Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30

was piled with all manner of questions as
to his whereabouts during the earlier hours
OF the trip. but to all of these interrogatories
he made evasive replies and was wholly nom
committal
When Montgomery was reached he did
not dare allow one of the crew of the Clotilde
= to be turned adrift in that city, so officers
and crew were quickly placed on board a
tram and sent to New York City, where they
were paid off and discharged.
The news OF the importation of the slaves
was soon noised about, and created consider
able excitement and commotion, which re-
suited in Captain Meaher's arrest and sub
sequent release on bail. Alter time the
Government officials ascertained the location
of the slaves, and the Government quietly
chartered the steamboat Eclipse to 60 after
them and bring them to Mobile. Captain
Meaher learned of this move through a
friend, and Immediately set to work to
checkmate it. The afternoon set tor the de-
parture OF the Eclipse fonnd the Roger B.
Taney at the wharf taking on freight for her
trip to Montgomery. Captain Meaher called
trusted employe to him, and, slipping $50
in gold into his hand, said: "The Eclipse is
going after the negroes this evening. Take
this and fix the crew with liquor"
GOT THE CREW DRUNK.
Unconcernedly sauntering down to the
wharf. he ordered the freight handlers load
ing the Taney to cease their work after thev
had rolled aboard several casks of bacon,
which were subsequently used as fuel. He
then ordered the boat To be in readiness to
leave at a moments notice. Finally the
lines were slipped and the Roger B. Taney
steamed up the river. By this time the
crew of the Eclipse were so much under the
influence of the liquor paid for with Cap
tain Meaher's gold, that they were unfit for
duty, and several hours were lost in secur-
ing another crew. Bv the time the Eclipse
started the Taney was 100 miles away. The
fancy proceeded to the Dabney planta-
tion, took the negroes aboard, steamed
through the cutoff into the Alabama river
and landed the slaves in another canebrake
200 miles up that river. The Eclipse also
went TO the Dabney plantation, where the
Government officials spent ten days in a
frutless search for the negroes.
Cantain Meaher was tried Tor the offense
in the United States Court and only saved
his neck through his ability to prove that
he had made 81 consecutive trips on the
Roger B. Taney between Mobile and Mont
gomery during that year, the attorneys thus
convincing the jury that he could not have
imported the slaves and made these trips
also. First and last the undertaking cost
Captain Melher 500, 900.
After the excitement incident to the slave
cargo had died away Captain Meaher's 80
slaves were brought down and quartered
near his home in the suburbs. This African
colony is now known locally as Yorkvile,
and 1t is at present ruled ovtr by a woman,
who is known as the Queen. They are gov
erned by code of their own and have never
mixed or mingled with other negroes. The
colony has grown until it now numbers
several hundred. Many of them are of the
original 80 who were brought here in the
ClotiIde. They cultivate small gardens,
raise fowls and work in the adjacent saw
and shingle mills. They are an industrious,
peaceable community, and it is the largest
and probably the only colony of pure
blooded Africans in this country.
RICHARD HINES, JR