Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-03-19

company and served his adopted c0un-
try--for he was an Englishman and had
run away from his native land-in the
capacity of bugler,
Elk Neck also had the honor of fur
nishing one recruit for this company in
the person Of Noble Hanlm, member
of one of the Oldest families in that part
Of the county, and who, though good
Christian and brave soldier, met with q
sad and inglorious death in a brawl, the
particulars of which cannot now be as
certained, at the lands of Michael Ru-
dolph, who shot him.
But little more is known of any one
who served in this company except its
captain, the chivalrous Mike. who, like
the Wandering Jew, continued to put in
all appearance for some years after the
end Of the war, and to whose memory
and fame the reader is indebted for
whatever sensations of pleasure or pain
he may experience from the perusal Of
this article.
| 1t is said to have been asserted by an
eminent French iurist, that no crime
was ever committed except woman
was at the bottom of it. Be that as it
may, few stories are told by modern
writer's in which one or more of the
gentler sex are not made to act con-
spicuous part. But inasmuch as we
propose to deal with facts that have
come to onr knowledge, and not to in-
dulge in flights of fancy, the reader will
pardon us for only making a brief re-
ference to the inevitable and unavoida-
bic woman,-in thiscase, the lady whom
Michael Rudolph married. At the
time of their marriage she was resi-
dent of Savannah, Georgia, where he
probably made her acquaintance during
the war For some reason their union
was not felictous and they lived so I'M
happily together that Michael conclud-
ed to adopt sea-faring life. He is
only known to have visited this county
once after the conclusion of the war,
when he came to see his children, who
are said to have been living at that time
with their relatives at Elkton, Upon
this occasion he Carried but night"
being deferred, as it is alleged, from re-
naming longer by the threats of certain
members of the Hyland family who had
intermarried with the relatives of Noble
Hamm find who had threatened to shoot
him if they ever met him in this county.
At this time, which was only few
years subsequent to the close ofthe Revo-
: lutionary War, the people of this county
paid some attention to ship building,
and the writer has been told by an old
lady Ca relative of Noble Hamm), to
whom he is indebted for many facts con-
tanned in this narrative, that the hull of
vessel was constructed at Frenchtown
by Robert Hart, of Elk Neck, from
whence it was floated to Baltimore,
where it was rugged and freighted with
a cargo Of tobacco consigned to Harris
uncle, then resident in one of the West
India Islands, for the benefit Of his
health.
Joseph Lort, who (like Michel Ru-
dolph and the captains mate) is said to
have lived unhappily with his wife, was
captain of this vessel, and Michel Ru-
dolph was its supercargo. One bright
morning the ill-iated ship sailed down
the Patasco river, accompanied by an
other craft in charge of Robert Hart.
The two vessels parted company oppo-
site North Point, the outward-bo
giving parting salute to the other and
also three cheers for GLORIOUS revolu-
tionary France" and sailed on down
the Chesapeake, never to return again.
Since she disappeared from the vision
of Robert Hart, nothing has ever been
heard Of his vessel and for long time
; the friends Of her officers and crew be-
lieved that she foundered at sea and all
on board persisted. But many years af-
ter this happened, the late General
Thomas NJ. Foreman was travelling from
Baltimore to Frenchtown in company
with General Lallemand, q distinguish
ed Frenchman, who when informed by
Gen. Foreman that Frenchtown was in
Cecil county, seemed to be somewhat
astonished, and informed him that this
county was probably the birthplace OF
Michael Ney, better known in history as
Marshal Ney, who played such q con-
spicuous part in the wars of the Empire
under the First Napoleon, and that evil
dence had been found among Marshal
News uapers that he had relatives living