by John McElroy
CHAPTER XV.
PLOTS TO POISON AND BURN.--FIRE AND POISON.--THE PLOT TO BURN NORTHERN CITIES AND SPREAD DISEASE.--THE SCHEME AVENGED.--PART OF THE CHIEF PLOTTERS BURNED BY THEIR OWN COMBUSTIBLES.
"The earth had not A hole to hide this deed." --Shakespeare
Some weeks having elapsed since Uncle Daniel was excused, we wereanxious to hear him further, and assembled again at Mr. Wilson's house.Uncle Daniel was feeling quite well, greeted us pleasantly, and askedthat we be seated. After the compliments of the season, we inquired ifhe was ready to continue his story. He replied that he was, and began bysaying:
"After Jackson had returned from escorting Seraine to her home inDetroit, we discussed the question as to what steps should now be taken.Gen. Anderson was still quite feeble, his wound being very painful. Itwas thought that it would require considerable time for him to recoversufficiently to again be able to take the field. He thought it would,perhaps, be several months. Jackson, after reflection, thought he wouldcontinue his investigation of the Golden Circle conspiracy, and to doso satisfactorily deemed it best for him to go to England and get on thetrack of their allies in that country, and see what preparations werebeing made abroad in connection with the leaders in this country. Gen.Anderson thought this a good plan. Henry, who had been growing stronger,said to Jackson, that while he (Jackson) was making his voyage ofdiscovery through parts of Europe, he would go to Canada as soon as hewas able to do so, and carry out the plans left unexecuted by Jackson atthe time he returned from New York. This arrangement being understood byall, we sent Ham out to the farm, in order that Dent might be summonedto Allentown to give us what information he had gathered, if any, duringour afflictions and consequent suspension of our operations in thatdirection.
"We directed Ham to bring Mr. Dent back with him the next morning. Atten o'clock Joseph Dent and Ham arrived from the farm. As soon as wecould conveniently do so, we had an interview with Dent as to what wastranspiring in his immediate neighborhood among his friends, the Knightsof the Golden Circle. He related to us the facts in reference to ameeting held two nights before, about which he had intended to come inthat day and tell us, if Ham had not come after him. The facts, as hestated them to us, were these:
"A person by the name of Harris stated to his confederates that he wasjust from Richmond, Va., at the same time claiming to be a member of theConfederate Congress from Missouri. (A part of Missouri believed thatit had seceded, as you may remember, just as a few Counties in Kentuckythought they had.) Harris had passed through the lines, coming throughWest Virginia and Kentucky, as any one could have done at any time, andas many doubtlesss did. His statement, as Dent told it to us, was this:That he was sent by the President of the Confederate States (so-called),and was on his way to Indianapolis to lay a plan before the leaders inthis and other States; thence he was to pass into Canada and meet theleaders there, and in that way have prompt action and co-operationassured. His greatest desire seemed to be to meet Mr. Thos. A. Strider,who, he said, was one of their best and shrewdest advisers. Hisheadquarters were to be at Windsor, Canada. He directed the Lodge towhich Dent belonged to be ready at a moment's notice to do whatevermight be directed from the Supreme Council. He told his hearers tospread the alarm wherever they could without being suspected, that therewas to be a great destruction of property in the North; that, he said,would terrify leading men and property holders; and, in order to satisfyhis confederates that there was a basis for this statement, he discloseda part of a plot that had been proposed to Jefferson Davis and was soonto be carried out. It was that a discovery had been recently made by aprofessor of chemistry, one McCullough, by which towns and cities, andvessels coming in and going out of our ports, could be easily burnedwithout danger of discovery. With this newly-discovered combustiblematerial a general and wholesale destruction of all kinds ofdestructible property was to be inaugurated. Harris said that agentswere to be employed all over the country, who were to be selected fromthe members of the Knights and to be made up of the most reliable andtried men; that this matter had been duly considered and determined uponby the authorities at Richmond; that Jacob Thomlinson, C. C. Carey andothers were now on their way to England to meet Mr. McCullough, who wasalready there, and where the destructive material was to be manufacturedand brought in an English vessel to Canada, as there was noway ofgetting from the Confederate States to the place from which they wishedto operate without running the gauntlet, and perhaps meeting withdangers not desirable to be encountered. This man Harris also instructedall who heard him that the penalty now fixed by the authorities in theCouncils of the Knights for disclosing any of their secrets was death,which might be inflicted by any of the Order ascertaining the fact sothat no doubt could exist as to the guilt of the person who had playedtraitor to them.
"This, I could see, alarmed Dent and made him cautious and hesitating attimes when we would give expression to our utter abhorrence of theuse of such villainous means as seemed to be in contemplation by ourenemies. We constantly assured the old man, however, that he need haveno fears of any of us, which, of course, he had not; yet he was somewhattimid. He could not tell which way Harris started from their meeting,nor how he was traveling. This ended his recollection of Harris'sstatement. We then got Dent again to repeat the signs, grips, passwordsand instructions to Gen. Anderson and Capt. Jackson, as well as toHenry, and so they found themselves well posted. Then, thanking Dent andencouraging him to persevere in his discoveries, we allowed him to goand make his arrangements with David's widow about matters at the farmand then return home.
"The next day I wrote to the President, giving him the history ofmatters as detailed to us by Joseph Dent; also, the plan we had laidout for the future. In a few days I received a note from Washington,unsigned, merely saying, 'the plan is approved.' I knew from whom thenote came, and was well satisfied to have the plans carried out.
"The next day we received a letter from Peter, informing us that he waswell, and that the Army of the Center was in camp and were expecting along rest after the two great battles. This delighted my wife, as shefelt that while they were not moving, her boys were safe. By this timeall necessary arrangements had been made for Jackson's departure, andafter bidding his mother and the rest of us good-by he left for NewYork; from there he expected to sail for Europe. On arriving at NewYork he called upon Mc-Masterson and B. Wudd, and made satisfactorystatements to them as to the reasons for not going to Canada. Afterobtaining letters of introduction to Jacob Thomlinson they proceeded todiscuss the situation, and from them he learned that preparations, suchas had been detailed to us by Dent, were evidently being made forgreat damage to towns, cities, and property generally. He also obtainedletters from McMasterson to some important persons in London, where heprofessed to be going on some mission for the rebels. The letters, asbefore, introduced Mr. Jackson, of Memphis, Tenn.
Jackson starts for Europe 275]
"He sailed the following day and had a pleasant voyage. While on boardthe vessel crossing the Atlantic he made the acquaintance of one Capt.Redingson, a jolly, gentlemanly companion. They were very suspicious ofeach other for some time, but finally Capt. Redingson gave him the signof the Golden Circle, to which Jackson responded. The friendship wasthen at once established. Jackson carefully felt his way,--as youhave seen, he was a cautious man,--and finally discovered that Capt.Redingson was well acquainted in Memphis. This rather placed Jackson ina dilemma, as his letters located him at Memphis. Finally he turned theconversation in the direction of building railroads, and finding thatCapt. Redingson knew nothing about railroads, he mentioned that he hadbeen employed in engineering work on the Memphis & Chattanooga Railroad.He said he lived in Ohio, but claimed Memphis, Tenn., as his residence,inasmuch as he was a rebel and would have nothing whatever to do withthe North while they were making war against his friends, as his peoplewere all natives of Virginia, he himself having been born there. Thisstatement made all things right, and the two had a jolly good timetogeth
er the remainder of the voyage.
"During one of their conversations Capt. Redingson, in relating some ofhis war experiences, made mention of the fact that at one time, not longpast, he had met a young lady from Michigan in search of her sweetheart,and that he had been her escort while she was at Richmond, and throughtheir lines to ours. At this moment Jackson told me that he came verynear spoiling everything by his agitation, but by rising and taking aglass of water had time to recover, and then listened to the story withgreat interest, asking a question occasionally. Capt. Redingsonfinally took a small book from his pocket and read her name, 'Se-raineWhitcomb,' and that of her lover, 'Henry Lyon,' and remarked, that heintended, if ever he should have an opportunity, to find out the historyof the two, as she had impressed him very favorably, and, in fact, hadexcited his admiration,--she was so gentle and frank, and withal sobrave. Jackson said at this point he again became very thirsty.
"Very soon the conversation took a turn in another direction, andJackson inquired if the Captain thought there were any persons in Londonlooking after the interests of the Confederacy, to which the Captainreplied that Jacob Thomlinson, C. C. Carey, and one or two others thathe did not know, were there on a secret mission, the nature of which wasnot fully known to him, as he had only returned to Richmond from Mexicoon one day and left under orders the next, and had to run the blockadein order to get away. His description of the passing of our vesselsin the night out from Wilmington in a vessel laden with cotton; thedarkness, the stillness of the night, the lights on our vessels, thefear of being discovered and overtaken, the joy he experienced whenthey had passed our line and were covered by one of their fast-runningcruisers (the Susquehanna) was indeed quite graphic. Jackson said thatalthough the Captain was a rebel, and perhaps engaged in running theblockade frequently, yet he was cheerful, and took everything thatseemed to be working against their success so philosophically thathe enjoyed his company, and rather liked him. During the trip Capt.Redingson learned to like Jackson also, and made him a confidant,promising to introduce him to many friends after they should arrive,among whom he included Jacob Thomlinson, Carey, and many others.He finally disclosed to Jackson the fact that he was sent by theauthorities at Richmond to London and Paris with a large amount ofConfederate bonds for sale, and that he would take Jackson with himto visit the bankers, and also get him introduced, so that he mightbe admitted to some of the Gentlemen's clubs, where he could hear muchdiscussion pro and con about the war. It seemed that Capt. Redingson hadbeen across several times on business for the Confederacy.
"When the vessel reached port, and all was ready, the two went outtogether, and from Liverpool to London were engaged in conversation asto how they could best manage to enjoy themselves while in London, andat the same time attend to the business for which they were abroad.Jackson had satisfied the Captain that he was going more to find out howthe people there felt, and the probabilities of the English Governmentrendering aid to the Southern Confederacy, for the purpose of hisspeculating in bonds and stocks, than for anything else, and at the sametime to aid if he could the friends of the Confederacy everywhere;and to use all means, no matter what, for their success. They had notnoticed any of the important points until they came within some ten ortwelve miles of London, when their attention was attracted by the churchand school buildings of Harrow, beautifully situated on a hill risingfrom a plain. This celebrated institution is one of the first inthe Kingdom. It was founded in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Manydistinguished men have been educated there, among whom were Lord Byron,Sir Robert Peel, and Lord Palmerston. After this the Captain and Jacksontook much interest in the historic objects presenting themselves tillthey reached London.
"On arriving they engaged rooms at the Charing Cross Hotel. During thenext day Capt. Redingson found his friend Jacob Thomlinson and broughthim to his room. Very soon after this he invited Jackson in andintroduced him as Mr. Win. Jackson, of Memphis, Tenn., a good and truefriend of the Confederacy, who was willing to do anything to aid inmaking the rebellion a success. Mr. Thomlinson received him with muchcordiality, and conversed very freely, but cautiously. He was not quiteas free and easy as Capt. Redingson. Finally Mr. Thomlinson invited themto visit him at his hotel, 'The Palace,' near Buckingham Palace, onthe following evening, stating he would have some friends who wouldbe pleased to meet them. Jackson was very desirous to accept thisinvitation, as perhaps the opportunity would be afforded to getsome information of value, and was consequently delighted that Capt.Redingson promptly indicated their acceptance.
"In good season they made their toilets as if they were to meet theQueen of England or the Prince of Wales, and set out for the PalaceHotel. On arriving at the hotel and notifying Mr. Thomlinson of theirpresence, they were ushered into his apartments, which they found weremost elaborate and elegant.
"On entering they were presented to Mr. C. C. Carey, Prof. McCullough,and Dr. Blackman, of Kentucky. These men had the appearance of theSouthern aristocrats, except Prof. McCullough, whose manner and speechdenoted Northern antecedents. Jackson noted this particularly, andin the subsequent conversation he learned that the Professor was ofNorthern birth and education, having been, prior to 1860, professor ofchemistry at Princeton College, N. J. For a time the conversation ran onthe voyage and the many interesting places that should be visited by alltravelers. Before the evening was over, however, the topic was changed,and the success of the Confederacy (as they were pleased to call it)became the engrossing subject of discussion.
"Jackson was here tested and found not only sound in this, the mostinteresting of all questions to them, but it was thought he might bemade very useful in assisting them in perfecting and executing theirplans.
"Mr. Thomlinson and Captain Redingson discussed the selling of bonds,etc.; Thomlinson stating that the intention of the authorities atRichmond was to have given him the bonds, but that they were notprepared in time, as he had to leave at a certain date to escape theblockade, on account of his previous relations with the United StatesGovernment. Captain Redingson replied that he knew nothing about thebusiness except from his instructions, and he could not do otherwisethan to obey them.
"After many suggestions it was finally understood that a meeting of thegentlemen then present should be held every evening at the same rooms,except when engagements otherwise should interfere. Capt. Redingsonand Jackson then took leave of the other parties and returned to theirhotel.
"After going to their rooms Captain Redingson remarked that he wishedJackson to stay with him and be his guest, as he feared he might needa friend in future in reference to his business; that he desired him towitness his transactions in reference to the sale of the bonds inhis custody. At the same time he asked Jackson if he had heard whatThomlinson stated in reference to his (Thomlinson) being the one who wasto have placed the bonds. Jackson responded that he had. Redingson said:
"'Mr. Jackson, I intend to deal honestly with my Government (meaning theConfederacy) in this whole matter, and I do not intend that these bondsin my possession shall be a missing 'Indian Trust Fund?'
"Jackson remarked, 'Why, Captain, what do you mean by Indian TrustFund?'
"'Oh! nothing,' said the Captain; 'it was a mere idle remark.'
"This, however, opened a flood of light in upon Jackson's mind inreference to matters of the past, in connection with certain fraudsupon the United States Government. He pretended not to understand theCaptain, however, and there the conversation on this subject dropped.Jackson thanked the Captain for his generosity, but declined to accepthis offer,--that of being his guest while in London,--but said he wouldremain with him as long as he could do so. They agreed that the next daythey would visit some few points of interest while resting and beforestarting into business matters, and separated for the night. AfterJackson had retired to his room he jotted down what he had seen andheard, the names of those whom he had met, etc., and at the same timehe concluded there was a chance for a fair-sized row between JacobThomlinson and Capt. Redingson.
"E
vidently, the latter had but little confidence in the former, and wasdetermined to look well to his own matters of business.
"The next morning, after they had breakfasted, a programme was arrangedand they started out in a cab sightseeing. The first place of interestvisited was the monument at Fish-street Hill, near London Bridge, whichstands as the enduring monument to London's great fire in 1666. Thenext place, which is usually the first one visited by travelers,was Westminster Abbey--the shrine of the ashes of some of the mostillustrious and greatest of England's dead. They then visited theTemple, being next in antiquarian interest; then St. Paul's Church, theMiddle and Inner Temple Hall, Middle Temple Library, Temple Gardens, andone or two of the principal parks. By this time they had whiled away themost of the day, and therefore returned to Charing Cross Hotel.
"After dinner that evening they again visited the rooms of JacobThomlinson and found the same friends of the evening before. Aftersalutations, and the ordinary chat about London and the points visitedby each, the conversation again turned on the war at home. On thisoccasion ways and means were discussed very freely. The Professorand Dr. Blackman seemed to be really fiendish in their feelings andsuggestions. The Professor was very anxious that money should beobtained at once, in order that the plan agreed to at Richmond shouldbe entered upon without delay, which was, as heretofore stated, that thematerial was to be made in large quantities wherewith towns, citiesand other property could be easily burned without detection. Jacksoninquired of the Professor what his combustible was, to which he replied:
"'There are but two men who have the secret; it cannot be given withoutthe consent of both and in the presence of both. I can,' he continued,'burn the city of New York in one day or night by throwing thispreparation in eight or ten places at the same point of time, and nopower can prevent its success in making destruction certain. The personthrowing it can, by a certain gauge, give himself plenty of time to beentirely out of the sight of any one who might chance to be near. Inthat way he would not even be suspected. When the explosion takes placethe flames will instantly cover an entire block of buildings. It hasbeen so thoroughly tested that there is now no longer any doubt of thedestructive power of the material.'
"Capt. Redingson here interposed a question, desiring to know if thiswould come within the range of civilized warfare?
"'Civilized warfare!' said Dr. Blackman; 'what do I care for the rulesof civilized warfare? Have not these Yankees destroyed our property?Are they not setting our slaves free? Is not that destruction of ourproperty rights?'
"'Yes,' said Capt. Redingson; 'but this is retaliation on property andpersons that are not doing any injury. You must remember that wehave many good friends North, and this mode of warfare would be thedestruction of women and children.'
"'Very well,' said Dr. Blackman; 'let that be so. If those people are,as you say, our friends, let them join in and help us. They can stopthis war if they want to do so. No, sir! they are only pretendedfriends. They are after the dollar, and play between the lines!'
"Jacob Thomlinson here spoke up, saying: 'You are quite right, Doctor;we cannot look for help from any of those people, and the sooner welight up their cities with a grand and bright light the better!'
"'Very well, gentlemen; I was merely wishing to understand the matter,'said Capt. Redingson.
"Dr. Blackman by this time was walking to and fro across the roomsomewhat excitedly. Halting in front of Capt. Redingson, he said: 'Ipresume that your Christian sentiments would revolt at my proposition,and to which the authorities have already assented.'
"'What is that?' quickly inquired Capt. Redingson.
"'It is to spread disease in the Northern cities and through theNorthern army.'
"The Captain promptly replied: 'Well, sir, this would be a novel way offighting battles. I had supposed that physicians were educated in theline of preventing and curing diseases, and not in the practice of howto spread them.'
"'Yes, sir! as a principle, that is so; but in a case like this, whereis the difference between shooting a man to death and poisoning him todeath?' said the Doctor.
"'Doctor, I can see a very great difference. In the one case you fighthim, giving him an equal chance with yourself; in the other, you murderhim in the most dastardly and cowardly manner.'
"'I am greatly surprised at you, sir,' said the Doctor. 'I thought youwere one of our truest men?'
"'So I am,' responded the Captain. 'But, Doctor, we had better notdiscuss this matter further. I shall obey my orders; but please excuseme from anything more than to do so in the direction of which you werespeaking.'
"During this discussion Jackson had remained silent. The Doctor, turningto him, said:
"'Mr. Jackson, what are your views on the subjects under discussion?'
"To this Jackson replied that, being unacquainted with the usages ofwar, he was not competent to decide, but he thought while all partiesimplicitly obey orders, he did not see that individual opinions cut verymuch of a figure in the operations of a great war.
"Thomlinson said that was the most sensible solution of the question;that he presumed there were a great many questions upon which we mightall have very different shades of opinion.
"'But, Doctor,' said Jackson, 'there is a difficulty in my mind as tohow you are to carry out your proposed plan.'
"'Not the slightest difficulty, sir. I have already made arrangementswith all the smallpox hospitals of England, so that instead ofdestroying or burying in the ground the towels, sheets, covers,blankets, and under-clothing, they are all to be boxed up tightly andcovered with clean blankets and sent to an out-of-the-way place which Ihave prepared.
"I am to pay for them on delivery. I have persons employed, all of whomhave passed through the most malignant forms of the disease. They arecollecting and having brought to this out-house those infected goods.When I have a sufficient quantity of them I shall purchase a largeamount of material used by soldiers, such as handkerchiefs, stockings,underwear, sheets for hospitals, etc., mix them with the infected goods,box them up and ship them to the Sanitary Commission in New York by wayof Canada for distribution to the Union Soldiers, post hospitals, andsanitariums. I shall go to the Charity Hospital Association here and getpermission to send them in their name; in fact, I have the permissionnow. They, of course, do not know they are infected goods, but I havegiven them the list of goods I intend to purchase, and they will give methe letter I wish, turning the goods over to me as their agent to takethem to New York and present them to the Sanitary Commission for theUnion armies. I have given to them the name of James Churchill, ofLondon.'
"'But, Doctor, how will you take them on board ship without danger tothe people on the vessel?'
"'Very easily, sir. There is not the slightest danger in doing so. Iwill pack them inside fresh linens and blankets, with cotton and paperoutside of them, making the boxes of good material and very close inthe joints. I shall leave for New York in about one month, and I haveno fears that I will not succeed in doing great damage to the army, andalso to the members of the Sanitary Commission who handle the goods. Iregard the Commission as a set of scamps and hypocrites.'
"Jackson here interrupted, saying: 'Doctor, you seem to have your schemepretty well planned, and it looks as though it might be a success.'
"This Dr. Blackman seems to have been a communicative individual, andJackson having sounded him all that he wished at that time, the Captainand Jackson took their leave and repaired to their hotel. When therethe Captain walked into Jackson's room and stood for a moment lookingstraight into Jackson's face. Finally, he spoke in about these words:
"'Mr. Jackson, I am a rebel! I am what is called a traitor to the UnitedStates Government. I am in favor of the whole country becoming oneuniversal wreck before I would submit to go back into the Union. But,sir, I want you to remember, if you should ever think of Capt. Redingsonin the future, that his mother was a Christian woman, and taught her sonto have some of the instincts of humanity. No, sir; I am no murderer;no city burner; n
o poisoner! I have listened to all these things andremained partially silent. But, as God is my judge, I will not be aparty to any of these schemes. I will obey all legitimate orders, so faras money is concerned, and as a soldier will do my duty; but no man hasa right to order me to commit murder or to perform inhuman acts, and Iwill not do it!'
"Jackson listened to him, and then gave him his hand, saying:
"'Captain, you are a man, and a gentleman, with true appreciation ofwhat may be justified in war, and that which cannot be.'
"The Captain said he would go the next day to see the syndicate that wasto take the bonds, and as soon as he could arrange his matters he wouldleave London.
"Jackson told him he would go with him, and they parted for the nightwith that understanding.
"The next day the Captain made a visit to the office of the syndicate,where all the preliminaries were arranged. Jackson, at the Captain'srequest, and in pursuance of their former understanding, accompaniedhim. An arrangement was made for the Captain to meet these gentlementhe next day at the Bank of England, where the bonds were to be verifiedwith papers sent by the Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederacy.Being quite weary they did not that evening visit the rooms of JacobThomlinson. After the Captain retired Jackson wrote to me a detailedstatement of all that had transpired, and directed his letter to hismother, so that no suspicion could attach, not knowing what mighthappen.
"I will digress here a moment to say that the letter was received in thedue course of the mail. The statements it contained as to the proposedschemes were so revolting that they struck terror to my very soul.I left for Washington the next morning. On arriving there I laid theletter before the President. He read it and seemed to be dumfounded. Hefinally said:
"'Is it possible that such men live in this day and age?'
"He sent for the Secretary of War. The letter contained a minutedescription of Dr. Blackman and Professor McCullough. Certain reliableofficers were at once detailed and dispatched to New York, with properauthority to arrest either or both of these men, if they or either ofthem should chance to enter that city. The President talked freely withme after this was done, asking me many questions about the feelingsof the people. As soon as I could leave Washington I did so. Havingperformed my errand I returned home and found Henry sufficientlyrecovered to undertake his promised trip to Canada, and the dayfollowing my arrival he started. I have wandered from the subject,however, and must get back to London."
"It is all interesting, Uncle Daniel," said Dr. Adams.
"Yes, yes! but I must get back to London. The day agreed upon theCaptain (Jackson accompanying him), met the gentlemen of the syndicateof the Bank of England, and then and there the bonds in the possessionof Capt. Redingson were verified and found correct according to theSecretary's letters. The bonds taken by the syndicate amounted toseveral millions of dollars, and, much to the surprise of the Captain,the syndicate had instructions also from the authorities at Richmond toplace two millions in the Bank of England to the credit of the Treasuryof the Confederate Government, one million in the Bank of France to thesame credit, and one million in the Bank of England to the credit ofJacob Thomlinson, and the remainder (|50,000) to be paid to Capt. T. P.Redingson. This he placed to his own credit. He then took a statement ofthe whole transaction from the bank. After giving his signature, so thathe might draw for his money, he was then ready to leave. When asked ifhe knew Mr. Jacob Thomlinson, he replied that he did, and then inturn asked the bank officer the same question. He answered that Mr.Thomlinson was well known to the bank, and, in fact, was then in theback room in consultation with some other gentlemen. This seemed tonettle the Captain, as he felt that he was watched by Thomlinson.Jackson asked the Captain if he was ready to return. He signified thathe was. They took leave of all the gentlemen, and left for their hotel.
"That evening they visited the rooms of Jacob Thomlinson. Beforestarting the Captain spoke rather angrily about Mr. Thomlinson's conductand about the amount of money placed to Thomlinson's credit. Jackson,being a very deliberate man, advised the Captain not to have anydiscussion with Thomlinson, but to take everything for granted and toagree to whatever plans the gentlemen at the rooms might suggest; thathe could leave the country whenever he wished, and not meet them at anypoint in the United States or Canada. The Captain, with some warmth,said:
"'Mr. Jackson, I will not meet them anywhere away from here to assist incarrying out their murderous plots and schemes! Thomlinson has the moneyto his credit, and can buy and pay for what he pleases. I will no longerbe responsible; and the fact that so much money is placed to his creditcauses me to have suspicion that these schemes, as they say, have beenindorsed by the authorities at Richmond. Now, my dear sir, if I knewthat to be true, so help me Heaven, I would renounce the whole concern,as much of a rebel as I am. I would go to Mexico or some other countryand live. What! I, Thomas P. Redingson, a man of reputation, born ofChristian parents, assisting in spreading disease amongst poor soldiers,who are merely obeying the orders of their Government? No, sir! no sir!never I I do not believe that the All-seeing God will allow this infamyto prosper.'
"Jackson then said: 'Captain, let us go; they may be waiting for us.'
"They proceeded to the meeting place. Upon entering they found allpresent, and apparently feeling very much gratified at something. Thechampagne was flowing freely and the conversation became quite loud. Anew face appeared in their midst. They were introduced to him. His namewas given as Dr. Mears, formerly of Washington City. In the course ofthe evening it was disclosed that he was the man referred to by Prof.McCullough as the only man other than himself possessing the secret ofthe discovery of the great combustible that was to burn up the world.Jackson excused himself from taking any wine on account of his head notbeing in good condition. After many bumpers they all sat down to reviewthe situation.
"C. C. Carey said that the first thing now, since the necessary moneyhad been provided, was to ascertain what length of time would benecessary to perfect the arrangements, as well as for Dr. Blackman tocomplete his collection.
"Dr. Blackman, always loquacious, spoke up instantly, 'I will be readyin two weeks.'
"Prof. McCullough thought it would require a greater length of timefor him and Dr. Mears to make proper preparations. He thought that fourweeks would be sufficient time.
"So it was finally decided that the three should make their arrangementsto be ready to sail within four weeks, and that they would sail on thesame vessel for Montreal, Canada. Jacob Thomlinson and C. C. Carey wereto precede them and have matters all prepared for taking care of andstoring their materials. The time was not then fixed for these gentlemento sail, but it was understood they should go in advance and make allthe necessary arrangements for quick and effective work as soon as theProfessor and the two Doctors should arrive in Montreal. The plan wasthat agents were to be selected from their sworn friends of the GoldenCircle, who were known to be tried and true men of great daring andcourage. These men were to be placed at different points, where theywere to be furnished with the material and instructed by Prof.McCullough and Dr. Mears on their arrival. Their operations were to befrom Canada. The agents were to operate against New York and New Englandtowns and cities from Montreal; also, against Buffalo and interiorcities in the State of New York from Toronto, and against Cleveland,Cincinnati and Chicago from Windsor.
"These preliminaries having been settled, the next inquiry was as to howthe money was to be placed to defray all the expenses. Mr. Thomlinsonmade inquiry as to the amount that would be required. The estimates weremade at once by Dr. Blackman for his part, and by Prof. McCullough forthe 'fireworks,' as Redingson now called them. The two estimates footedup $109,000. Thomlinson thought that would be very extravagant. TheProfessor inquired if he knew the material to be used. Thomlinsonadmitted that he did not.
"Jackson saw that Redingson was regarding Prof. McCullough, with a lookof intense curiosity. Nothing was said for some moments. The silence wasfinally broken by Mr. Carey saying that
he thought it might be a goodplan to have one of the party who was to remain in London to have theamount placed to his credit somewhere, so that he could act as Treasurerfor the two divisions of labor, and draw all the checks or draftsnecessary. Dr. Blackman spoke to Thomlinson, saying that he thought wellof that plan.
"'Well, gentlemen,' Mr. Thomlinson said, 'whom will you select?'
"Prof. McCullough said: 'I do not care; I am willing that Dr. Blackmanshall act if he will do so. What say you, Dr. Mears?' The Doctorassented, and it was so arranged.
"Jacob Thomlinson said: 'All right, gentlemen; on tomorrow I will makethe deposit, and then Mr. Carey and myself will take the first chancefor getting to Canada, in in order to make the arrangements as nowunderstood.' At the same time he asked Capt. Redingson when and wherewould his orders take him.
"The Captain replied that he should return to Richmond as soon as hecould get through the lines. Speaking to Jackson, he said: 'I supposeyou will remain in London for the present.'
"'Yes,' replied Jackson; 'I shall look around the country some littlebefore returning.'
"They all agreed to have one final meeting the next evening, prior toseparating for their various destinations. Bidding each other good-nightthey left.
"Capt. Redingson and Jackson wended their way to their hotel. Afterarriving at their rooms Capt. Redingson commenced the conversation. Youwill notice that these two men never talked on the street, or elsewherethan in their room. Redingson said to Jackson:
"'Did you see how loath Thomlinson was to put money in any other handsthan his own?'
"'I saw some hesitancy,' said Jackson.
"'Well, sir, he proposes to spend only what is absolutely necessary.None of it will ever find its way into the Confederate Treasury. Heloves money equal to any Yankee. But now, Mr. Jackson, what do youpropose? Will you return to New York, or will you remain here for atime?
"Said Jackson, 'I ought to return very soon, but I have learned butlittle as yet in reference to the sentiments of the people in England,and am thinking of remaining for a short time longer.'
"'Well, sir, if you have no objections, I will remain for a time withyou. I would like to see and learn more than I have about severalmatters. Let us go to-morrow and take a look around. What do you say?'
"'Very well,' replied Jackson.
"'Good night,' said the Captain.
"When Jackson was alone, he wrote again under cover of his mother'sname, without signing his own, giving full details of the plan of attackon the cities named, agents to be employed, etc. He gave the namesof places in Canada from which the attacks with fire were to be made.Thomlinson and Carey's headquarters were to be at Montreal; thereforeJackson suggested that I send for Henry and put him on the track, andfor him to discover the agents so they could be arrested, etc. This, hethought, could not be risked in a letter to Canada. Hence, I wrote toHenry to come home. He came at once. I gave him Jackson's letter andhe studied it, making diagrams, etc., and then returned to Canada,determined to get in with these men and learn who their agents were,etc. I could not visit Washington at that time, so I took the chancesof a letter to the President. He received my letter and took the properprecaution to have careful watch for the developments of the dreadfulwickedness.
"Now, let me return to the Captain and Jackson. According to theiragreement when we left them, the following morning they started out andspent a day of great interest to them. While riding in a cab the Captainsaid: 'I have a proposition to make to you, Mr. Jackson, which I will doto-night. The more I reflect upon what certain men are going to attempt,the more atrocious it appears to me.'
"Jackson looked at him, but with his usual caution made no response,except that he would be glad to hear what he had to say. That night whenall the parties met at Jacob Thomlinson's rooms, as per engagement, allwere good natured and full of hope and belief as to their success andthe future triumph of the Confederate cause. In the conversation itseemed that the Professor and Dr. Blackman had come to the conclusionthat they could be ready perhaps a week sooner than they had at firstthought. Jacob Thomlinson said: 'All right, gentlemen, the sooner thebetter.'
"He then revealed to them that he had that day chartered for safety afast-running steamer called the Will-o'-the-Wisp, to transport them andtheir supplies of material from Liverpool to Montreal. The Captainand officers were, he said, their friends, and ready to aid them inanything. To Dr. Blackman he said: 'Take this letter; in it you willfind full instructions and memoranda, so that you can at any timecommunicate with the Captain of the vessel. You had better send yourmaterial along with some discreet person as rapidly as possible, andleave for Montreal the first moment you can do so.'
"He also stated that he and Mr. Carey would leave London in the morningto take passage from Liverpool to Montreal. The Messenger being thefirst steamer to leave, they were going over in her. After some furthertalk of no great importance, the Captain and Jackson bade good-by to alland withdrew.
"After entering Jackson's room the Captain said: 'Mr. Jackson, I toldyou last night that I could not see how the Living God could allow suchinhuman plans to succeed. Now, what I propose is this: for you and me toremain and find if any vessel will leave for Montreal near the time,but later than the Will-o'-the-Wisp, and that we take passage on her andfollow them. I am resolved that I will prevent this inhuman scheme frombeing carried out. I do not believe that you will betray me, therefore Itell you this. I do not now know how I am to do it, _but I will do it!_What say you, sir? Are you a Christian man?'
"Jackson responded, saying, 'I am a man of but few words, and thereforeonly say, give me your hand.'
"They elapsed hands and pledged fidelity to each other.
"'Now,' said the Captain, 'let us off for Paris to-morrow. We will notsee these men any more while here. We can watch the papers and learnabout the vessels, when they leave, etc.'
"This being agreed upon, the next day they were off.
"They visited Paris and quite a number of points of interest during thedelay of their friends in London. Finally, the Captain came to Jacksonwith the Liverpool _Gazette_ and showed him the advertisements. TheWill-o'-the-Wisp leaves Liverpool for Montreal, Canada, on Thursday,------ day of ------.
"'We must leave for Liverpool at once,' said the Captain, and in an hourthey were en route to London.
"Here they took the cars for Liverpool, and arrived the morning of thedeparture of the parties with their fireworks, poisoned clothing, etc.,on the Will-o'-the-Wisp. She was a beauty--very long, with a sharp prow.She sat in the water like a seafowl, and sped away out of port as if sheexpected to attract the admiration of the immense throng on the wharf.They soon ascertained that the Fairy Queen, a very fast-going steamer,would leave the same evening for the same place,--Montreal, Canada,--andat once engaged passage and went on board of her.
"During the day the Captain said: 'Mr. Jackson, you are not as much ofa talker as our friend Blackman. I do not believe there is one of thefriends whom we have met in London who could tell your full name, whereyou were born, what your business is or has been, or where you intendgoing.'
"'No, sir,' replied Jackson; 'I never intrude myself upon any one. Thesegentlemen all seemed unreserved in their conversation, did they not? Howdid they know that I could be trusted with their secrets?'
"'Oh! they knew that I would not have introduced you unless I knew youwere all right. And they do not seem to appreciate the enormity of whatthey are doing. Oh! I did not tell you the curious dream that haunted mein my sleep last night?'
"'No,' replied Jackson; 'will you tell me what it was?'
"'Yes, sir. It was this: I dreamed that Dr. Mears and the Professor hadcommitted a murder in London, and were tried, convicted and hanged; theywere both cremated mated, and that you and I were invited to see it;then their bodies were in a blaze like tinder, and soon became nothingbut a small quantity of ashes.'
"Jackson said that was a very singular dream.
"'But that was not all. I thought that Dr. Blackman w
as a perfect sightto behold with smallpox, and that he was delirious, and jumped into theThames, and that you and I rescued him, took him to the hospital, andhad him attended to. I then awoke. The whole thing was so vivid to mymind that I believed it to be true for a moment. What say you to this?I believe somewhat in dreams, and fear that these reckless men will getinto trouble with their infernal machines, or fireworks, and poisons.They must not be permitted to carry out their hellish purposes, as Itold you, and you agreed that they shall not do it. I will suffer deathbefore I will see these plots succeed and carry the guilty knowledge onmy conscience through life. I swear, if President Davis has sanctionedthis, I hope the Confederacy may sink into utter nothingness. What sayyou?'
"Said Jackson: 'I agree to all, except I do not believe in dreams.'
"'Well, well, we shall see,' said the Captain. 'It is a warning of somekind.9
"That afternoon the vessel moved out of port in majestic style. Thesteamer Fairy Queen was stylish and noted for speed. Nothing transpiredto cause any excitement until the sixth day out. They had spoken severalvessels on the voyage and found them moving on all right. On this daythey discovered a vessel far in advance of them. The Captain and Jacksonwere on the deck, and concluded that it must be the Will-o'-the-Wisp.That night they were coming close to her, when the Captain of the FairyQueen told them that the vessel in sight was the Will-o'-the-Wisp, andthat she was moving slower than usual.
"During the night, perhaps about two o'clock, they were aroused byfog-horns and various noises. They arose and went out. It was dark andthe fog so dense that nothing could be seen. The fog-horns indicatedthat the vessels were coming dangerously near to each other. The runningto and fro and the language of the Captain of the ship all betokeneddanger.
"By this time the passengers were all up and out in so many differentgarbs that it was laughable, though the danger was imminent. The twovessels were nearing each other in spite of all that could be done byofficers or crews. Finally the Fairy Queen was turned and run in thecontrary direction from her course, and by that movement we got out ofthe swing of the Will-o'-the-Wisp. All remained up, filled with alarm.
"In the morning the fog lifted, and again they could see their way. TheWill-o'-the Wisp was still in view, but seemed to be struggling. Nearingher again they found she was crippled in some way. The Captain of theFairy Queen spoke her and inquired her trouble, when he found one of hershafts was broken. The arrangement was being made to get her tow-lineand aid her on her way. Just as they were fastening it they saw a streamof fire pour from her that looked as if the whole ocean was in a blaze.Their vessel had to cut loose and move rapidly to save herself. The fireseemed to leap into and out of the water, like great burning shafts,seemingly reaching the very heavens. It would then play on the surfaceof the water and reach apparently miles away.
The Burning of the Will-o-the-Wisp 284]
"There was no possible means by which any assistance could be rendered.No one could live near her, nor could a vessel of any kind approach.They could hear such frightful shrieks as would have made a demonshudder. Finally nothing could be seen save sheets of sulphurous flamejumping and skipping over the water as if playing with the waves. Thenall became dark, and a streak of suffocating smoke hung over the water,as if a lake of burning brimstone was belching forth over the sea.
"All on the Fairy Queen stood aghast and looked as though strickenwith paralysis. When the dark cloud of smoke had passed away therewas nothing in sight save one small boat, perhaps a mile away. TheWill-o'-the-Wisp was gone forever, and it looked as though all onboard had gone with her. The Fairy Queen steamed up and steered inthe direction of the small boat, and found that it contained but twopersons. It was found that one sailor and Dr. Blackman had escaped bycutting loose with the little boat when the first signs of trouble werediscovered. The doctor knew what was coming, and made away for dearlife.
"When Jackson and Capt. Redingson made themselves known to him he wasgreatly surprised. They then talked the matter over, and all agreed thatall the schemes of the Professor and Dr. Blackman were at an end.
"Capt. Redingson turned to Jackson, saying, 'There is my dream.'
"Blackman said Dr. Mears and the Professor were lost, and their greatsecret with them.
"Capt. Redingson asked how this fire could have occurred.
"The Doctor thought some of the Professor's material must have ignitedin some way. 'The truth is,' he said, 'the ship was wrapt in flames inan instant. I saw this sailor jump into the life-boat, and I followedhim. We are the only ones of all on board that are saved. The rest wereall burned to death before they could possibly get from the vessel intothe sea. There has never been any such combustible made before, andperhaps never will be again. But it is lost.'
"He seemed very despondent all the rest of the voyage. When they arrivedin Montreal and conveyed the sad intelligence to Jacob Thomlinson andMr. Carey, they were overwhelmed with disappointment. Their schemes wereall blasted and they were bewildered.
"Finally, after some days of talking and consulting, they concluded tosend Dr. Blackman to Richmond for instructions as to furtheroperations. The first news that reached Richmond of the burning ofthe Will-o'-the-Wisp created great consternation. The loss of Prof.McCullough and Dr. Mears was thought to be the severest blow they hadreceived.
"Dr. Blackman left Jackson and Capt. Redingson to go to Richmond, butwhich way he went they never knew. Capt. Redingson took passage forNassau, there to run the blockade, and was never heard of again byJackson. I hope he is alive, as I think he was at heart a good man, fullof noble impulses. Jackson was very fond of him, rebel as he was."
Col. Bush said: "Well, Prof. McCullough and Dr. Mears got their justdeserts; their own fireworks did the business."
"Yes, yes! but the innocent officers and crew suffered with them."
"Yes," said Col. Bush, "but this had to be; the Lord did not intend thatsuch infamy should be permitted to succeed."
"But," said Maj. Clymer, "there was Dr. Blackman, just as bad as eitherof the others; he escaped most miraculously."
"Yes," said Col. Bush; "his material, however, was all lost, and he hada warning against trying the same thing again. There was no great secretin his material to be lost; but there was in the others', and the gainto mankind was in the loss of their diabolical secret."
"Uncle Daniel, what became of this vile conspirator, Dr. Blackman?"asked Dr. Adams.
"Well, Doctor, I am sorry to be compelled, with shame, to state thefact, but nevertheless it is a fact, that this same man, Dr. Blackman,has been made Governor of one of the States since the war, and at thesame time his record was known by his constituents. But it did not seemto lose him any friends with his party, but, on the contrary, seemedto help him. Yes, yes, my friends, this is the sad phase of the wholematter. It matters not what a man did if he was a rebel; but if a Unionman, and he did the slightest wrong, he was disgraced forever. Noneof the great and inhuman wrongs are remembered against the individualrebels who violated every instinct of humanity."
Here the old gentleman became silent, and placing his hands over hisface, wept like a child. At length he continued:
"I, with all my sacrifices, even here at home would be thrust asidein order that the citizens might pay homage to the men who would haveafflicted their own household with loathsome disease, and at the sametime mocked at their calamity. If God wills, let it be so. I do notbelieve, however, that He is doing more than trying the Nation, to seeif our people are worthy of such a Government as ours."