The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-24

-. A., U. II. Mitchell, Founder and Sole
proprietor. Founded in 1864.
Others he burned. One of his notable cap
lures was the Joseph Maxwell, the crew
from which he landed at Trinidad.
Before setting them ashore he writes,
II sent for the two mates and told them /
had brought them to the place because it
was a mail sation at which / could receive
late news from the United States and that
II was my intention, had the government
dared TO carry out its barbarous threat of
treating the prisoners of the privateer Sa-
vannah, who had fallen into its hands, as
pirates, to r~etaliate on them and their crew
by hanging man for man, but that / was
glad to inform them that this unpleasant
gence. been imposed upon me-"
Telling of the discovered defect i'm the
Sumter, which neeessitated an entire change
of plans. Commodore Semmes writes: And
1T was now that J painfully experienced the
only defect of my ship, her inab lity to carry
a sufficient supply of fuel to enable her to
make a run of any distance, between eight
and nine days being the most that she could
be kept under steam 1t is true / had fitted
power, but the difficulty was to pass from
one cruising. ground to another and have
Gency of being chased"
Semmes's diary contains many things be-
sides the record of captures. THE next
day he writes in one place, which was
the Fourth of July (and which 1 did not
celebrate as we We're wont to do in former
years on board the ships of war of the old
service. not because the day was less dear
to us because of it's historical associations,
but because it reminded us of the want of
faith of a people with whom we had stood
side by side in the great struggle of 1776,
and with whom we were now at war to
vindlcate the Identical principles of self
government in that contest), we captured
the ~brigantines Cuba and Machias, both of
the State of Maine"
PRIvATEERING TACTICS.
A description Of one chase is a revelation
of the tactics of the privateer. 1--WE showed
as usual the United States colors,' writes
Commander Semmes, ''the chase showing
the same. Fired a blank cartridge and or
dered the chase hove to. Sent a man on
board and captured him, hauling down the
United States and hosting our flag as our
officer got on board. She proved to be the
schooner Daniel Trowbridge, of New Haven,
Conn.,, from New York to Demerara, with a
cargo of provisions. / felt truly thankful
TO a kind Providence for this windfall, for
we. were running short of provisions, beef
bad and wormy bread, and here were more
than we needed of the best pork, beef,
hams, flour. bread, crackers, etc. This was
truly a Yankee cargo, there being a large
number of pigs, sheep and geese on board.
a busy, busting day, with boats passing to
boxes, barrels. etc. To get at the cargo we
threw overheard the superintendent ar
ticles and strtwed the sea with Connecti-
cut woodenware and brooms.
Tuesday, October W.-Another favorable
day for unloading the prize; wind light
49, oAf0 nv AAldOl VII. v Z
are filling up with five months provisions.
In the meantime we are enjoying the lux
days from port. of fresh meat, the sheep on
board the prize being in excellent condition,
and | had them slaughtered in sufficient
number for the crew Yesterday and to-day.
"Wednesday. Oct. 30.-A beautiful. serene
day and a smooth sea. At Z a. m, Sail
ho!' from aloft. Dispatched a couple
OF boats TO the prize schooner to bring away
some of the live stock, and sent orders to
the prize master to set fire to the prize and
aftrrr nv hoard FThncn III AAs-- Ill
executed and the boats run up, at $50
steamed in pursuit of the strange sail. At
of the Danish brig Una, from Copenhagen
to Santa Cruz, sixty-six days out. Per-
mitted to proceed on her course after a
detention of about half an hour. We showed
her the United States colors. This evening,
having directed the junior lieutenant to
eend to the master of the prize schooner d.
schooner, which he (the MASTERY had put
among his private luggage, it was reported
articles to the messenger, the sergeant of
marines, used this insolent language: Damn
them. / hope they will do them no good.
and if they want a shirt 1 can send them
that. too l had this mar seized and put
I'm double IRONS
I'm the most free and easy way imagin-
able, Semmes tells how little regard he
gave to local authorities. For example, he
was forbidden to enter the harbor of Cura-
Gao, the Governor sending out a letter to
that effect. Eve ran in," writes Semmes.
land came to anchor in the lagoon. The
Yankee GOf1Sul HdQ DGGl TO see the Gov
ernor the previous night. and the pilot, no
doubt, did not state truly our description.
etc The bumboats, with their picturesque
inmates of all cclorS, are chattering like so
many parrots around the ship. Made ar
rangements for filling up with coal, wood
and water. and for giving fresh provisions
~ the crew. Our entra nee creafed eraat
commotion along the quay, the people run
Minis to get a sight of the new steamer with
the strange flag. Curacao is a picturesque
Dutch town. built up in the style of Amster-
dam, and lining the seashore and both sides
of the entrance. We are in a land-locked
basin. with sterile, Jagged peaks rising all
around us. At this season of the year the
trade wind blows a gale all day long here.
I feel better, having received a bottle of
milk and some fresh meat and vegetables
from the Shore
The next port Semmes made was Puerto
Cabello. where he was given notification to
leave in twenty-four hours. As he weighed
anchor he saw a sail, pursued and captured
n bark from Philadelphia. He sent the
master and his paymaster into Puerto Ca
beilo to make proposition To the neutral
owner OF the cargo; one,half OF the cargo.
the sale of the other half and of the ship.
ITO my surprise, the Governor sent me an
order to bring my prize within the port
and leave her until the courts of Vene-
zuela could decide the question whether the
ship was not captured within the marine
our guns; sent the master and his family
ashore in one Of the prize boats, and put a
prize to one of the ports on the south side
OF Cuba
ONE OF SEMMES'S PLANS.
Much as the Sumter accomplished in par
alyzing the West Indian trade of the United
States in 1861, the achievement was not all
that Semmes had contemplated. as the fol-
i3wing extract from his diary shows:
HI has been q favorite project OF mine
Irn44 commencement or the cruise to
RIM on Cape st. Rogue and there waylay
ne commerce OF the enemy in its transit
both Nxye< bHf the strong galee AND strong
66frenf which NOW prevail Will interfere
4fs thek ~tre4ent With nv plan, md ! must