The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-04
SAVED THE NATION.
Maurice Langhorne, Now Destitute,
Believes he Was the Preserver.
RFVEALEDPLOTSO OF TRAITORS.
Mistaken for a seceSsiOnist, de
Learned of Desperate cOnspirncies'
Baked Both by Quick Action.

Did Maurice Langhorne, of Kentucky
save Chicago from the arms Of the con-
fedaracy? Did he. now old ana Grip
pied, struggling hard with plnching
poverty, strike blow that saved the
nation from possible disruption? In
short, is Maurice Langhorne, who now
sits silent in the tiny room OF west
side lodging house. 4 forgotten hero
and man whom grateful country
should have thanked and honured, says
the Chicago Record.
Etill erect and dIgnIaed, with all tho
old Kentucky grace of benri7g but
With his paraIy=ed hands hanging At
his side, Laughorne told his story. aad
from an lnacrpocket OioushJ do me 2. -
to substantiatc it-papers aeha0wia4g-
ing his deeds, papers signed 10y great
mea long sIncs In their graves. In
s.raltennl circumstance Lanshornn
now lives at 4s West Madlzou street.
picking up what few coins he can At
law. and hoping, with hope for thirty
years deferred, that the government
win yet take notice OF the things he dil
when the hands were strong, tho blood
was fresh and the sturdy viii was un-
hampeged by crippled body, back in
1854.
mot once, but twice." said the for
Cotton hero recently the chance was
mine 10 help the nation In its hour Of
need. did the hest could. In 1859
I ran Tor the conf ad5rate congress from
the Ashland district, l was elected. but
was refused my seat on the ground
that was not loyal secessionist-
that had always favored the COM
promise plan " having the government
buy the slaves at uniform price Of
s4OO. After this defeat l tried to got
through the lines, but failed Ill 1864.
when 1 went to Windsor, Canada.
conspirators Plan Uprising.
Canada was full of confederates in
1ss-ex-ofacers. sympathizers, all deep
iy Interested in the great conspiracy
which was already under way. In every
county of West Virginia, kentucky.
Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and InIiana
were Knots Of men. ten to the squad,
drilling and planning. on Lake Erie
was the steamer NIlchlgan-thc only
war vessel on the lakes. The conspiru-
tors planned to ssize It, to lovy con-
trlbutons on the lake cities, AMI to give
the signal for grand uprising. Pris-
oners on Johnson's island wore to be-
released; an army of 100000 men was to
spring to life throughout the northwest,
ana the confederacy was to gain con-
troll from gulf to lake. This master
stroke, they figured, would cause for
elgn Intervention, and the great OBJ
ject of the secesslonists would then be
achieved.
Things went smoothly for the con-
spirators. Many confederate soldiers
managed to enlist as sailors on the
Michigan. An officer Of the Michigan
was bought with $4,000 in COLA to Grip
pie the machinery. Many confederates
took passage at Detroit on the steamer
PhHo Parsons, intending to seize ths
snip and steam to the Michigan OFF
sandusky. The confederates aboard the
Michigan were to mutiny. and the first
blow Of the conspiracy would be struck
in propltious fashion.
"AIeanwhile, in Windsor. 1 was posing
as a confederate, and many men who
had known me supposed that was
wholly loyal to the south. easily
gained the confidence of confederate
leaders and learned OF the plan 10 take
the Michigan.
Plot Revealed In Nick of Time.
1T was Saturday, September II, 1854,
when was told of the plot, and the
trick was to be turned the following
Monday. hurried down to the ferry
and found 1t closed, as in those days
the ferry did moi run In the evening. 1
ran up ana down the bark OF ths De-
troit river till found a skifi and rowed
across. Going to Provost Marshal Hill,
commanding at Detroit, L told him
what l had heard. He did not believe
me. but telegraphed to the commandant
at sandusky to investigate. Ths inves-
tigatlou resulted in a terrific row on the
Michigan, while the PhIlo Parsons. al
ready in rebel hands. steamed on safely.