Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson Part 30

"'Mr. Jackson, I intend to deal honestly with my Government (meaning the Confederacy) in this whole matter, and I do not intend that these bonds in my possession shall be a missing 'Indian Trust Fund?'

"Jackson remarked, 'Why, Captain, what do you mean by Indian Trust Fund?'

"'Oh! nothing,' said the Captain; 'it was a mere idle remark.'

"This, however, opened a flood of light in upon Jackson's mind in reference to matters of the past, in connection with certain frauds upon the United States Government. He pretended not to understand the Captain, however, and there the conversation on this subject dropped.

Jackson thanked the Captain for his generosity, but declined to accept his offer,--that of being his guest while in London,--but said he would remain with him as long as he could do so. They agreed that the next day they would visit some few points of interest while resting and before starting into business matters, and separated for the night. After Jackson had retired to his room he jotted down what he had seen and heard, the names of those whom he had met, etc., and at the same time he concluded there was a chance for a fair-sized row between Jacob Thomlinson and Capt. Redingson.

"Evidently, the latter had but little confidence in the former, and was determined to look well to his own matters of business.

"The next morning, after they had breakfasted, a programme was arranged and they started out in a cab sightseeing. The first place of interest visited was the monument at Fish-street Hill, near London Bridge, which stands as the enduring monument to London's great fire in 1666. The next place, which is usually the first one visited by travelers, was Westminster Abbey--the shrine of the ashes of some of the most ill.u.s.trious and greatest of England's dead. They then visited the Temple, being next in antiquarian interest; then St. Paul's Church, the Middle and Inner Temple Hall, Middle Temple Library, Temple Gardens, and one or two of the princ.i.p.al parks. By this time they had whiled away the most of the day, and therefore returned to Charing Cross Hotel.

"After dinner that evening they again visited the rooms of Jacob Thomlinson and found the same friends of the evening before. After salutations, and the ordinary chat about London and the points visited by each, the conversation again turned on the war at home. On this occasion ways and means were discussed very freely. The Professor and Dr. Blackman seemed to be really fiendish in their feelings and suggestions. The Professor was very anxious that money should be obtained at once, in order that the plan agreed to at Richmond should be entered upon without delay, which was, as heretofore stated, that the material was to be made in large quant.i.ties wherewith towns, cities and other property could be easily burned without detection. Jackson inquired of the Professor what his combustible was, to which he replied:

"'There are but two men who have the secret; it cannot be given without the 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 this preparation in eight or ten places at the same point of time, and no power can prevent its success in making destruction certain. The person throwing it can, by a certain gauge, give himself plenty of time to be entirely out of the sight of any one who might chance to be near. In that way he would not even be suspected. When the explosion takes place the flames will instantly cover an entire block of buildings. It has been so thoroughly tested that there is now no longer any doubt of the destructive power of the material.'

"Capt. Redingson here interposed a question, desiring to know if this would come within the range of civilized warfare?

"'Civilized warfare!' said Dr. Blackman; 'what do I care for the rules of civilized warfare? Have not these Yankees destroyed our property?

Are they not setting our slaves free? Is not that destruction of our property rights?'

"'Yes,' said Capt. Redingson; 'but this is retaliation on property and persons that are not doing any injury. You must remember that we have many good friends North, and this mode of warfare would be the destruction 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 stop this war if they want to do so. No, sir! they are only pretended friends. 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 we light up their cities with a grand and bright light the better!'

"'Very well, gentlemen; I was merely wis.h.i.+ng to understand the matter,'

said Capt. Redingson.

"Dr. Blackman by this time was walking to and fro across the room somewhat excitedly. Halting in front of Capt. Redingson, he said: 'I presume that your Christian sentiments would revolt at my proposition, and to which the authorities have already a.s.sented.'

"'What is that?' quickly inquired Capt. Redingson.

"'It is to spread disease in the Northern cities and through the Northern army.'

"The Captain promptly replied: 'Well, sir, this would be a novel way of fighting battles. I had supposed that physicians were educated in the line of preventing and curing diseases, and not in the practice of how to spread them.'

"'Yes, sir! as a principle, that is so; but in a case like this, where is the difference between shooting a man to death and poisoning him to death?' said the Doctor.

"'Doctor, I can see a very great difference. In the one case you fight him, giving him an equal chance with yourself; in the other, you murder him in the most dastardly and cowardly manner.'

"'I am greatly surprised at you, sir,' said the Doctor. 'I thought you were one of our truest men?'

"'So I am,' responded the Captain. 'But, Doctor, we had better not discuss this matter further. I shall obey my orders; but please excuse me from anything more than to do so in the direction of which you were speaking.'

"During this discussion Jackson had remained silent. The Doctor, turning to him, said:

"'Mr. Jackson, what are your views on the subjects under discussion?'

"To this Jackson replied that, being unacquainted with the usages of war, he was not competent to decide, but he thought while all parties implicitly obey orders, he did not see that individual opinions cut very much 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 might all have very different shades of opinion.

"'But, Doctor,' said Jackson, 'there is a difficulty in my mind as to how you are to carry out your proposed plan.'

"'Not the slightest difficulty, sir. I have already made arrangements with all the smallpox hospitals of England, so that instead of destroying or burying in the ground the towels, sheets, covers, blankets, and under-clothing, they are all to be boxed up tightly and covered with clean blankets and sent to an out-of-the-way place which I have prepared.

"I am to pay for them on delivery. I have persons employed, all of whom have pa.s.sed through the most malignant forms of the disease. They are collecting and having brought to this out-house those infected goods.

When I have a sufficient quant.i.ty of them I shall purchase a large amount of material used by soldiers, such as handkerchiefs, stockings, underwear, sheets for hospitals, etc., mix them with the infected goods, box them up and s.h.i.+p them to the Sanitary Commission in New York by way of Canada for distribution to the Union Soldiers, post hospitals, and sanitariums. I shall go to the Charity Hospital a.s.sociation here and get permission to send them in their name; in fact, I have the permission now. They, of course, do not know they are infected goods, but I have given them the list of goods I intend to purchase, and they will give me the letter I wish, turning the goods over to me as their agent to take them to New York and present them to the Sanitary Commission for the Union armies. I have given to them the name of James Churchill, of London.'

"'But, Doctor, how will you take them on board s.h.i.+p without danger to the people on the vessel?'

"'Very easily, sir. There is not the slightest danger in doing so. I will pack them inside fresh linens and blankets, with cotton and paper outside of them, making the boxes of good material and very close in the joints. I shall leave for New York in about one month, and I have no fears that I will not succeed in doing great damage to the army, and also to the members of the Sanitary Commission who handle the goods. I regard the Commission as a set of scamps and hypocrites.'

"Jackson here interrupted, saying: 'Doctor, you seem to have your scheme pretty well planned, and it looks as though it might be a success.'

"This Dr. Blackman seems to have been a communicative individual, and Jackson having sounded him all that he wished at that time, the Captain and Jackson took their leave and repaired to their hotel. When there the Captain walked into Jackson's room and stood for a moment looking straight 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 United States Government. I am in favor of the whole country becoming one universal 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. Redingson in the future, that his mother was a Christian woman, and taught her son to have some of the instincts of humanity. No, sir; I am no murderer; no city burner; no poisoner! I have listened to all these things and remained partially silent. But, as G.o.d is my judge, I will not be a party to any of these schemes. I will obey all legitimate orders, so far as money is concerned, and as a soldier will do my duty; but no man has a right to order me to commit murder or to perform inhuman acts, and I will 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 of what may be justified in war, and that which cannot be.'

"The Captain said he would go the next day to see the syndicate that was to take the bonds, and as soon as he could arrange his matters he would leave London.

"Jackson told him he would go with him, and they parted for the night with 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's request, and in pursuance of their former understanding, accompanied him. An arrangement was made for the Captain to meet these gentlemen the next day at the Bank of England, where the bonds were to be verified with papers sent by the Secretary of the Treasury of the Confederacy.

Being quite weary they did not that evening visit the rooms of Jacob Thomlinson. After the Captain retired Jackson wrote to me a detailed statement of all that had transpired, and directed his letter to his mother, so that no suspicion could attach, not knowing what might happen.

"I will digress here a moment to say that the letter was received in the due course of the mail. The statements it contained as to the proposed schemes were so revolting that they struck terror to my very soul.

I left for Was.h.i.+ngton the next morning. On arriving there I laid the letter before the President. He read it and seemed to be dumfounded. He finally said:

"'Is it possible that such men live in this day and age?'

"He sent for the Secretary of War. The letter contained a minute description of Dr. Blackman and Professor McCullough. Certain reliable officers were at once detailed and dispatched to New York, with proper authority to arrest either or both of these men, if they or either of them should chance to enter that city. The President talked freely with me after this was done, asking me many questions about the feelings of the people. As soon as I could leave Was.h.i.+ngton I did so. Having performed my errand I returned home and found Henry sufficiently recovered to undertake his promised trip to Canada, and the day following 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 the Captain (Jackson accompanying him), met the gentlemen of the syndicate of the Bank of England, and then and there the bonds in the possession of Capt. Redingson were verified and found correct according to the Secretary's letters. The bonds taken by the syndicate amounted to several millions of dollars, and, much to the surprise of the Captain, the syndicate had instructions also from the authorities at Richmond to place two millions in the Bank of England to the credit of the Treasury of the Confederate Government, one million in the Bank of France to the same credit, and one million in the Bank of England to the credit of Jacob 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 of the whole transaction from the bank. After giving his signature, so that he might draw for his money, he was then ready to leave. When asked if he knew Mr. Jacob Thomlinson, he replied that he did, and then in turn asked the bank officer the same question. He answered that Mr.

Thomlinson was well known to the bank, and, in fact, was then in the back room in consultation with some other gentlemen. This seemed to nettle the Captain, as he felt that he was watched by Thomlinson.

Jackson asked the Captain if he was ready to return. He signified that he was. They took leave of all the gentlemen, and left for their hotel.

"That evening they visited the rooms of Jacob Thomlinson. Before starting the Captain spoke rather angrily about Mr. Thomlinson's conduct and about the amount of money placed to Thomlinson's credit. Jackson, being a very deliberate man, advised the Captain not to have any discussion with Thomlinson, but to take everything for granted and to agree to whatever plans the gentlemen at the rooms might suggest; that he could leave the country whenever he wished, and not meet them at any point in the United States or Canada. The Captain, with some warmth, said:

"'Mr. Jackson, I will not meet them anywhere away from here to a.s.sist in carrying out their murderous plots and schemes! Thomlinson has the money to his credit, and can buy and pay for what he pleases. I will no longer be responsible; and the fact that so much money is placed to his credit causes me to have suspicion that these schemes, as they say, have been indorsed by the authorities at Richmond. Now, my dear sir, if I knew that 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 country and live. What! I, Thomas P. Redingson, a man of reputation, born of Christian parents, a.s.sisting in spreading disease amongst poor soldiers, who are merely obeying the orders of their Government? No, sir! no sir!