The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-02-04

anu move at Iull speed. Two ShOtte0
guns we're fired at the vessel when she
changed her course, stood off under full
speed and vas lost sight of. In, this
move she met with the Georgia, which
vessel started after her and drove her
off. Continuing in her persistency to
enter, the Emma met her, and drove
her of. She was faster than most of
our vessels and, as it was dark, she
could soon run out of sight. But she
was not willing to give it up. She had
now stood pretty well over toward
Smiths Island, thinking she might get
in by running close along the land; and
now for the fourth time She attempted
it when the Buckingham espied her,
| opened her guns upon her, and drove her
of. As we didn't see or hear anything
more of her that night we supposed
she had gone out to sea, to try it per-
haps another night, as was frequently
done.
But at daybreak the mex, morning,
10 and behold! there was tEe steamer
hard and fast ashore. She had been
forced off and showed over so many
times that she had got nearer the land
than she calculated, and had I'm badly
ashore. Attempts were made by our
vessels to get her off, which was found
to be impossible. A few days after a
! gale of wind came on which broke the
vessel to pieces. She was found to be
the noted English blockade runner
Herald. The officers and crew had left
in their boats, and landed on Smiths
Island in the dark of the night
This steamer had been running be-
tween Bermuda and Charleston, had
made ten or twelve successful trips and
had paid for herself several times over.
She had changed her quite to the one
between Nassau and Wilmington,
which proved bad luck, as she was
wrecked on her first trip.
And now came up the question of
common sense versus law.
The Connecticut had captured a
schooner laden with salt, a cargo not
worth more than three or four hundred
dollars. By throwing the salt over
board five OF six thousand dollars
worth of valuable goods could bs taken
from the Herald and put on board of
the schooner. which was done. This
would naturally be deemed common
ens But the law says that mo per-
son in the navy shall take out of q prize
any goods or any property before the
same shall be adjudged lawful prize by
a competent court"
This proceeding was duly reported
to the Navy Department, but nothing
was ever said in the way of approval or
disapproval thereof.
The chief engineer of the Connecticut
was a Jealous, patriotic man, and was
well up to his duties in every particular.
In the hard chase of fifteen hours as
has been described, it occurred to the
Captain to step down into the engine
and boiler-rooms to take a survey of
matters and things. When he arrived.
the chief engineer remarked: Captain,
these boilers have now been run many
months in chasing blockade runners,
and are getting tender. They are
under a heavy strain to-day, and /
advise you to keep on deck" The
Captain replied that if there was any
danger he didn't know why he
shouldn't share it with the engineer.
But" said the official, '.your particu-
lar post of duty is ON deck, and mine is
here. I shipped for this, and if the
boilers go it is my privilege and my
duty to stick to and go with them"
Upon reflection, and deeming dis
erection the better part of valor, the
Captain left and went on deck. The
boilers, / am glad to say, did not burst.
Love and matrimony once came in as
incidents in the course of this blockade
service. Ports and towns may be
blockaded, but loving hearts can never
be, although hard-hearted parents
sometimes attempt it.
When the Greyhound was captured
vessel and cargo adjudged by the Prize
Courts to be worth half a million of
of dollars,) among the passengers on
board was the noted Belle Boyd, who
had been a prisoner before in the war
in the hands of General Butler, and had
been made somewhat famous by her
general department., her speeches and
her pertness. The Greyhound was
taken to Boston, was adjudged alawful
prize and was condemned. Belle Boyd,
with the other passengers, and the Off
GERS and crew, were released and per-
mitted to go wherever they pleased.
From Boston they all went to Halifax,
and from thence to England.
The prize-master of the Greyhound
was a young volunteer officer with the
rank of acting Master in the United
States Navy, and rather a good-looking
fellow. 1t seems that while on board
of the Greyhound together, he and
Belle Boyd became greatly interested
in each other, and their feelings ripened
into affectionate friendship. After they
separated at Boston a fervent CORE
spondence was commenced and con-
tinued between them, and they
became engaged. He resigned from
the Federal Navy, and proceeded to
England, and they were married
in Liverpool. Subsequently, she wrote
an interesting book about her life and
adventures, in which she gives a
graphic account of her courtship and
marriage, with all attending incidents.
Her career was certainly full of the
most eventful, heroic and romantic
features; a career softened and varied
at the same time, and which showed
that hearts could be captured as well rs
blockade-runners.
1t may not be generally known, or
may have been forgotten by the public,
that Belle Boyd was the daughter of
General Boyd, of the Confederate army,
who died while a prisoner to the Fed
eral forces. He possessed vast estates
in Virginia. early embraced the cause
of Southern independence. and was
soon entrusted with a Generals COM
mand. His daughter Belle enthusiast !
ically embraced the same cause, fol-
her father to the field and ac-
companied him throughout his CAM
paign. On two occasions, like q mod
ern Joan of Arc, she heroically l ed
on the troops to battle. She was,
however, captured in a skirmish, and
was a prisoner for thirteen months, as
previously mentioned. Then she was
exchanged for General Cochrane, who
had been made prisoner by the Con-
federates. After all these years, I re-
member her second capture and its re-
suits with amused interest.-Rear i'd
Atn1y. in Louisville Cour9er-Jour-
nal. !
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