St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-03-30
CHAPTER xv.-coNrrNuEn

An official report of Gen. Waterson,
the officer commanding the ST. Mary's
expedition, has been preserved.
Whether it was forwarded before his
return to Laran or was written subse-
quently Is not known. But it gives a
very clear explanation of the novel
method adopted in this military cam
paign.
It reads as follows
f.The whole plan has worked, with O few
slight discrepancies, as projected The FEAST
bfiity Of getting the whole regiment into St.
Mary's and the neighborheod without attract
Ing attention Was easily proven My men be-
gan to come In four days before they assembled.
They were In fairly goods shape and passed for
workraen out OF employment sand idlers drawn
In by the excitement Ii was impossible to go
anywhere without seeing them mingiing with
the workmen and standing about on the corners
with the unemployed In three days seven hum
dred were In St Mary s and three hundred In and
about Padneah. with orders to eofna ri s1rslas
glingly to the former place on the fourth day.
AT any other time thousand men suddenly
added to the population of SO small d town
would have excited suspicion, but the excite
ment of the strike was supposed to be drawing
the men from all quarters, and great credit
must be given to our forces who, as rule, kept
themselves close and avoided attracting atten-
ton On the night of the third day, three hun
dred were already In the old house on the bar
renS or In the immediate vicinity undergoing
the most extraordinary discomfort on account
OF the want OF accomrnodat tfons, and an hour
before sunrise on the fourth day, had the
whole command within reach and most Of them
uniformed and armed. We formed column ut
five o'clock In the barfeLs just three miles
southeast OF the town and marched In on the
railroad track; took possession of the bank ut
nine O'Clock, distributed money among regi-
ments as planned without opposition, each man
carrying hundred end fifty eagles. The buck
skin belts worked admirably. debaoyed two
hundred men, Companies A and r. and kept
crowd one thousand feet from bank withdraw
Ing them In squads and replacing them with
other men who we're loaded up with specie;
successfully avoided collision with sheriff
who was completely bewildered by events;
took camp at six o'clock p m. on the terrace
as planned and the regiment began OF once to
melt away. Four hundred men got out OF their
uniforms in the center OF the camp (where
they were securely shfelded) before nine
o'clock. The suits in the knapsacks turned
out better than I expected and Commissary
Fenning should be credited with great skill
and ingenuity In the provision Of these suits
The uniforms were put into the Rnapsacls and
at twelve midnight started the men In Indian
file TO the old house. and, as by that time had
four hundred more men ready, there we're eight
hundred knapsaeks and eight hundred guns to
be disposed OF; by making each man carry two
guns and two knapsacks easily got the whole
eight hundred into the house. The intense
darkness OF the night was great advantage
and the hardness OF the ground and the special
guards stationed along the lines to prevent
struggling or the littering of the rout, aided us
much
aAt three o'clock in the morning the regi-
ment, as q uniformed organization, had disap-
peared
1.-THE disposition of the men was as follows:
One hundred went seatteringly from the camp
back to town In their former clothes at ten
o'clock; another hundred got of at eleven
G. o.clock, and a third at twelve o'clock. drew
them up by companies in n circle In the center
lines. I calculated that in fifteen minutes, II
the men walked brisKlg, that there would be o
distance OF five hundred feet between each
man. and, of course, those going south and east
would have to make large detour TO reach
the town. AT 1890 was reduced to five
hundred men, at least two hundred having
gone toward Paducah In the same struggling
manner. The remaining five companies were
started from the old house between 2:a0
and four o'clock, going in widening lines
south. southeast ana southwest through the
barrens aud about one hundred under orders
to strike the railroad track at long intervals
and return to town. I aeld detail OF twelve
trusty men with mo to complete the work
clearing up the fragments and arranging the
material in the house The guns we're flung
into the cellar and the knapsaeks heaped upon
the first floor and saturated by the two barrels
OF kerosene that were knocked in the head on
the floor above At five o'clock Capt. Einstein,
Of Company ID, who was left behind TO complete
the destruction touched match TO the build
Ing and then retreated to the railroad track,
coming back later with The few inhabitants
who we're attracted at that hour BY the flames.
asHe met me the next night Ut Snowdcn's hut
on the Mississippi where I was waiting for
him and reported that the destruction was com.
pIefe and that the guns had been effectuaiy coy
cred by the ashes and de6ris and would not be
discovered until an attempt was made to re-
move the rubbish.
.My calculations with regard TO the direction
the search would take for the regiment were
right, rs You VIII see by the papers and the
plan of bring the seaWs over from the other
side ct the Ohio and cutting them loose above
PaducahsWas agooa one The general belief
at once seized the authorities that the men
had crossed the river from Indiana
II am now convinced by acfual demonstsa.
tfou that cam with thousand men. carry out
tha eastern scheme Of which you spoke The
chances Of success are increased By the audae-
It'll Of tns, attenpL Whatever appears to be
Incredible viii succeed before the community
can bring issoaf to acknowledge u