The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-26
Ne. NELSON Is AND HIS LADY
Story Of Infatuation OF Britain's
Famous Sea Hero.
DINE TOGETHER AT NAPLES
Nelson's Subsequent Disregard or Wife
and worldly ictor OF Trafalgar
Breathes Her Name in
f.. Death.

The heroism of all England lies typifed
an the admiral to whose memory rises the
shaft in Trafalgar square. Sleeping peace
fully, undisturbed in st. Paul's cathedral,
London, as he trod the vessels deck I'M
disturbed by the sound of shot and shell
which pierced shrouds and huils to splint-
ers at Cape st. Vincent the Nile and
Copenhagen, Nelson. the admiral, the
warrior of the seas, lies quietly conferred
in the midst of his countrymen as he lies
imbedGed in the hearts of his people-the
typical hero Of Britain's greatness. the
captain fortunate enough to die at the
climax of victory and glory.
sIn little things Nelson was very lit
tie, in big things he was the greatest man
I ever knew" said one of his intimate
CONTEMPORARIES and the Justice of the
estimate has been many times confirmed
by the judgments Of posterity. No great
err man in the stirring action Of sea fight
ever lived than Nelson proved himself to
be in the battle of Cape st. Vincent.
where his disobedience Of incompetent
command won knighthood for the super
Tor officer of the English feet. No greater
captain ever lived than tho British sailor
of AboulSir bay, sinking and destroying
the ships of Napoleon and the vaunted
army Of France. No greater fighter ever
lived than the sailor "blind in one eye"
who turned that eye to the signal of re-
treat set by his ranking superior In the
mighty sea struggle at Copenhagen and
seeing nothing went on with his bonn
bardment. No greater strategist Of naval
tactics ever lived than the willy adven-
turer who followed the fleet Of the adj
miral of France across the ocean to tina
West Indies and back again to the coast
of Europe to await the dawn Of the
mighty battle which put end summar-
lily to Napoleon's hopes of an invasion of
England. Finally, no greater hero ever
lived than the man of the moment at
Trafalgar. the man who flashed the sig
nal to his fleet that England confded
every man to do his duty the man who
crushed his foe and checked the march of
"the man Of destiny" the man struck
down in the heat of his triumph on the
deck Of the. Victory, for even death was
raerciful and took the hero before poster
ity had learned to revile his greatness.
Little in Little Things
But If Nelson was great at the mo-
ment OF greatness "in little things he
was very little" Perhaps the chief of his
petty faffings was the inordinate vanity
which could never approximate safety.
the vanity of the proud man which could
brook no slight and must be fed at all
hazards, the vanity which was RESPONSE
bic for the greatest blot on the escutcheon
of the hero Of tho sea and of England.
the vanity taken advantage of by Lady
Hamilton and resulting in estrangement
from his wife and subsequent residences
with the consort-of the British ambassa-
dor at Naples
The story of the intervening life threads
of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton be-
gins with that unfortunate dinner at the
government house In Naples when the
hostess had been prewarned by her hus-
i,
dine with him who was infirm and Ill
looking. but who had in him the stuff of a
hero and who was undoubtedly destined
to be the man for the coming difficulties
with France and Frances emperor.
Seven years earlier Nelson. then a
young captain employed by his nation in
the West Indies in suppresslng the Illicit
traffic of the islands with American trad
ers and also dragging to light the frauds
practiced by some English officials of the
territory, had become infatuated with a
young and comedy widow residing on the
island of Nevis. Unfortunately Mrs. Mis-
bet agreed to become his wife and in
1766 the ill-assorted couple were married,
repairing to England the following year,
where he remained quietly In retirement
with no sea service to perform for six
long years, the quietest years of his life.
Then came the call to action in 1893, and
the brave story of the good ship Agamem-
non and the capture of Toulon, its forts
and its navy-the story of the English
victory, succeeded by the selection of
Nelson to carry its dispatches to Sir Will
liam Hamilton at Naples and the subse-
quent dinner with Lady Hamilton. the
meeting of the little man. infrm and ILL
looking who had In him the stuff of hero
and the woman of beauty and discern
ment dearly loving bravery.
Incentive for Victory.
Undoubtedly the praise and laudations
of Lady Hamilton were largely the incen-
tive which made Nelson's period of pro-
tracted stay in the Mediterranean so pro-
life of victorious results for England.
He was literally the hero of 100 sea
fights and his right and might there were
none to contest. Victory at st. Vincent
was followed by triumph at the outlet of
the Nile and the world lay supinely at the
feet of the only fighter OF the world IN
vincible enough to check the supremacy
of Napoleon. He returned to Naples to
receive the homage and gratitude of the
court and the town wrested so hardly
from the jaws of French rapacity. There
again he dined with Lady Hamilton the
little man who had vindicated his RICH,
to hero worship at the feet of the woman
who knew best of all women how to
make that worship sweetest.
When Nelson returned to England to
receive the plaudits OF his home world
the Hamiltons were also domiciled in
Naples instead of his wife that the vic
torious sea fighter spent most of his leis-
ure time. He made with them a tour or
Wales and England and little mention is
made of the wife of the hero and little
thought expended on her wishes. Lady
Nelson seems to have been a woman in
capable of temperamentaI warmth or
great emotion. "She was unmoved at his
great triumph, without pride In his
great fame and she was the last to well
come him when he came home crowned
with great deeds: she was the last wo-
man In the world fitted to be the wife of
hero and perfectly incapable of con-
trolling heros weaknesses,
Wife's Resentment.
Nelson on one occasion was speaking
warmly in his wife's presence of the tai
ents and beauty of Lady Hamilton and
of the immense services she had rendered
his king and country through him. The
hot creole blood fired up: she arose in a