The morning times., 1897-02-28

San Francisco in due course. Here they
awaited the sailing of the vessel which had
been designated to carry shipment OF god
to the government Upon this ship, The
John l.. Stephens, Miss Elliot, Neville, and
Thus far there had been no hitch in
Neville's plans. Now trouble commenced
The schooner Chapman had been for two
weeks ready for the coastDg voyage, and,
as she did not go to sea, the United States
officers became suspicious OF her and
placed O watch where they could observe
| everything occurring on board They also
searched the vessel outbound everythin cor.
rect, and would have dismissed the
watch had not a well-known Southerner,
while intoxicated, Dragged OF what they
were going to do This was reported to
| the revenue officers, and extra precau-
| tions were taken.
At the time Miss Elliot arrived in San
FRI ncfsco Neville gave orders for the
| captain to take the men who had been
engaged in san Francisco weeks before,
| and who were then at different sailors
boarding houses, to put to sea and Join
her consort off the Island of Santa Cruz.
| These men went on board in the night,
and next morning the ship got under way,
| showing only the usual number Of men
| on deck But the United states revenue
cutter stopped her and conveyed her to an
anchorage under the guns of Alcatraz
Island The officers and crew of forty
seven men were arrested.
In order not to have his'plans blocked,
Neville started two men overland on horse
back for Santa Barbara, to take boat from
there to the island and notify the captain
of the Vesta of the seizure of the Chap
man. The capital of the Vesta was
ordered to intercept the steamer and was
told that Neville and his confede rates
would be on board to assist him, and that
they would disable the machinery of the
vessel, in case the guns of the schooner did
not compel the steamer to stop while
they took the gold from her. But 1.-The
best laid schemes o mice and men gang
aft agiey.' When the two me sSengers
crossed to the island from Santa Barbara,
they found the captain and all the hands
! of the Vesta "blind drunk and before
they could be sobered up and got ready.
| the John l.. Stephens went steaming by
with the government gold.
Itseems that United States Marshal Rand
had got wind of the contemplated raid to
capture the gold on the steamer, and he
warned the officers of the steamer of what
might be attempted, and placed on board
twelve of his deputies, dressed as old Cal
ifarnians. These men took passage in
the steerage, and professed 30 be returning
| to their Eastern homes. They had holsters
with pistols belted around their waists, in
the usual California style. They made the
acquaintance of NEVILLE men, and two of
them agreed to guard Neville as the steamer
| was to pass through the Santa Barbara
Channel. Each deputy marshal had his
man picked, and, if the attack had been
made by the schooner VeSta, they would
have shot Neville and every one of his gang.
The plot miscarried and the steamer passed
on her way to Panama without an trouble
The syndicate of English friends of the
Southern Confederacy lost all that Neville
| had expended in fitting out the expedition.
with the exception of the proceeds of the
| sale of the schooner Vesta and her supplies
| at Hong Kong. whittier she went after the
| failure of Neville's plans. The confed
! crates of Neville who sailed with him on
| the steamer were paid off by him at Pan
| anna. and he and Miss Elliott took the
| French steamer at Aspinwall for the West
| Indies and Europe. The newspapers o.
| San Francisco gave an account of the
tempest in a teapot" when the schooner
| Chapman was seized for attempted piracy
| The vigilance of Marshal Rand on this occa
sion saved the government four million
| of dollars