Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-17


for them they will be supplied until you receive
OFFICER CoMMANDfSG oPP0sING FORCES"
The audacious coOlneSs OF this proceeding
aroused the old general to an erup,ive state
| OF Indignation. He tore the message to
pieces and ordered the arrest OF the Ines
senger. Half an hour later another arrived.
Il am ordered" he said, Ito say to You
| that if you do not release the messenger a
sufficient force will be sent 20 take him.
Away with him. shouted the irascible
old general. 'If he attempts to escape
shoot him."
| During the night Gen. Waterson and Fen
| ming got in at the bayou entrance. and before
| morning Gen. Luscomb's forces were fallen
| upon and completely routed.
CHAPTER XVIII.
In June Of that year there appeared in
| several of the Indiana papers the follow
| ing advertisement:
| MILITARY EXCURSION.
Uniformed military companies in Indiana wish
! ing to JON the excursion battalion to make sum
mer visit To New York i'll july viii please report
| ments oUerld TO organized conpauIes TO join
tins pleasure party: lne battalion Will be the
This vague announcement Of projected
| excursion did not fail to attract some at
| tention In New York Several of the pa
| pers referred 10 II in paragraphs. which
| briefly stated that the militia of Indiana
| intended to visit the city during the sum
uer.
| On the 9th Of July the superintendent Of
police in New YORK received a formal let
| Ter from Indianapolis saying that if the
| arrangements could De completed d regi-
ment OF Indiana militia would visit the city
| on or about the 18th, and asked for the
usual right to parade and a police guard to
| clear the streets. AT the time Of the re-
| ceipt of the letter every man of the regi-
meat was in New Iork. The men OF the
rorce We're 50 widely and carefully dis
| tributed that military organization was
invisible. Each man had in mis- possession
light Uniform consisting Of q blue flannel
shirt duck trousers and belt, a thin glazed
nat, knapsack and Spencer rifle with
Twelve rounds OF bail cartridges This uni
form could be put on in lew moments.
Al $50 on the morning Of The l2Ih the
men thus equipped came to ToInpkn' S
square from all points OF the city. The in
habitants in the neighborhood looked on
With the lazy interest that a military pa
lade aWakens in the metropolis, but 10 one
knew or cared TO inquire whether the regi-
ment had arrived en- maSSe by an early
train or had come In the night before
The troop had to wait ill o'clock for
the platoon of mounted police that was to
preeede them. Gen. Naterson, the colonel
commanding, communicated with the ser
geant OF the squad through mis- adlutant
They had been invited, he &aid, 10 visit Wall
street and the subtreasury. They were
then to march to Gen. Grants tomb Tor
battalion eVOlutiOuS.
1t does not appear that any suslirions
up 10 this time were awake in the police
VINO regarded the cCnspiCuOus cartridge
belts Of the men piece Of western NIL
ltary nonsense, ana it was not within their
line OF duty TO question the visit OF the
| otflcers to the subtreasury. II the sub
treasury did not Want their western Wis
itorS they would shut the doors IN their
faces.
Ii was twenty minutes past . when
the regiment. preceded by ;ne police, and
with the colonel and ms staff, disnounted
left the park and Il was 10 O'cllyk when
il wheeled into broadway at Sth street
making solid and formidable appearance
IN its homely uniforms and soidicriy bear
ing.
Nothing occurred along the route of con-
sequence to interfere with its progress
! The inhabitants looked upon K as part of
the constantly recurring show Of that high
way; careless remarks were here AMI there
made about the cheap Set-up, but the
crowds eyed it carelessly and Went on their
way. II was just fifteen minutes Of IL
by the Trinity clock when the armed force
turned into Wall street and live minutes
later II had come to halt in trOnT of the
subtreasury building. The regiment filed
all the space on the Wall street side and
extended around into Nassau and Broad
streets. The lines were quietly and quick
iy but effectuaIy formed and the sub
treasury was, for the time being. cut eff
| from interference.
We have in Police Sergeant McGuire's
account and in Gen. Nat=rSoI's report
| sufficient data from which 20 form some
| idea OF the scene. The sergeant says: II
| don't think ten minutes had passed " hen l
found the whole of the broad steps leading
| up to the building covered with soldiers.
| leaving only a space of ten feet in The CEN
| ter, and the colonel and his stan follow I'd
| by another hundred men were marchin &
| up that alleyway into the building. One
| of the patrolmen, who was as much as
| tonished as / was, asked Inc what the
| regiment was going to do in the building,
! anu / made some careless answer. There
| was a black crowd of people down in
nf "a
| Office windows in the neighbOrho0d were
crowded with people, but there was no eX-
| element The men on the steps looked as
| II they were drawn up for I show, but /
| calculated that it would take the whole
police force of the city to dislodge them.
| The first thing that gave me II twlnse " as
| that, after the troops. went in. none OF the
| people who were dong business INSIDE
| came out. and the soldiers wouldn't let ally
| body go up. Inspector Fairehiid, who Oidn' t
! like the looks of things. turned his badge
| out, took two men and insisted ON going
! in to see what was being done. We wait
ed over half an hour and they did not
| come back, but the company of troops that
had gone in had come out fallen into line,
| and another hundred men had been march
| ed in. Word was then sent TO he central
| office. That was about IL o'clock. II was
! three-quarters OF an hour before the SUPER
! intendent and another inspector arrived.
! They went at once into the building, where
| they were placed under guard. We were
| then ordered back. outside If the lines, by
| one OF the captains"
From Gen. NatC-So S account we learn
! ed that there were about Bfty people in the
/ building and they were taken completely
| by surprise, but admirably prearranged
! was the plan that they had no opportunity
| to give alarm and were all shut up in one
| room and a guard placed over them, after
which the invaders had the building to
! themselves Everything was done with the
! utmost expedition and the incest provision,
and at clock the regiment was in pos
| session of two million dollars in coin. 1t
! was ten minutes past when the column
| was set in motion, and at that time there
| was the most confused notion in official
! circles as to what was going on. The idea
! that an armed regiment had taken posses
| sion OF the United States deposits in the
! heart of the city in the middle Of the day
| appeared to be too incredible at first TO be
| alarming. 1t was, therefore. 2:30 o'clock
| before the first attempt was made at 10
| lice headquarters to take summary action
! and call upon the reserves The rumors
| spread like wildfre through Wall street
and Printing House Square, and when the
! and BrC adway were choked with people.
admirable skill and the solid column was
not likely to suffer any serious Interrupt.
! ton from merely angry or suspicious
| crowds BY the time the newspaper bull
| letins got the first wave of intelligence the
| regiment at the foot of CORTLAND
street. 1t had marched through that usually
choked thoroughfare with tactical adap-
| tation to circum stances that was amaz-
/