The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-12-19
STORY OF THE CIVIL. WAR.

0lVN vi X1lL Vi III. w i1ls
1met him yesterday. lie has at
tanned name, and fame, aud fortune.
lie didn't remember me, ani Pin
glad he didn't. He has done some
remarkable work, and lie ha, 'suc-
ccedcd." Yesterday HAD tlcchnnce
of shaking hands with the great
man.
! did not shake hands with him;
the lact is, couldn't. There are
some people you can't shake hands
with, you know; there are somc sins
impossible to forgive, some crimes SO
base that pcitlcrtimc norrepentancc
can ever blot them out. When | saw
his photographs l said to myself,
I've seen that face before somewhere;
and when saw him it all came back
to me.
1t was in 1S6-. lam not going
to give you the exact year. had
shipped us an ablc-bodied seaman
on board the (let us say Columbia.
The Columbia was IL man. o..war, and
belonged to the federal navy. We
1.-THE fcdnrnlsl had almost wiprd out
the so-callrd Confederate navy, but
there were one or two blockntle-run-
ners that still bothered us. Among
them was that notorious vessel the
1lurbingcr, and hitherto the Hair.
linger had succeeded in showing the
ships OF the federal fleet IL clean pair
OF heels. She had actually shot
across our bows in q thick fog int O
which she had disappeared; and we
fired three hurried shots at her with
our great Dahlgrcn gun, one OF
which carried away her funnel. l
called her blockade.runncr just
now, but we looked upon her us lit
tie better than Il pirate. She began
as II blockadc-runner, but whenever
she came across an unirmed United
States vessel she sunk or burned her,
taking the crews prisoners, and then
showing them ashore in uncomforta-
hlc places. We knew that she was
lying in hiding in one OF the numcr-
ons hayous OF the western coast of
Florida, nndi had been reported that
her engines had broken down. of
course, il we met her ut sea 81 naval
duel would take place, and either the
Columbia or the llarbingcr would
have togo to the bottom. We knew
PERFECTLY well that Admiral Sykes,
ashe called himself. of the Con!e.ler-
ate navy would never surrender.
Couldn't, you sec, because at least
Il third ofhis crew consisted of de-
serters from the federal army or
navy, and had IL price upon their
heads. and as my American ship
mates put it, chad Just got to be
hanged"
We had searched inlet after inlet;
the men were worn out with recon.
Motoring in boats and rowing for
hours in the glowing sun, in the
muddy inlrts and silent hayous
which We're badly marked in the
charts, and where the soun,lings
could not be depended on. One third
OF the crew was down with fever, and
deaths occurred nearly every day:
but We knew that the harbingcr had
TO he taken. five could only find
her, and ii her engines were really
broken down, she would fall n com.
palmtivcly easy prey. Our chief fear
was that she might he able to repair
damages and slip out past us under
cover of Il thick night, and recon-
mence her lcprc,lutions.
We had three weeks of it. The
night WAS tlickish, and was on
duty on the maintopcrosstrees. Not
sound broke the stiffness of the
night. Ever and anon the light of
the moon would break forth fitfully,
only to disappear again between
the driving clouds. There WAS u
sort of Scotch mist of rain which
wetted one to the bone and made
me and the companion of my watch
there were couple of lis on tho
crosstreesD actually suffer from the,
cold though it was II summer night.
"Pard," said my shipmate to me,
whats that?'
We could see an indistinct some
thing moving slowly through the
mist toward the Columbia; we knew
it was a boat Of some sort, by tic
slight phosphorescent trail it lett up
on the calm water; we guessed it
must he canoe, for the strokes
were not synrhronous. l hurried
down and reported to the officer of
the watch. When we had first sighted
the canoe it must have been some half
II mile of, and need hardly say
that it was absolutely invisible from
the deck. But the officer of the
watch came up into the top, and it
was plain enough that the advanc-
ing object was Il canoe padded by q
single man; and then the officer of
the watch raised n rifle to his shout
der and let fly over the mans head,
he didn't mean to hit him, you know
only to brighten him.
For Gods sake don't shoot?'
shouted the man; and he lighted q
pine-knot and held it above his head.
i've come to surrender"
The officer ordered him to come
aboard and report himself. We
flung him Il rope and he clambered up
the side.
A "mean white" evidently. Hchad
on pair OF old tattered trousers
black with dirt and Crime and grease,
and Il blue canvas shirt in the san G
condition. almost in rags. lie bone
the look ola hunted beast, and lie
seemed half-starved; his face was dee
GRATED with the most tremendous pair
ofblack eyes eversawin my life-tl c
lids were hall closed-and the eyes
themselves were bloodshot. Somt.
body had evidently been Knocking the
fellow about; as he turned slightly.
noticed that his shirt was red with
Hood. The man had evidently been
fiog@ed; but though We could all tell
that at IL glance none of us pitied