allowed for the passen-
gers and crew to carry their baggage to
the shore, but by far the greater part
was lost when the vessel was subse-
quently burned.
Toward morning the Peel was drawn
off from the wharf, and, after being run
upon point of shoal about thirty yards
below, was set on fire and abandoned.
For some time the flames blazed aloft,
Illuminating the shores for miles around;
but about dawn in the morning she once
more got adrift, and finally sank in
about seventy feet of water 1t was
nominally the intention of the captors
OF the steamer to convert her into a
gunboat and use her against the Cana
dian Government; but, upon finding
that she was firmly aground and re-
sisted all their efforts to get her free,
they fired her to prevent her recapture.
BY some it is asserted that the vessel
was deliberately robbed and then
burned to prevent detection and throw
an air of patriotism over the crime of
the perpetrators.-Fro I" among the
Thousand Islands," in Scri5ner for
april.