Gun smoke mingled with steam rising from smokestacks of British ships docked along the levee. Rifle shots replaced the usual sounds of the port. The rattling of carts and longshoremen singing shanteys…

On October 26, 1894, 200 men gathered under the cover of night and descended on the port in New Orleans. Some wore handkerchiefs to obscure their faces. Others wore false beards and masks. Armed with…