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

States vessels of war awaiting us outside
OFF Santa Anna (BraZfD, but the report
proved to be the offspring of the excited
imaginations OF the townspeople- Had a.
conversation this evening. with Senior Rod
rigues, an intelligent lawyer and the
Speaker of the Deputies, on the subject of
war. / found him pretty well informed,
formation through the polluted channels Of
the Northern newspapers. He seemed TO
h think ! that a,,r we co had been u pIeci 1pe Nart n
but / told him we had been the most pa
sient, long-suffering people in the world,
end had waited till the last moment posi-
ble In hopes that the fanaticism which
swayed the North would pass away, and
that the responsibility of breaking up the
once great government of the North rested
entirely. upon the propagandists OF that
section
with the officials of other countries Sem
mes found but little sympathy for the
Southern cause until he touched at ports
British ships While the Sumter was at the
Brazilian town Of Maranham, semmes
made this entry: Grand ball at the palace
this evening ;snot invited. the stupid author
tiles, though individually well inclined,
seeming fearful of committing themselves
The next day Semmes had an argument
with the President Of that department Of
this war was, in fact. as much a war IN
behalf of Brazil as of ourselves; that we
were fighting the first battle In favor OF
contest Brazil would be the next one to be
assailed by the Yankee and English prop
At Martinique Semmes wrote in his diary:
WAS visited by a number of gentlemen.
others, to whom / explained the true is
sues of the war, to wit: an abolition cru
SADIE against our slave property, our pop
which they listened with much appearance
of qualification, and which they also ex-
pressed from time, lamenting the blind
policy of the home government
TRUCKING THE IROOuOIS.
With keen enjoyment Semnles writes of
the trick by which he gave the United
States war vessel, the Iroqouis, the slip at
Martinique. 2:30 p. m.,'' the diary entry
for Nov. II says, "the steam sloop ~Iroquois
of the enemy made her appearance, coming
around the north end of the island. She had
at first Danish colors flying, but soon
changed them for her own. She steamed
ahead of Us very slowly, and taking up a
position some half or three-quarters of a
mile from us, stood off and ON during the
afternoon and night. Visited in the after
noon by the Mayor of the city and some
gentlemen, who assured ms of the sympa-
thy of the citizens and of the colony gener-
ally. At l:3O a. m. / was called by the Of
fcer of the deck and informed that the
Iroquois was standing in for us and ap-
preaching US very close. Called all hands to
quarters and made all preparations to re-
ceive the enemy in case he should attempt
ever, when he came within three hundred
or four hundred yards. He repeated this op-
GRAFTON several times during the midwatch,
imposing upon us as often the necessity of
calling the men to quarters. Indeed. from
about 2:3O they slept at their guns. Great
excitement pervaded the entire city. The
market square,, the Quays and the windows
of the houses are thronged by an eager and
to see a. combat. The enemy approached MS
at one time within a ships length"
,Semmes protested against this action of
the lroquois as a violation of neutrality.
The French governor warned the IroQuois,
and required her commander to choose be-
tween leaving the harbor twenty-four hours
before the Sumter and remaining twenty
four hours after the Sumter had gone. The
commander choose to so first, and stood
distance and preparing to attack as soon as
the Sumter should appear. For ten days
ing repeated false starts, only to find the
Iroqouis watching. Beautiful, clear morn
ing" Semmes writes on November %, with
every appearance of settled weather. Fine,
starlit nights, with clear, settled days,
though very pleasant to the lover of nature
are not quite such weather as we require
for running a blockade by a ship which
keeps herself in plain sight of us, and which
has the heels of us. But we must have pa
began to cloud up, and we had some rain,
and I had strong hopes that we should have
rise until 11:o7, and if We could be aided by
a few clouds we should have sufficient dark
ness, for be it known that in these tropical
climates, where almost every star is a moon,
there is no such thing as darkness when
the armament is clear. But my hopes be-
gan to fade with the day, for one cloud dis
appeared after another as the sun went
down, until the night promised to be as Sc
rene and bright as the last. Venus, too.
three hours high at sunset, shed forth a
flood of light little less than that of the
standing all these d-iscouragements. how
ever, resolved to attempt the run.
and, having made all the necessary
awaken the suspicion of the townspeople,
who were always on the alert, at about five
minutes before 8 o'clock gun fire / directed
the chain to be slipped and the fasts to
the shore cut, and put her under steam.
The enemy being on the starboard bow,
point of the roadstead, headed her for
the south point, giving her full steam. So
n1u fb on the me Saf V scere were m nne dow twenfy
yards when a shout rent the air, as (and)
there was a confused murmur of voices as
If Babel had been let loose. AS we neared
the French steamer of war Acheron, sig
nails were made to- the enemy by means
Of blue lights from one of the Yankee
knowing that the signals were so arranged
as to designate our direction, after running
a few hundred yards further I doubled came
back under cover of the land, where /
stopped once or twice to assure myself
in the opposite direction in obedience to
his signals, when, as soon as the engineer
do SO for he had to cool his bearings. and
this was truly an anxious moment for mel,
/ gave her ell steam and stood for the
north end of the island. AS we approached
it the fates, which before had seemed UNI
propitious to us, began to smile, and a
ain of squat which had come up quite
unexpectedly began to envelope us in it's
friendly fold, shutting in our dense clouds
of black smoke, which We're really the
worst tell-tales we had to dread. The first
half hours run was a very anxious one
for us; but as we began to lose sight of
the lights of the town, and to draw away
from the land, We knew that the enemy
had been caught in his own trap, and that
we had successfully eluded him. / had
warned the French authorities that their
neutrality would be disregarded
and that these signals would
be made, but they took no steps that /
could learn to prevent it. The commander
of the Iriquois had been guilty of a shame
full violation of good faith toward the
French naval officer, to whom he made q.
promise that he would respect the neutral
ity of the port, by sending his pilot on
shore and arranging these signals with the
Yankee shippers. Yankee faith and Punic
faith seem to be on a par. Our ship made
good speed, though she was very deep, and
by IL 80 we were up with the south end of
Dominica Here the wind fell and we ran
along the coast of the island in a smooth
sea, not more than four or five miles from
the land. The moon by this time beng up,
the bold and picturesque outlines of this
island, softened by her rays and wreathed
in f1eecy clouds, presented a beautiful
night scene. The sleeping town of Roseau
barely showed us the glimmer of a light,