Morris tribune., 1895-03-06
CHAPTER XV.-CoNTINUED.

An Official report or zen. 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:
"Ihe whole plan has worked, with a Few
slight discrepancies, as projected Tho FEAST
'bHity of getting the whole regiment into st.
Mary's and the neighborhood without attract
1ng attention was easily proven. My men be-
gan to come in four days before they assembled.
They were in fairly good shape and passed for
worbmen out OF employment :and idlers drawn
an by the excitement ltwas impossible to go
anywhere without seeing them mingling with
the v orkmen and standing about ON the corners
with che unemployed. In three days seven hun
dred were in St Marys and three hundred in and
about Faducah, Wits orders to come in stray
glingly 80 the former place. on the fourth day.
Al any other time thousand men suddenly
added to the population of so small a town
would have excited suspicion, but the excite
nens Of the strike was supposed to be drawing
she lnan from all quarters, and great credit
must Ye given to our forces who, as rule, kept
tiof. On the night OF the third day, three hun
Are6 were already In the old house on the bar
re15 or In the immediate vicinity undergoing
the lost extraordinary discomfort on account
of tue want OF accommodations, and On hour
before sunrise on the fourth day, I had the
whole command within reach and most Of them
uniformed and armed We formed column al
five o'clock in the barrels just three miles
southeast of the town and marched In on the
railroad track; took possession of the bank at
nine O'Clock, distributed money among regi-
ments as planned witho ut opposition, each man
carrying hundred and fifty eagles. The buck
skin belts worked admirably. I deployed two
hundred men, Companies 4 and F, and kept
crowd one thousand feet from bank, withdraw
ing them in squads and replacing them with
other men who were loaded up with specie:
successfully avoided collision with sheriff
who was completely bewildered by events;
took camp at six o'clock p on the terrace
as planned and tho regiment began at once TO
neltaway. Four hundred men got out of their
uniforms in the center of the camp (where
they were securely shielded) before nine
O'Clock The suits in the knapsacks turned
out be tier than I expected and Commssary
fleming should be credited with great skill
and ingenuity in the provision OF these suits
The uniforms were put into the knapsacks and
at twelve midnight started the men in Indian
file to the old house, and, as by that time had
four hundred moro men ready, there were eight
hundrsd knapsacks and eight hundred guns to
be disposed Of by making each man carry two
guns s,ad two knapsacks, easily got sLe whole
eight hundred into the house. The intense
darkness OF the night was o great advantage
and the hardness Of the ground and the special
guar To stationed along the lines to prevent
straagiing or the littering Of the rout, aided US
mucA
at three o'clock In tho morning the regi-
merit, as uniformed organization had disap-
peared
"The disposition Of the men was as follows:
One hundred went scatteringly from the camp
back to town In their former clothes at ten
O'clock; another hundred got off at eleven
O'clock and third at twelve o'clock drew
them up by companies in circle in the center
OF the camp and started them out in radiating
lines. I calculated that In fifteen minutes, If
the men walked briskly, that there would be a
distance of five hundred feet between each
man. and, OF course, those going south and east
would have to mako largo detour to reach
the town. At 1890 I 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 2:30
and four o'clock, going in widening lines
south, southeast ana southwest through the
&barrens and about one hundred under orders
to strike the railroad track at long intervals
trusty men with me to complete the work
clearing up the fragments and arranging the
material in the house. The guns werc flung
Into the cellar and the knapsacks heaped upon
the first floor and saturated by the two barrels
OF kerosene that were knocked insthe head on
the floor above. AT I've o'clock Capt. Einstein,
OF Company D, who was left behind to complete
the destruction, touched match to tho build
Ing and then retreated to the railroad track.
coming back later with tho few inhabitants
who were attracted at that hour by the flames
HE met me the next night at Snowdcn's hut
oa the Mississippi. where / was waiting for
him. and reported that the destruction was COM
pletc and that the guns had been effectually COW
cred SHthe ashes and debris nnd would not be
dis oyered 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
fright as you will SEQ by the papers, and the
7pian of bring the scows over from the other
aide OF the Ohio and cutting them loose above
Paducah was good one The general belief
Mt once seized the authorities that the men
lad crossed the river from Indiana.
lam now convinced by actual demonstra-
<ion that can, With thousand men, carry out
she eastern scheme OF which you spoke. The
shalces OF success ore increased by the audac-
Aty OF the attemps Whatever appears to be
fncredibls viii succeed before the community
ss4a. hxiag ;tssu to acknowledge it"