The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-06-02

Vno or 'I-le 1r,aslslrfver. rhe car.
go VI negroes and the crew of the schooner
were Then transferred to the steamboat
Ear Ear which was in waiting. The Clio
'4iue was then tOwed into Bayou Conner.
where she was set ON fire and scuttled. The
TAar steamed up the Spanish river with
ner cargo Of negroes and finally landed
Ghelh IN canebrake on the PLANTATION of
JoEh M. Dabney, on the Bigbee river. A
lew trusty men were left to look after the
negroes
with the crew of the Clotilde still on
board, the Gar returned down the Rigbee
river and steamed into the Alabama river
where she awaited the coming of the Roc,
er B LaPey, Maeher's boat Under cover
of night Captain Maeher and the CIotiIde,s
crew We're transferred to the Tanev. The
gre" oL the SLAYER were slowed away in
Ulie upper portion of the boat and supplied
"lCh cards and whisky. 1t was 9 80 o'clock
Delore supper was announced on the Taney
InaU night, and when Captain Maeher took
MS place at the heaG of the table his face
wore most nOnchalant look and gave not
'he Ieast lntimatiOn that he had been en-
gagged IN other than the legitimate perform
ance OF his duties. When Montgomery was
reached, he did not allow one of the crew
OF the Clotilde to be turned adrift in that
city So officers and crew were quietly
paced on trair and sent to New York.
where they W. paid of and discharged.
In this III 1er was the last cargo of
slaves landed the United States, bus
Captain Maeher soon found that the gov
eminent was not to be hoodwinked. The
news of his illegal enterprise was soon
noised abroad, and it was not long before
he was arrested and imprisoned He was
released on bail, however, and was able to
meet and checkmate the next move of the
authorities. United States officials soon
located the negroes and chartered the
steamboat Eclipse to go after them and
bring them to Mobile, but Captain Mae
her was on the watch for just such move
ON the part of the government. He called
In man whom he could trust, and, hand
ing him $50 in gold, said:
The Eclipse is going after the niggers
this evening. Take this money and fix the
crew with liquor"
He then walked down to the wharf
where his own boat, the Roger B. fancy,
was taking on freight and ordered the
work to be stopped. The Taney's lines
were slipped and she steamed up the river.
The agent who had boon given the $50 did
his work well, for he soon had the crew of
the Eclipse so drunk that they were utter
ly unable to take her out Of port BY the
time another crew was secured for the
Eclipse the fancy was 100 miles away and
stcaming with all the power of boilers
heated by bacon fed furnaces toward the
Dabney plantation. The negroes were
taken aboard and carried 200 miles up the
Alabama river, where they were landed
and hidden away in another canebrake
Captain Maeher was tried for his offense,
and he only saved his neck through his
ability to prove that he had made 50 CON
secutive trips on the Roger B. fancy be-
tween Mobile and Montgomery, the attor-
neys thus convincing the jury that he
could not have imported the slaves and
made the trips Also" This foolish exploit
cost Maeher, first and last, over 800, 900.
After the excitement incident to his trial
had died away, he brought the negroes to
his own plantation, near Mobile, where
they and their descendants have remained
to this dav.