The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-03-04

land and the tennessee rivers were Al
yet open to navigation, and 1t was de
1 sired to keep them so until the Cuniber-
| land and the Tennessee could be fully Sc
cured to the south. Some steamboat
from Up river ports took alarm and begar
| clearance for home ports. Confidence ana
| security we're fast waning and the State
1 OF Illinois garrlsoned Cairo, her port a
| the junction OF the Mississippi and thl
| Ohio rivers, thus causing critical sit.
! uation. AT this juncture, several South
| eri te8mboatmen--inyself OF the number
were selected to go on secret and i'm.
| portant missions to up river ports
Taking passage OH the large sidewhee
passenger steamer, Queen of the West
bound for Cincinnati, my position and
\ purpose. on being mado known to Captain
Scott her conlmandcra a large owner aud
citizen OF Kentucky. was recognized and
approved by him with assurance OF his
cooperation. At every landing of Import.
ance kilograms OF Information, or agents
with instructions, awaited us, and al
went well until Helena, Ark, was reached
We we're running quite close to the
bluff on which this--the riverside metrop-
oils of Arkansas--is situated, and oui
first realization of danger was shot from
Held piecc across our bow. On landing
In obedience to this summons, we we're
boarded by General Tom Hindman an1
several other Arkansas officials NJ in
siructlons had been full aud clear I'M
ders1anding what was my duty In this
crisis confronted the gentlemen as they
entered the cabin and inquired the mean
lnE Of the warlike salute. An Official
read 20 the captain and me legal look-
ing document which set forth these facts,
owing TO the stoppage and seizure OF
certain property owned by clfizens OF
Arkansas, while In transit as freight
through the STAG OF Ohio, hy the aAthori-
Ties and. citizens of Cineinanti, he -----
by authority and under Instructions OF the
executive Of the sovereign state OF Ar.
Kansas, was TO seize. in way OF reprisal
auy and all property found on the and8
or the waters OF the State of Arkansas
belonging 10 the State OF Ohio or any
citizens thereof"
The beats papers showed her io BIO OF
Kentucky ownership although OF Cinein
nati registry. MY written authority tad
inc Instruction from the central com
miltoe' IN New Orleans we're produced.
peruaed aud recognized. After som, *
changing Of kilograms with their high
State officials, we we're released firm
dnrance and proceeded on our up river
voyage.
Until we reached Memphis had no re-.
allzatlon Of the Significance O. our chi
"NNN' Hh hhalF Htu Deen teleRrnpno
throughout the land, and trlling as It now
appears In the then excited condition If
the pubic mind, great Importance was aa-
signed the event. and so potent was IL
IL was and soon became a herald OF evil
ana mitchell TO the Southern cause. Mem
pms was srently excited over the aff1ir.
ana had It not been for the strony hama
OF the committee. the error Of Helena
would again have been adopted Much
information as TO the conditions and feel.
ing along the river was impaired q me.
anu much alVice Tor my future guidance
was received and followed
Further troubs was to be expaetea d,
Columbus, Ky. we timed our run 10 pass
( thls place IN the night, which was yerv
dayk' the river very wide at this palnt
ana the waters high With fights extln-
sulshsd, furnaces screened ana runb{np
under slow bells close under me MIA.
souri, bank of the river. we had run VOL
pssl this point OF danger when the fash
ana report Of artillery aroused us fam a
Sro~lng feeling Of security. Four shots
" all, TO which We paid no further atteu-
.loh than 10 increase speed. In about
Two hours Cairo, Ill, was reached This
place was occupied by Hlinols s4ate
guards under he command OF Colonel ar.
tenw&rd General, u. S. Grant TINS ex-
element here was intense, our reeeptIon
NOISY, but the detention shor ThuAour
was waxing late and ether work ahead,
lot watch darkness was necessary 10
success
At both paducah ana Hickman the
| tactics devised for Columhus we're sue
cessiully repeated. bur al Sm.thland. the
mouth of the Cumberland river, the re-
suit was different While the same lac
TIES was our resort the garrison was
more alert and We received an artillery
salute as We attempted to pass soeed
WAS our successful resort but here new
danger confronted. guard boat was
In evidence ON the river and as the .ong
stream OF sparks poured forth from hei
stacks, indicating a chase We. to avoid
the naval engagement possible and the
capture probable. showed our heels wltt
such effect thai daylight, which saon
broke, ehowed the chase was abandoned
Next day at noon We passed through the
caaal from Portland to Louisville, And
my services as guardian OF Queen OF thC
West terminated.
Thus II was | became witness TO The
succeeding guns to Sumter, fired in the
civil war. AS the first guns decided the
blockading OF our seapnrts, these second
effected the blockade of the interior
making for a brief thine Columbus ana
Cairo the terminals Of hostile sections OF
the Mississippi river, The echo from
the gun at Helena, and those "a Coluni.
bus and Sm!thland. reverherattd along the
valleys until the heSdwaters OF the Vel.
owstone, The Missouri, the Mississippi
! the Monongahela, tha Allegheny ana The
Kanawha were reaohed--thence 20 thoil
conjunction at Cairo The nightly current!
brought an answering tempest-the con
eolidauon Of echoes from many million:
OF voices Separate the psople II you
must, divide the lands II you can, iul
the Waters are one and indiv,slbls; God
can divide the Waves, hut He has forever
united the waters, and no barrier OF
mans erectaon can ALTER the laws o; HI
creation.
The attempl when we were so IN pre-
pared to accomplish the feat was fatai
error, crlnisusl act, the offspring ol
ahortEva zeal and assuming aspiration. ii
gathered and launched the storm, set In
notion the tide and nc Aosd that was
soon to elgulf the Cumberland aud Ten,
nessea rivers, their rich valleys and tne
vast territories through which they
meanaered, IN q dellgo ~ Invasion II
lost us the state OF ksntacky, Forts
Henry and Doaelson and caused the fall
I OF Nashville before the war was fairly an
4 II opened wide the doors to the conquest
l q Tenpessee and guided the trail Of d.
sirncden, CT brs and rRpine from Caro-
70 the sea "rhe List Cluse" "a more
I attMhutable 70 these hasty aad !ll-slmei
acts than to any other event OF tho war