Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-09-13

Despite the Michigans superior speed, the
Philo Parsons gained the shelter of the Detroit
river There the prisoners were landed. Many
of the pirates" also went ashore and disap-
peared Then Beall and Ross, with only hand
full of men left, steered the Phllo Parsons out
into deep water and scuttled her
After that 1t was every man for himself Most
of them escaped, but Captain Beall was cap
tured tried by court martial, found guilty OF
piracy" and was hanged on Governors island.
NJ Y, on February "a, 1865.
Ross went to Hamilton, Ont, where he was
given refuge by family whose relatives were
In the Confederate armies In spite OF the pla-
cards and bills posted everywhere offering re
wards for his capture, Ross got to Halifax and
was even bold enough to have his picture taken
while there. A blockade runner took him to
Wilmington, ~ G. The Confederate authorities
recognized his services by making him a captain
In the secret service.
He was however, impatient 10 get back into
the fray, and rejoined his old company In time
to participate In the battles around Richmond
He remained on duty until Lee surrendered at
Appomattox, and was again wounded shortly be-
fore the cessation of hostiIities
Grant. In his second administration issued a
special pardon relieving Captain Ross OF the
charges of piracy. For more than 40 years he
lived at Grand Haven In the state which he and
his fellow pirates" had once thrown Into an
uproar and he finally moved to Minneapolis,
Minn. where he died In 1927 at the age of
eighty three.
Thousands of visitors to Century of Prog
ress In Chicago this year have seen relic of
another famous Civil war rad-the locomotive
"The General" which stands across from the
Travel and Transport building This was the
engine used by the "Andrews Raiders" named
for their leader, James ]. Andrews who like
Gen John Fl. Morgan was Kentuckian Only
In this case Kentuckian was leading Union
raid through Confederate territory and instead
of being mounted on the kind Of thoroughbred
horses for which Kentucky is famous, as Nor
gan was, their steed was an Iron horse"
1t was on the morning of April IL, 1862, that
the train drawn by THE General" en- route from
Atlanta Ga. to Chattanooga, Tenn, stopped al
Marietta Ca Here considerable party of stran
gers dressed In civilian clothes and claiming to
be refugees from within the Yankee lines who
we're desirous of joining the Confederate forces
boarded the train and paid their fares Capt
w. A. Fuller. who was In charge of the train
did not have the slightest inkling that these
strangers were Union soldiers who were plan
ming to capture his train and use 1t to paralyze
traffic on the Western and Atlantic railroad, one
OF the vital arteries OF transport for the Con
federacy, by burning the Is bridges which lay
between Chattanooga and Big Shanty.
Their opportunity came when the train stopped
at Big Shanty for breakfast. While they were
thus occupied the strangers whose leader wal
James J. Andrews, q citizen OF Fiemingsburg
KY, who had volunteered to perform this dan
gerous task, cut away all but three cars In the
train, climbed into the engine cab and steamed
away.
Captain Fuller believed that those who haG
taken his train were deserters from Camp Nc
Donald, a recruit camp at Big Shanty. Al
once he dashed TO the telegraph office to send
warning TO stations farther up the line, only
to discover that the telegraph wires had beer
cut. Accompanied by two or three Others. hs
ran to Moons Station, two miles away, and OBJ
tained handcar on which they set out In pur
suit of the raiders.
| Then followed the race which has become
| classic In American history-Andrews and hi
| party leading the way with The General" set
| ting fire to bridges, tearing up the tracks II
| places and putting distractions on Ii In others
and behind them Fuller and his men, first OF
the hand car, then on the engine "Yonah" ans
finally on 'The Texas" racing after them ans
gaining on them until at last the fugitives In /
desperate effort to shake of their pursuerl
set FIRE to the last freight car and cut It loos.
on bridge But before the bridge could catci
fire, Fuller had run up to the car, coupled OF
and pulled 1t away.
| BY this time the fugitives had deserted tn.
engine and escaped into the woods. But mounte<
militia were soon hot on their trail and within
short time all OF the Andrews party, 22 II
number, were captured. They were taken bacl
to Atlanta and tried before military court
Eight, among them Andrews the leader, wer,
found guilty and executed as spies, six were pa
rolled and eight later escaped from prison a
Atlanta. On March 25 1853, medals OF homo
were presented by Secretary Of War Stanton t,
| the six who were paroled and later the eigh
who escaped from prison were also given med
ais. OF those who had been executed medal
we're delivered to the mothers OF one of then
and to the widows Of two others.
60 By Western Newspaper uaion.l