The Republican journal., 1896-01-16

minutes west, she captured and burned
the clipper ship Byzantium, loaded with
coal, and the bark Goodspeed in ballast.
On the 22d the fishing schooners Marengo,
Florence, Elizabeth Ann, Rufus Choate
and Ripple were captured and all burned,
except the Florence, which. being an old
vessel, was bonded and sent in as a cartel,
with seventy-tive prisoners.
On the same day June 22) news of the
capture of the Isaac Webb reached New
York, and another wall went up along the
line for protection. To ell these and other
pressing calls for help the Navy Depart
ment responded with a willing hand; of
fering to the merchants arms and officers
for any vessel which they might wish to
send out, and ordering the commandments
of the yards to "charter more steamers
and send them after the Tacony," until,
by the Goth of June, there were forty
seven armed vessels securing the seas in
every direction for this bold little rover.
Even the practice ships from the naval
academy, with the midshipmen aboard,
were sent out. Many of these vessels
crossed and recrossed the track, and some
are said to have passed close to her in the
night, while others were several times
only separated from her by fog, but
more Were fortunate enough to find her.
| Still the Tacony pursued her career I'M
/ harmed. With almost every new capture
Read learned through the newspapers on
| board of the great number of vessels that
were after him, but this did not seem to
annoy him, for he appears to have fairly
| revelled in his career of destruction. On
the 23d of June he destroyed two fishing
| schooners. On the 24th the ship Shatemuc,
from Liverpool to Boston, with a large
number of emigrants, was captured and
bonded for $50, COO. The same night the
schooner Archer was captured. AS by
this time he knew that the enemy had
full description of the Tacony, Read now
thought that it was about time to change
the rig and appearance of his vessel, in
order to avoid suspicion and detection, SO
| he destroyed the bark Tacony on the 18th
of June, and with the schooner Archer
proceeded along up the coast with the
view of burning the ship ing in some
exposed harbor, or of cutting out steam
er. The morning of the 10th of June
found him off Portland Me, where he
picked up two fishermen, who, taking
them for a pleasure party, willingly con-
sented to pilot them into Portland. From
the fishermen he learned that the revenue
cutter Caleb Gushing was in the harbor,
and the passenger steamer to New York,
staunch, swift propeller, would remain
in Portland during the night. He at once
determined to seize the cutter and steamer
that night, and at sunrise entered the
| harbor and anchored in full view of the
shipping, in the innocent guise of fish
erman. Little did the fair City of Port
land dream of the excitement and com
motion in store for it the next day. He
explained to his men what he expected to
do after dark, but his engineer expressed
his doubts as to his ability to start the
engines of the steamer proposed to be
captured, without the assistance of an
other engineer, ard as the nights We're
very short, it was evident that if they
failed to get the steamer under way, after
waiting to get up steam, they could not
get clear of the forts at the entrance of
the harhor without being discovered.
nder these circumstances he decided to
capture the revenue cutter and after get
ting from under the forts to return and
burn the shipping.
At l.3O a. NJ, june -, having dispatch
ed the schooner Archer to sea with three
men on board, he tReatD boarded the
cutter Caleb Gushing, commanded by
Lieut.. Dudley Davenport, Of The United
States Marine Service, with two boats con-
/ tanning nineteen men, who. instantly pre-
sentlng revUlyers to the heads of the
watch on deck, captured her without
noise or resistance. The cable could not
be slipped, So it was o clock before he
conld Get under way. BY this time the
wind was very light, and the tide was run
niDg IN. In this emergency having put
the cutters officers and crew in irons he
put t"wboats out ahead with his own mon
To TOW her, and succeeded in getting iust
beyond the range Of the guns uf the forts
! 4 (tV a
too late to return and burn the shipping.
so he decided to put to sea and abide his
time.
BY s o clock a. m. the news was spread
| abroad in the city OF Portland that the
cutter had been captured The collector
OF the port, J4bediah levitt, immediate
ly made preparations for pursuit He
sent messengers to Maj. Andrews, 18th
United States regulars, commanding Fort
Preble, for guns and men, and to Col.
Mason, commanding. the 9TH Maine Vol
unteers, at Camp Lincoln, for men to be
ready to embark in steamers at once.
With great promptness he chartered the
fine large steamer Forest City and Chesa-
| peake, and small steam tug The Chesa-
peake took on board fifty bales of cotton
as barricades, two 6-pounder guns, the
greater portion of the It'll Regiment
4utihO duu my clllZeuS, VOL
unteers, who had armed themselves and
repaired on board. The Forest CITY took
on board beside her regular crew Lieuts.
Merryman and Richardson of the United
States Revenue St rvice, and fourteen
seaman belonging to the Caleb Gushing,
who happened to be ashore that night,
three officers and thirty eight men, with
| one 6-pounder and one II FOUNDER how
itzer, and forty armed volunteer citizens
This formidable array was ready aud I'M
der way in the incredibly short time of
one hour. They stood out to sea in pur-
suit, the Forest City and tug some dis
lance in advance. About fifteen miles off
the coast they discovered the cutter, and
Immediately stood for her.
! The Caleb Gushing had one 32- FOUNDER
and one 12-pounder howitzer on board,
and when Read saw the three steamers
bearing down on him he knew what was
up and clearing his little vessel for action.
prepared to give them a warm reception
When the leading steamer, the Forest
City, arrived within about two miles of
him, he dropped a well directed 32-
FOUNDER shot within a few feet of her.
Approaching still nearer, another shot
dropped still closer to her, which some
what dampened the ardor of her captain
and the citizen Vo1untaarS who b,1