Stranica 59 [59]
OCR
ee day of the same month the State Arsenal at Watertown was robbed of quite a quantity of munitions of war, and steps taken by the Hunters’ Lodges for an immediate descent upon Canada. On the night of the zgth of May, the British steamboat Szr Robert Peel, owned principally by parties who resided in Brockviile, on her passage up from Prescott to the head of the lake, touched a wharf at 3 Well’s Island for the purpose of obtaining a supply of wood. The captain of the steamer was informed that armed men had been seen on the island during the day ; but he took no heed of the warning, let down the steam, and proceeded to take on the wood. After the boat had been moored about an hour, a band of men armed with guns and bayonets, painted and dressed in Indian costume, suddenly rushed upon the boat, and, by hideous yells and threats, drove all the officers, hands and passengers on shore. Many of the passengers in the ladies cabin were not given sufficient time to dress, and lost the greater part of their baggage. The pirates-then plundered the boat of such valuables as they could lay hands upon, after which they attempted to get the vessel out into the stream, but in so doing she was run upon a shoal. The torch was then applied, and the steamer burned to the water's edge. The number of armed men engaged in the piracy was twenty-two; their place of encampment having been a secluded spot on Abel’s Island. . At five o’clock in the morning, while the Szr Rodert Peel was still burning, the steamer Overda arrived and took off the passengers, conveying them to Kingston. | The leader of the party who engaged in the piracy x subsequently published the following manifesto in the American newspapers : To all whom it may concern : I, William Johnston, a natural born citizen of Upper Canada, certify that I hold a commission in the Patriot Service of Upper Canada, as Commandere in-Chief of the naval forces and flotilla. I comA . manded the expedition that attacked and destroyed “ae the steamer Szr Robert Peel. The men under my x; . command in that expedition were nearly all natural born English subjects ; the exceptions were volunteers for the expedition. : oe. My headquarters were on an island in the St. - Lawrence, without the jurisdiction of the United " States, at a place named by me Fort Wallace. I am ke well acguainted with the boundary line, and know which of the islands do, and do not, belong to the oY United States ; and. in the selection of the island I wisi ed to be positive, and not locate within the . jurisdiction of the United States, and had reference i a * 2 ja - ‘T) E. to the decision of the Commissioners, under the 6th article of the Treaty of Ghent, done at Utica, in the State of New York, June 13th, 1822. I know the number of islands, and by that decision it was British Territory. I yet hold possession of that station, and we also occupy a station some twenty or more miles from the boundary of the United States, in what was His Majesty’s dominions, until it was occupied by us. I act under orders. The object of my movements is the independence of the Canadas. Iam not at war with the commerce or prosperity of citizens of the United States. Signed the tenth day of June, 1838. WILLIAM JOHNSTON. Governor Marcy of New York immediately issued a proclamation offering a reward of $500 for the arrest of Johnston; $250 for Daniel McLeod, samuel C. Frey, and Robert Smith; and $roo each for the detection and arrest of the other offenders. The Canadian Government also offered a reward. of $5,000 for the conviction of any person or persons concerned in the outrage. On the morning of the 2nd June, 1838, the American steamer TZelegraph called at Brockville, and was hailed by two sentries belonging to the militiamen. Not responding, six shots. were fired by the sentry, three of the balls taking effect in the steamer. Upon examination it was ascertained that the firing was not justified by orders, the sentries stating that they had discharged their pieces as alarm guns. BATTLE OF THE WINDMILL " Early in November, 1838, the so-called Patriots rallied in clubs and secret lodges, making preparations for a descent upon Canada. Bands of men assembled at Syracuse, Sackett’s Harbour, Watertown, and Oswego, who openly declared their intention of invading British soil. Large quantities of arms and munitions of war were collected and secreted along the St. Lawrence frontier. | On the roth of November, two schooners, named the Charlotte of Oswego, and the Charlotte of Toronto were freighted at Oswego, from boats that had arrived from Syracuse by the Oswego Canal. The United States left Oswego about nine o’clock on Sunday morning, the 11th November, to continue her regular down trip. She had on board at the time about one hundred and fifty passengers. A nail kee was put on board, the head of which came out, when it was found that the keg was filled with bullets. A number of boxes were taken on board, marked Cape Vincent. When the steamer arrived at Sackett’s Harbor, about thirty men came steamer
