The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-22
How Bat Watkins
 Captured A Slave.

capital cook. and two or three other ser wants. His larder was stocked with profusion of good things including an almost inexhaustible supply of venison.
 Of course, I accepted his invitation, and that night exerted every effort to make myself entertaining,
 But the wanderer?
 What connection could he have with that historic ship of shame?
 Unable to think of a better way:
 "I say. old man." suddenly broke out. May told me to ask you about your raid on the Wanderer niggers. He said you could tell me a good story about 1t. But Watkins gave a start of surprise. and for a moment his face was not pleas ant to look upon.
 Then his low grim features relaxed. and with a low laugh he settled back in his chair and looked at me with an anus ed expression.
 T reckon 1t will be all right to tell you the story" he said. but there was a time when 1t was dangerous to whis- per 1t.
 You know the history of the Wan derer case? Well. after the rumpus was over in the court at Savannah. the kid mapped niggers were brought through Montgomery by small posse of United States deputy marshals.
 Two or three thousand people went down to the river to catch a glimpse of the Africans who were walking about on the deck of a steamboat just about ready to leave.
 T was full of liquors-had two six shooters, and didn't care a shuck for the whole United States. Felt sure l could lick all the deputy marshals in the coun- try" | Alabama. got hold of me and bantered me to charge the Wanderer and help myself to one of the Africans. II took two or three more drinks with | the boys. and the suggestion began to | look feasible.
 Tt was hinted around in the crowd that Bat Watkins was about to defy the l United States Government and its officers and carry off one of the Wanderer nig-
 well. sir, hundreds of fellows. spiling | for a fight. encouraged me. and promised to stand in the way of the officers so as | to prevent pursuit.
 ri walked up and down the river bank, | studying the people on the boat. One negro. young. tall and apparently strong | and active, attracted my attention, and | made up my mind to capture him. Just before the time set for the boat g departure, I boarded 1t. plunging like a | thunderbolt into the dense crowd of 1 blacks who had concealed me from the | view of the astonished officers, "Seizing my chosen African by the arm | and holding pistol in one hand quick | ly slipped through the crowd. and in two minutes we were on land with 500 howl | ing desperadoes between me and the boat. "The deputy marshals yelled and thun- dered, but my friends shouted that they were mistaken and said they would swear that no negro had been taken from the | boat.
 At last the officers pretended to be- | lieve the testimony of the mob, and pro- ceeded down the river on the boat | My plantation then was near the Flor 1 ida line, in an out of the way locality | far from any railroad. It took several | days for me to get there with my new slave and I was afraid all the time oi being hunted down and punished for my mad freak
 "But l was not followed nor bothered | fin any way. After reaching the planta. tion I assigned my African to a cabin | and told the Overseer to put him to work l "Humph! No work did get out of that fellow. He led me a dance. let me tel why. Colonel. the d-d rascal turnee out to be a king and a conjuror of won derful power. At the end of a week h, had the overseer scared half to death and all the other niggers were waiting or l him.
 T went to the cabin to have it out witt his royal highness, but some things oc cured that changed my mind. and con | cluded to let him alone 1 He skipped out the first year of tn, | war-joined the Yankees at Pensacola | and went to New York, where he was in terviewed in The Herald to the extent Q.