Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1887 — THE HERO OF THE KAZAN. [ARTICLE]

THE HERO OF THE KAZAN.

An Interesting Story of the Mexican War. BeUMUrkante Brnvnry anil Self-S»«rHl<*e of Pollard J. Brawn, Still Living Near Kokoino, lad., at the Ago «r Seventy-Three. Cincinnati Commercial Guttle. In Howard County, Ind., not far from Kokomo, lives an unostentatious citizen named Brown,on q well-aultivated farm and in a brick mansion made mostly with his own hands shortly before the late war. His full name is Pollard J. Brown, but he'is known far and near as. “Pap” Brown. His hprse, “Bob,” a dirly-colored clay bank, is as extensively known as himself and fully as popular, being a.great attraction at county fairs and soldiers’ reunions because of having borne his master through four years of the rebellion as a member of .the Third Indiana Cavalry. Both horse and master participated in many hard-fought conflicts while with the Army of the Potomac and both were wonnded twice with shot and shell. Although Stillwell preserved at the age of seventy-three years, Mr. Brown’s life has not been without adventure and hardship. lie was a soldier in the Mexican war, hewing a member of Company F, First Indiana Regiment, recruited at Lafayette in 1846. His Captain was John M. Wilson. The corfl-. and was hurried to the scene of hostilities on steamboats by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. At New Orleans they were divided, part going oh hoard a ship and the rest on the barque Kazan, among the latter being the company commanded by Captain Allen May, of Crawfordsville, and the company to which the hero of this story belonged. They sailed at once, and at firet enjoyed fine weather, but the second or third day out a storm of the most terrificebaraeter arose. Itblew for about two days, much of the time with great severity. The point of destination was the month of the Rio Grande River, but th* captain lost his reckoning, and the vessel went out of her course, being deflected twenty miles or more to the northwest. -

Many of the men had become sea-sick before the storm, and when this came it added to their misery. Very few had ever been on water before, so that the tempest none waves, which seemed to roll “mountain high.” wrought great terror.among them. When night came the moßt of them were in a pitiable state, bodily and mentally. Rome engaged in prayer, some resigned themselves helplessly to their fate, having yielded utterly to despair, while others appealed to the officers of the ship to save them. Bat there were some who were more self-reliant. Captain Delano R. Eckels, now Judge Eckels, of Greencastle, in charge of the commissary department, was active in trying to prevent the destruction of his stores by the tossing of the vessel, and found his time so fully occupied in this manner that he could give but little attention to other matters. The officers and sailors did their utmost to keep the ship on her proper course, and to keep her in shape to weather the the storm, but without avail. About two liours before daylight the cry of “Rocks! rocks!" was heard from the lookout, and a few minutes afterward, almost before they could realise what.had happened, they were, hard aground on Padre Island. The ship Struck very bard. Etch succeeding wave would lift her up and she would come down with such force that it seemed the bottom would be crushed in. The scene on board had by this time beoorag indescribable, and there were few who did not think that their last hour had come. Shortly after daylight the mainmast broke at the bulkhead, and in falling injured a number of the men. The sailors managed with much difficulty to cat it away, and it went overboard. Land could be seen about two hundred yards distant. The shore was a gentle slope of sand, op which the waves ran for fully three hundred yards, the return making immense breakers fully fifty feet high. The wind was from the northeast, aarrving the vessel almost parallel with the island, but bearing somewhat against it. Ahead, about one-half mile, could be seen Lost Child's Island, a reef of rocks over which the water was breaking so as to make immense white-caps, causing it jto assume much the appearance of a snow drift. It seemed that nothing could prevent the vessel going upon these rocks, and that all would be lost. By this time the | alarm and confusion on board had greatly increased. Captain Allen May. who weighed over two hundred pounds and was religiously inclined, made more fuss than anybody else by his loud praying. dHe had also greatly bothered the commander of the vesselprevions to this by his suggestions. While he and others prayed, there were others who swore. Many broke open the casks of liquor in the hold and got drunk. Peter Davenport, of Company T,sat on the bowsprit and shouted to a comrade between drinks, “Come on. Lem; let’s go to 'h—l merry!” Lem joined him with Borne difficulty, and they continued their merry making. At this time the water had not broken over the vessel, 3wing to the lact she had been kept moving before the wind. As soon as the Captain could see his

way he ordered thq first mate to man the long boat, the only boat left, with eight men, and take a nawser ashore. That officer complied promptly, and was soon in the boat with his men, with the hawser fastened to the stern. When he reached the surf it threw him back, alarming him so that lie cried out: the hawser go! Pull for your lives and let the ship go to h— 1!” This they did. and they were through toe surf and safely on shore. By this time many of the men on the' )iip were crying like children. Lieutenant Colonel Henry S. Lane, afterward Senator, was on board, sick. He came to the door of his cabin looking very pale—almost jieath-like. The Captain cried: “No man will he saved if the wind carries us on to Lost Child’s Island.” The ship had been constantly drifting and the rocks were dangerously near. At this time Brown was standing, on the shore side of the ship, beside one of His company officers, eodlly observing what was transpiring. The conduct of the mate excited his indignation and when he heard the words of the Captain he said: “Lieutenant, I ant going to leave you; lam going ashore.” Before the Lieutenant could comprehend what he meant he had slipped oti his outer clothing and sprang into the water. The Captain saw him, and as he- rose to the .surface called out: “My brave fellow, can’t Ton carry a rone with vou?”

“I don’t, think I can,” was the answer Captain May then shouted: “tor the Lord's sake trv!” “Throw it to me,” came back from Brown. No time was lost in throwing him a line, which he dextroimly caught and wound around his shoulders, putting the end in his month and gripping it with his teeth. He then,struck'out for the shore, while those on the ship watched his progress with the keenest anxiety, for they all felt that upon him their lives depended. Carefully the rope was paid out to him as he went. With nothing to sustain it hut his slight body and strength, it soon became very heavy, and dragged him down with a force that he could scarcely overcome. He made his way sLowly and laboriously, being under the water fully one-half of the time. Sometimes he was submerged so long as to he almost unable to Tegain his breath, and his strength was becoming exliausted. Resting and re-: covering himsell as best he could on tile surface of the water, he would again push ahead, continuing his progress, also, while under the water. Daring this time the ship was being carried away from him by a slight change in the wind, retarding him and adding greatly to his burden. The waves carried him forward and back in the breakers, and several times hope almost left him; hut at last his wonderful determination and (treat skill as a swimmer carried him through. The mate and his men, who had gone ashore in the longboat, bad witnessed all that was going pn, and they kept opposite to Brown as they saw him approach the shore. Holding to each other’s hands they formed a kind of chain, and while one stood fast on the sand the rest swam out in the water until they could reach Brown, when they seized him and brought him ashore. Although he was almost dead, being scarcely able to breathe and not able to stand, he still clung to his rope. A large tree, previously washed ashore by the waves, was imbedded in the sand near by, and to this the rope was quickly fastened. The mate and a part of his men ran up the beach and brought down the longboat. Four or five ot them then pulled out to the ship bv the line and brought off the hawser, which was also fastened to the tree." This brought the ship to so suddenly that almost instantly the water and sand went dashing over her, for. though the wind was abating by this time, the sea was still very high.

In two or three hours the men aboard, three hundred in number, were brought off, all greatly rejoiced at an escape, which a few hours before had seemed impossible. They recognized Brown as their deliverer, and were profuse in their promises of reward, which’ they must have afterward forgotten, for he j never realized anything but thanks from his exploit, which was one of the most unselfish and heroic actions on record. Tire only man hurt in the transfer was an Irishman, who lost a part of his scalp in a fall. A tent was pitched for Colonel Lane on the island, and he was made as comfortable as possible. Brown was on his feet again j by this time. Colonel Lane sent for i him, and after thanking him on behalf of the soldiers and sailors, said: “I have been a member of Congress, and I think I have some influence.. If we live-to get home I will see that the Government does something to reward you.” Whether he ever made the effort or not ismot kfiown; out many years afterward he offered to deed Brown a house and j lot in Crawfordsville in recognition of his services. This offer, like all others, was declined with thanks, our hero claiming that he had! only done his duty, and cbdriT feel like taking pay for it. After the storm went down the ship was left a total wreck, high and dry upon the shore. Papers were drawn up showing that the loss was thiough no -fault of her commander: t ais the artny officers signed. The stores aboard were

then removed. All this required about twenty-four hours. The command was then ready to march for the mainland, which they managed to reach hy wading through the intervening water when the tide wap out. and then proceeded down the beach, a distanae of twenty miles, to the Rio Grande, where they found Major Ogden in command, and relieved the regiment there, allowing it to proceed to the frorit. , Here is a bit of history relating £o Jeff Davis that has never been told, and which shows that he has always been of a rebellions disposition against legitimate autnority. The rule had been established for each regiment arrivfng to relieve the preceding one. Every officer had observed this until Davis came He refused to do so or to obev tlie order of the commanding officer to relieve the First Indiana, hut pushed on to join General 'tavlor, who was his father-in-law. Major Ogden tried to compel him to remain, and went so far as to refuse him transportation. It was a fit subject for a court martial, but the matter was never pushed to that ex tremity. When Brown eniisted in the late war he was told that he Could have a commission; hut he answered that he did not want an office; that he had built' ;a good home for his wife arid children and provided them with plenty of provisions to last until the war was over, and that all he wanted now was to serve as a private until the rebellion was put down, if it took five years.

GEO. J. LANGSDALE.

- Union Spy of the Shenandoah. Pardew Warsley, as was announced in our news columns, died recently at Foster Brook, N. Y. He was the “Spy of the Shenandoah” and his war career is interesting: At the opening of the war of the rebellion he raised a company of the Fourteenth _ Massachusetts heavy artillery. He was soon after employed by Major General B. F. Butler, in the name of the United States, to go into the British provinces and look into the Bystem of the blockade running in vogue. He was successful in this mission, for Major General C. C. Augur, in his report of August 1566, says that it was through the instrumentality of Mr. Warsley that the extensive eystenr of blockade running from Baltimore and Washington Was broken up. After returning from this trip, Warsley went out as a spy on Mosby under orders from General Augur, although not until he had returned to Boston and married Helen Isabelle Francis, who survives him. Accompanied by his young wffe, Warsley set out ostensibly upon a peddling trip through Virginia. His real oDject was soon suspected by Mosby, and a spy was placed upon his track. The spy was a handsome y«ang lady, who was to becouducted to Washington by Warsley. The Union spy was too smart to be caught, and instead of using his pass through the union lines, he conducted the lady through swamps and by-roads until she became disgusted with the trip, and she returned to Mosby, convinced of the loy.alty of Warsley. Mosby was not convinced, and at one time placed a pistol to Warsley's head, threatening to blow his brains out. Tne young lady inter sered and V arslev’s life was saved. Afterward Mosby became his firm friend, fighting a duel with a nephew of General Lee because Lieutenant Lee had set a guard upon Wasrley and had condemned him as a spy. On two occasions Warsley furnished information by which the Federal troops were enabled to surround the house in which Mosby was quartered, but the dashirig rebel cut his way out and escaped. On several occasions Warsely got information es his intended raidsupon Washington in time to allow the authorities to mass their forces and save the capital. At the time of the assassination of President Lincoln Warsley was given command of a squad of detectives. When Booth wss killed Warsley returned to private life, and for ten years ran a park restaurant in the Bradford oil fields.

Worth Knowing Gas was adopted in Boston, as a means of illumination, in 1822. I That a man can often conquer, if he will, but nevei if he wont. The district of Mfcine was separated from Massac husertsiu 1819.' The Rutland (Yt.) marble quarries give employment to 3,000 men. One day in the last of June 120 clergymen sailed from New York to Europe. The pillory was used/for the last time) in Bos ton on the 22d of November, 1801. In 1797 the manufacture of straw braid for hats was originated in Dedham, Mass. i France has an agricultural school with a farm of 400 acres for girls. It has about 300 pupils. The census oi ISSO shows that there are 1,966,742 German born citizens in the United States to 1,854,571 Irish born. - A manufactory for sheet copper was started in Massachusetts in 1802, the first one of the kind in the United States. About 1820 portable, and so called fire proof, safes were infioffucSd for sale into New York. They were imported' from France. The people of the United States eaU about 500,000 cans of French sardines every year, and about- 6,000,600 tins of Maine herring.