Miscellaneous Newspaper Data for New Orleans - presented by Genealogy Trails

MEMPHIS, July 28-A dispatch from Clarksville says that the passenger train of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad, which left here at 3 pm yesterday, fell through the trestle work this side of the Cumberland River this morning at 1 o'clock. The cars were all burned save one, and the passengers baggage, mail and express matter was totally destroyed. All the passengers were more or less injured; and two, names unknown, were killed. The Engineer, Brakeman and Express Messenger were mortally wounded. Gen. Pike's son and daughter were among the passengers and were saved, but their baggage was lost-

MEMPHIS, July 28 - Dispatches from Clarksville, Tenn., says the, express train from Louisville which left there at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, ran through the trestle at Budd's Creek about l o'clock this morning, and taking fire the whole train except the New Orleans sleeping car, including the express, mail and baggage was destroyed. The engineer, fireman and two passengers were killed, and twenty five or thirty passengers were wounded. The express messenger, Dugan, was jammed in the wreck and fatally injured. Great excitement exists here, as a large number of Memphians were on the train, and no names of the killed and wounded can be obtained. One of the passengers killed was from New Orleans

SECOND DISPATCH-MEMPHIS, July 28. -In the accident at Budd's Creek this morning the entire train and contents, except the New Orleans sleeping car, was burned. The sleeping car was badly damaged. The following is a list of casualties Killed--Engineer Eugene Riley and passengers Thomas Shields and Hugh McCall, of New Orleans. The following passengers were badly wounded: Mrs. H. McCall and Judge Conklin and wife, of New Orleans, Joseph Null, H. B. Michael, Ed. Stover, of Eufaula, Ala., John Burr, of Columbus, Miss, J. Jay Buck, of Clarksville, Tenn., Henderson, of "Memphis, and the following trainmen: C. A. Brown, baggage master; John C. Dugan, express messenger. The following are slightly wounded : William McCall, New Orleans; Mr. Peterson, and wife, Baton Rouge ; J. C. Hannah, Coffeeville; J. C. Levy, Holly Springs; Miss. Hattie Michael, Lauderdale, Miss.; W. E. Shepherd and two children of Judge Conklin, of New Orleans; sleeping conductor W. D. Wray, mail agent car Edward Boone, and brakeman C. B. Webster.

Mr. Peter Nelson, of New Orleans, advertises Emma B. English, for having run away from him, and cheated him out of his marriage promise. Emma, in reply, admits that she did promise to marry him, and that she deceived him; but she avows she did nothing more. Marry, woman! And is not that enough? While on the subject of these breaches of promise, it may be well to state, that a lady in Virginia horsewhipped a gentleman in commutation of damages for a similar offence. I think he got off quite cheap. Noah’s Nat. Adv. [May 4 1825, Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) Page 4 – Column 1, Submitted by Nancy Piper]

SOLVED THE MYSTERY
A Young Girl Imprisoned Over a Year by a Negro is Rescued From Her Captor by a Policeman.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 18, (1889)
Louise Shoemaker, a pretty girl of fifteen, disappeared from her parents' residence over a year ago and no trace of her could be found until yesterday when Sergeant Kenny, hearing that a white girl was kept a prisoner in the rear of a barber shop on Felicite street kept by Gus Reed, a Negro, went to the place and broke open the door, which was locked. As he entered the rear room he saw the frail form of Miss Shoemaker, naked except for a tattered undergarment. Her face was pale as death and her eyes shown with insane fear as she rushed toward the sergeant and clinging frantically to him cried piteously: "Save me! save me!"
Kenny with difficulty persuaded her that she was now in friendly hands, and the half crazy girl finally became quiet. Assistance was summoned, clothing procured and the girl properly cared for. She states that Reed kept her locked up for over a year, subjecting her to constant outrage. Reed was arrested and locked up. [THE KINGSVILLE TRIBUNE, Vol. VII - No. 11. Kingsville, Ashtabula Co., Ohio., September 20, 1889. I. V. Nearpass, Publisher]

The U.S. man-of-war, Santiago de Cuba, lately overhauled the schooner, Eugenia Smith, under English colors, from Matamoras for Havana, and took from her a Mr. Zacharie, of New Orleans, and a Mr. Rodgers, agents of the confederate States. [New York Illustrated News, Jan. 11, 1862 - Candi H.]

The New Albany (Ind.) Tribune says that Wm. Letcher, a fugitive slave from Louisiana, residing in that city, committed suicide lately by shooting himself. He was half insane with the fear that he would be seized by his former owners and be carried back to the South. He leaves a wife and four children.
[Douglas Monthly, Aug. 1, 1860, submitted by: Candi H.]

New Orleans, Dec 25. We learn that Jacques Lacroix, Michel Lebrequet & Jas Louis Rouey have been pardoned by the President of the U.S.; convicted of a Piracy committed in May last on the Spanish vessel Constitution. Now at liberty. [Daily National Intelligencer, JAN 3, 1821 - Submitted by K. Torp]

The Centinel, Gettysburg, PA August 15 1810

November 27 1811

A Duel

On the 2d isn’t., a Duel was fought on an island in the Mississippi, opposite Kaskaskia between Thomas T. Chittenden, Esq., Attorney General of the Louisianna Territory and Dr. Walter Fenwick, a practicing physician of St. Genevieve. The latter received a mortal wound at the first fire, which he survived three hours, leaving a wife and one child.

The Centinel, Gettysburg, PA, November 7, 1810

A duel was fought on the 25^th ult. Between Stephen A. Hopkins, Esq., of La Flourche and Philip Grymes, Esq., attorney general of Orleans Territory . On the 3d fire Mr. Grimes received a ball between the right ribs. The wound is said to be mortal.submitted by Nancy Piper

GENERAL WILKINSON

January 17, 1810

Frankfort, (Ken.) Dec 2

Extract of a letter addressed to the Editor from a friend.

Shelbyville, Dec. 1, 1809

Dear Sir,

I have just seen a gentleman who is immediately from Natchez. He left that place on the second ult. at which time 1500 of the troops had arrived at Washington in the neighborhood of Natchez. About 200 had died between New Orleans and the place at which they now are, and almost every one that has arrived, is incapable of doing duty, owing to sickness. He states that of 1500, there are not 600 who are perfectly free from some disease or other, although the officers are generally in good health. When he left Natchez, 3 gun boats were about 20 miles below, containing artillery and riflemen who are parading on to headquarters; Gen. Wilkinson was still there waiting as he understood, for the arrival of Gen. Hampton. This last gentleman, my informant adds, he met between Nashville and Franklin in Tennessee, on the 24th ult., hastening on to take the command of the army. Before Wilkinson left N. Orleans, he ordered out a detachment of soldiers to put him a sugar plantation in order for cultivation, in the swamps - upon which important expedition, about 40 died. The disturbances of Orleans have considerably abated. The yellow fever has been particularly fatal to the Frenchmen lately imported from St. Jago. -- Argus.

April 11 1810

General Wilkinson, Capt. Pinkney and several other officers left Natchez for Washington City, on the 17th February.

April 11 1810

Mr. Person in Congress has moved for an enquiry into the conduct of Gen. Wilkinson. The resolution was ordered to be printed.

April 18, 1810

Extract of a latter from an officer in the American army to a gentleman in Raleigh, N. C. dated

Camp Dearborn, (M.T.) Dec. 20.

“The army when reviewed at New Orleans in April in Gen. Wilkinson, contained upwards of 2000 men. The number was more than 1900 when we pitched our tents at Terre aux Bauff. One half of the army is gone. Except between one and two hundred who have deserted, the rest are inhabitants of other regions. The sufferings of the army at Terre aux Breoff cannot be understood by anyone who did not behold them. Such distresses no troops should have been subjected to in time of peace: The history of them would be a satire upon my country. Eight or ten deaths occurred almost every day during the month of July and August. The sentries unprotected from the sun, after a night of prodigious rain which would shower through the tents and drench everything, have frequently fallen dead on their posts. Three men when relieving each other at their posts, I well remember, fell dead in succession. During the day our eyes were continually assailed by objects of misery, writhing, groaning and dying under different trees. During the night the cries of suffering men sounding in our ears and melting our hearts, hooted all attempts upon, and chased sleep from the weary eye. The poor soldiers, driven mad by despair, often ended their sufferings by stabbing themselves to the heart!

The officers touched to the soul by the situation of the men, drew up a paper for the removal of the camp. Gen. Wilkinson would not receive it. He declared himself to be the best judge of what was proper, and remarked that papers of this sort partook of insubordination. Many valuable officers resigned their commissions; all were displeased, but they bore up for the present, looking forward to an event which seemed to be certain. Conjectures are various, but the most probable is that Wilkinson’s call to Washington can be nothing less than entire removal from the army.

When the officers manifested such discontent, how could it be expected that the soldiers would not show symptoms of dissatisfaction. The officers dared to move for a change of stations; the soldiers ventured to signify a wish for better provisions. A paper to this effect circulated among them for signatures. They had in conversation expressed a certain dislike to the men who had brought such woes upon them. The mind of intrigue and corruption, old and grey in plots of treason, found no difficulty in conjuring up a demon from the appearance of a shadow. Mutiny was the outcry. Unrestrained talk was called an actual attempt at mutiny; an innocent paper was branded with the name of a bond of infamy. Eight soldiers were arrested, hand cuffed and imprisoned. All but three are tried. One is acquitted entirely; three are sentenced to run the gauntlet, and the sentence of the fifth is unknown. The general in the wonderful clemency of his disposition extends the arm of mercy, and the drama is closed by an epilogical order, worthy of the tragical farce of Chrononhotonthologos. So much for the mutiny said to be started by some citizens of Orleans the object of which was to burn the city, plunder the bank, threaten the country and kill the general!!

On the 18th inst., the troops were reviewed by brigadier-general Wade Hampton. Only three hundred and fifty men were able to present themselves! Gen. Wilsinson’s farewell address was read by his aid. If no restraint had been imposed upon the feelings, the one would have been hailed with the loudest acclamations of joy and respect; the other would have received the hoots of indignant men, contempting and despising him.”

May 16 1810

Married some time since in New Orleans, General James Wilkinson, to Mademoiselle Trudeau - handsome, accomplished, rich and about 26 years of age. The General is about 56.

May 16 1810

Washington, April 19, 1810

SIR,

After a tedious passage from N. Orleans, I arrived at Baltimore on the 19th instant, and reached this city the next day. My absence has been necessarily protracted by the selection of papers from a mass of twenty years communication, for the establishment of facts, to refute the multifarious and diversified calumnies by which I have been assailed.

I now present myself to the representative body of the nation, the guardians of the public weal and the protectors of individual rights to express my earnest desire that they may constitute some impartial tribunal which may be governed with strictness by the principles of the constitution and the laws of evidence, to investigate the conduct of my whole life, civil and military, whereby justice may be done and my unexampled persecution be terminated.

I aver my innocence of the foul offences which are imputed to me and declare my ability to support it before any unprejudiced court. Through you, sir, I appeal to my county, and I claim that right which is not refused to the most profligate, the right of confronting my accusers. The representatives of the people will not, I am persuaded, suffer a fellow citizen who has been devoted to the public service more than twenty-five years, and has nothing left him but conscious fidelity and attachment to his native country, to sue in vain for justice.

The enclosed letter to the Secretary of War was written anterior to the receipt of my notification of recall from the command on the Mississippi, and will evince my readiness and my desire for a full investigation of my conduct.

With perfect respect, I have honor to be, sir,

Your obedient servant.

J.A. Wilkinson

September 11, 1811

Court Martial

Monday last was the day fixed for the meeting of the Court Martial in this town to try General Wilkinson. A number of the members assembled on that day but did not proceed to business until Wednesday. On Thursday the court was organized and the charges against the General read.

The testimony, we under is very voluminous and it is supposed the trial will not be completed in less than two months - Fredericktown Herald.

October 23, 1811

General Wilkinson’s Trial.

The Court Martial is still in session but if more witnesses do not arrive it is probable that the business will be brought to a close in two or three weeks. All of the witnesses that have attended are examined and an immense mass of testimony collected by the different committee’s of congress, has been offered to the Court. All of the testimony, we understand, Gen. Wilkinson consented should be read. So that all of the proffs relative to any of the charges will be fairly before the Court. We are informed that very few if any more witnesses are expected to attend and that the Court will probably terminate in the time above mentioned. – Fredericktown Her.