Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-06-01

now IN" responsibility l"l IL rests III
other hands"
For some time longer Judge Hatha-
wav continued t. speak Of the conse-
qu.nc"s likely t. follow from a civil
strife: then he returned Ia his library.
:, III" hours later on seeking the reason
"a lis prolonged absence from the fam
lily circle they found him dead i'll his
chair. \ smile rested upon the silent
hips. and apparently without a struggle
he had passed from the scenes Of anx-
ietv and trial IL those Of eternal peace
and rest. This conversation and death
arr not imaginary. but are related here
substantially as they occurred.
The pr pnecy of Judge Hathaway,
improbable. IL it may then have seemed,
is nnw a matter Of history. With the
spring Of 1861. hostilities were begun,
T. t- continued for four long years.
Fortunately for the lonely and be-
reavrd women, Oak Bluffs was situated
for IA time Il considerable distance from
the scene of actual conflict, and had
their anxious suspense concerning the
whereabouts of Lieutenant GasQue only
been relieved their position would not
have been altogether unbearable. Once
indeed they had heard from him since
the death of Judge Hathaway; he was
about to sail for home. From that
time. however, no message from him
reached them, and they could only con-
lecture that every attempt on his part
to communicate with them had failed.
The summer and autumn slowly
passed away. A few of the household
servants still remained with the fam
lily, and though they necessarily suffered
many deprivations they were far from
actual want. No warfare had as yet
occurred In their immediate neighbor-
hood, and the worst they could COM
plain of in their situation was a COM
plete ostracism on the part Of their for
mer friends.
With the new year, however, came
change. A fortihcation was thrown up
at the mouth Of the river, which emp
tied into the bay few miles to the
north; detachment Of soldiers was sent
down to garrison It. and q regular pa
troll was established along the shores Of
the inlet.
The reason for this change was at
once apparent. For some months the
Confederates had been using the river
and bay on account Of their secluded
position as shipping station. Cotton
was floated down the river on flatboats
and over the bar to the mouth Of the
inlet. Here, under tho cover of the
night. it was transferred to steamers in
waiting and carried to foreign ports.
Suspicious Of this traffic had reached
the Federal government, and an armed
cutter was dispatched to place the bay
under blockade. The arrival Of the cut
ter caused the military operations and
activity on the part Of the enemy.
One Of the servants at Oak Bluffs,
lobe, or, as he was commonly called.
Uncle Toby, had discovered the vessel
almost as soon as she appeared of the
harbor and reported her arrival to the
ladies at the mansion house. Hoping
to learn at least where her nephew,
Lieutenant Gasque. was stationed, Mrs.
Hathaway directed Uncle Toby to watch
for an opportunity to visit the cutter.
After considerable search lobe found
place below the bluffs where the pick
cts were not on guard. Possibly a pick
ct had been stationed there, but left to
his own devices he had preferred tho
higher ground short distance above,
and consequently had changed his quar-.
tiers.
There being nothing TO prevent, Un.
Gle Toby struggled an old dugout
around to this place, and went down
the bay in the darkness to the steamer.
He returned tho following night with
the surprising intelligence that his
young master, Lieutenant Gasque, was
in command of the vessel, and in coniir.
mativn "a nIs GiuiuEs prOuuCeu u package
Of letters from him for the loved ones at
Oak Bluffs.
From this time there was weekly
communication between the cutter and
the mansion, and lobe did good serv-
Ice, furthermore, in reporting the move
ments Of the enemy ON the shore. Many
an attempt to run the blockade was
frustrated because of the faithful ne
gro's timely word.
Several weeks passed In this way, and
finally, Lieutenant Gasque, yielding to
fervent longing to see his aunt and
Hilda, ventured to return with Uncle
Toby, and by his knowledge Of the
grounds successfully avoided the pickets
and gained the house.
Before he returned to his cutter he
made known to his aunt and Hilda that
he was daily expecting the arrival of
another steamer, and then q secret at
tempt was to be made to capture the
fort at the mouth of the river and to
gain possession Of the cotton known to be
held in store there.
If the other cutter arrived in time.
just week from that night. under the
cover Of the darkness, 200 men were to
be landed on the sandy point; the pick
cts were to be surprised, and then q push
was to be made for the fertilization Of
the enemy.
Lieutenant Gasque, on account Of his
familiarity with the locality, was going
to lead this expedition in person, and
the hope was to reach the fort before
any alarm could be given and attack It
in the rear. Meantime both cutters
were to move up the bay. over the bar
and attack the fertilization from the
water side. Before this combined effort,
1t was expected the enemy would be de-
feated and the loaded barges known to
be lying at anchor there secured.
In case of any discovery Of the move
ment on the part Of the enemy or any
other occurrence likely to render the at
tempt unsafe, Uncle Toby was, at an
early hour on the appointed night, to
display signal light three times in
rapid succession from the extreme end
of the sandy point and repeat It until
answered from the cutters in the ofing.
Otherwise the men would be landed at
midnight. The expedition, If success
full, was designed not only to give the
enemy crushing defeat. but to enable
Lieutenant Gasque to remove the In
mates Of the mansion house to safer
retreat.
The long and anxious week drew to Q
close. Late in the evening Of the sixth
day Uncle Toby returned from q rec
onnoitering trip up in the region of the
Confederate fort, and with consterna-
tion depicted upon his sable face sought
an interview with his mistress.
"Missus EN- 'ly," he said, "dere's q
pow lot of new sojers come down to
de fort, an dey be doublin de pickets
long de shoar. an l dunno webber It
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