Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-02
A GUNCOTTON PLOT
Concerning an Irishman and Some
Filibusterx.

1t is n of the honored tricks of the
ammunition trade.
The second obstacle was the notori-
Gus sW1ftness OF the state of New Jer-
sey IN the matter Of justice.
Down on the East river front. in the
Kingdom OF ship chambers, divers,
wreckers, sailmakers and crimps, is a
little corner office whose address is
known to many Central and South
american governments and to persons
who would like to be Central and South
American governments. In that office,
sitting with his feet on the $40 desk
That forms the sole furniture. NAV he
round (when he isn't busy SOMEWHERE
a tall. straight-shouIdered Irishman
with humorous wrinkles around his
eyes and q jaw that can set as sud
denly as a trap.
Affairs in the far-off republic were
getting highly critical and the sacred
cause of liberty, coffee and concessions
was suffering when the Irishman got
the problem to solve.
1t stood so: Given $4,000, find one
buck OF a captain, two mates, four gum
ners, a boS'n and twenty men, who can
nght, swear n chew tobacco Also
deliver three IONS of guncotton on
board the steamship - off Quaran-
tine, without asking questions.
Luck and good management brought
LOh q a ~ lilC Cdpldln line. We
VIII call him Captain Dick Bascom. His
real name is almost as well known as
the name OF the merchant. He was one
or the most famous of the oldtime fast
clipper sailors in the days of the roar
ing wind 1ammers-a terror of q can
tain, too; one of the kind that made
crews hugely averse TO shipping on
American vessels unless they were the
smartest of sailor men.
He was aYnnorarfIy 1ayro ~ III. r..af-
and his mild scruples were overcome
by the advance of 5000 as bargain
money. With his aid two ''bucko''
mates were round and enlisted. Before
noon next day the gunner and crew
We're collected.
1t was expensive, though; for mates.
gunners and bos-ns insisted on getting
the first months wage OF $40 In adj
vance n the crew got $50 each. The
ship broker thus stood to lose 81 $50
cash IL h gang skedaddled, and he
knew too well that gentlemen who are
not above flibustering are not above
running ava with advance money.
But he had his plans laid by that
time. AS o as his little navy had
been duly gathered he marched them
out of the South street meeting place
straight abroad a tug that steamed to
the Erie basin. The tugboat captain
Atts0 otA1 O40NA IL ma6a lAtOD
water around them. fellers."
The ship broker was not a timid per-
son, but he had a deep respect for
New Jersey, and through a thoughtful
night nc iiatf considered now ne might
best get that guncotton without landing
in a cell.
When the solution came it was bril-
liant. 1t included not only the safe re-
moval Of the stuff. but his safeguard
ing of his 81, 0S0 worth OF crew.
Some time before there had been a
public sale of several old United States
monitors, relics of the civil war. The
purchaser Of one had towed it down to
the Erie basin to break ii up for junk.
Jim Murphy. the ship broker, got the
loan" of the craft for 500.
He set half a dozen men to paint
her during the night. When he arrived
with his tugboat OF fiibusters the mon
itor presented quite an imposing APP
p~carance.
Soon she was under the low. In the
middle of the bay, where the men could
not escape, they were transferred to
the old craft. Some of them had al
ready shown distressing signs of a de-
sire to let the suffering South Ameri-
can republic get along without them,
and when they were transferred to the
cheese box they made vivid promises
to jump the thing at the first oppor-
tunity.
Arriving behind Liberty island the
tug stopped a few hundred yards OFF
shore, and Jim Murphy brought out a
fine American flag u hoisted It at the
stern OF the monitor. Then he jumped
into a small boat and went ashore.
Within twenty minutes he appeared
again at the end OF the pier and waved
his hand. The tug shot In and laid the
monitor alongside. But the flibusters
dtd not jump the ship: for behind lin