The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-18
CHASED THE RUNNER.
BLOCKADE RUNNING DURING
THE CIVIL. WAR.
First MoatEomery's History -Forerunnsr
Of the Prrseni Famous 1soNt wAs
oDse . Merchant Vessel but HAD Coed
speed.

During the late war one Of the fast /
est steamers Of the service was the old I
Montgomery. whose namesake "a the d
present splendid cruiser now 30 proud /
~ pointed 10. AZ that time heT master I
alarms VS. william H. Baxter. now /
FIRE marshal % the city a. Detroit lie I
was with her during her famous cruise, /
which resulted in the coufi-martialing I
OF her commanding officer. Commander I
Hunter and saw much service in chase I
OF biockaae runners. Marshal Baxter /
said recently. according 20 the Detroit /
Journal. The Montgomery was the I
only vessel o; the United States navy, /
so far az know which has ever dis
turbed Spanish soil Il was IN the early /
winter Of 1862 that We were cruising /
along the coast % Cuba. We had been /.
on a rather extended cruise through I
the Bahamas and along the coast OF .
Florida. and had run IN 10 Havana.
We did not 10 into the inner bay. but /
lay outside We were only there ior |
short time and then bore away for /
Pensacola for coal. Along the north
western coast Of Cuba runs q coral reef. /
some distance out from the shore ana /
affording frst-class channel inside. /
We we're heading about northwest, |
when We saw a steamer coming down /
inside the rect, Subsequent events |
proved that she was the steamer
Blanche. a blockade runner, bound for
New Orleans. ! think. with a load OF
cotton. Well. Of course We had no
right 20 modest her a. she was inside
the three-mile limit, but We had an old
man. a. the captain is always called
you know. who was a fighter from
away back. and be loved 10 fight for
its own sake. He'd fight anything.
and never stopped 10 argue a delicate
question Of Jurisdiction. So we turned
In our course and heading about south
east went after her. We wanted that
cotton. We could see by the smoke
that was pouring out Of her tunnels
that they were using resin and every
thing else In the attemp; TO get away
from as. but Il was no good. Our
course was laid W that she would have
been cut on before she reached the
harbor. though Il would have taken
her right under the guns Of the castle.
First she ran up a Spanish flag. but
that did no good Then she hoisted a
British flag. with the Spanish flag I'M
derneath. signifying that she was a
British boat. claiming Spanish protec-
ton. and sin We kept after her. We
had the heels Of her and pretty soon
we pitched a round shot across her
bows as signal 70 heaye TO. She
paid no attention 10 this and We let
another one 10. She kept right on,
and the old man got mad. We had
a big l5-inch gun amidshlps. mounted
on a pivot. This gun was slued around
far enough 20 clear our standing star
board rigging. and then We began 10
pitch shell at her. There were six
teen OF those i5-lnch shells fired and
every one went clear over into the wa
ter the other side Of her. Her crew
got scared. however. and turned her
nose In shore. and ran her right on the
sand. They were 20 close that every
man but one go, clear Of the ship by
using pike poles TO swing ashore with
They had set ere 20 her. and by the
time that we got alongside she was O
regular furnace There was no hope
Of saving anything. 20 we had TO pull
back 10 the ship and let the cotton
burn. All along there the shore il fat
and there are. or were, a lot Of littl'
hshermen's huts. II was one Of IN,
funniest things ever saw 10 see thos'
fishermen come tumbling out Of theil
huts. and jumping on their donkeys. OF
burros. as they call them. 20 scurry
ing for the hills about hali-mile back
The burros we're so small that wher
they began TO 90 up the hill they locke,
more like a lot Of big tarantulas thar
anything else There were 10 man!
legs, and the riders were lying hat OF
their backs In order 10 duck the shot
az much as they could. Well. the up
shot Of IL all was that when We reached
Mobile We were on blockading dut!
for one week. and then We were order
ed north TO the Charlestown navy yard
at Boston. where the old man Com
mander Charles Hunter. was court
martialed and dismissed the seryic,
We we're sent aboard the recelyln
ship. and a good number Of u.s. OF whoT
was one, came home then. The oil
Montgomery had originally been
merchant vessel. running between Ne'
York and Savannah. and was convert
ed into man OF war az the time whe
the country was using everythin
available. She was propeller. jus
such one as you can see by the doze
any day here in the river during N
summer. Her engines were aft, an
she had high forecastle. on which va
mounted a rifed PARROT. Her spec
was about eighteen miles an hour. an
ON a pincn probably about twenty. II
that time. that was very speedy.
don't know what became ~ her, but
think that she was again put In con
mission. and was at the bombardmeI
, OF Fort Wagner.
Her captain. Hunter, was aiterwar
relnstated. and served for a number (
years. He was on the Inflated VII
dc Havre. and was lost. with OF
daughter. when she went down"
, An Open Secret
. Jack Ctenderly. to the little broth
a Of his adored onel-"w Would YOU like
know a secret. Tommy Tommy
\ should think would Jack-"We
!. I'm in love with your sister Tomu