The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-09-20
Seleet Sturp.
HOV A Blockade Runner Got ThrOagh
Stray Dog That Followed the Gap
tain Of the Laughing Lass on
Board Utilized to Save
The Situation.

Capt. Harry Rockhill, who recently died
in London, spent the greater part of his
life in search of sport. Every corner of
the earth was visited by him in the course
of his 70 years, and the story of his ad-
ventures would all volumes. 1t was purely
his love of adventure that prompted him
to become blockade runner during the
civil war, and he often declared that this
occupation had furnished the greatest sport
he ever experienced.
II suppose it was the novelty of the
thing he remarked "a sort OF changing
places with the game, becoming the hunted
instead of the hunter. fought Malay
pirates one whole summer, but it was not
nearly so interesting as slipping in and out
of Charleston harbor through the federal
guard ships
While Capt. Rockhill owned and COM
manded his ship, the Laughing Lass, he
never derived cent of profit from his
blockade running. He would take on a
cargo of medicine and other supplies, pur-
chased in England by confederate agent,
and land them in confederate territory
without charging anything for the service,
and there can be little doubt that he was
the means of saving many lives that would
otherwise have been sacrificed for lack OF
proper medicines.
The Laughing Lass was a handsomely
appointed and very swift schooner yacht,
and in all her career no United States ship
ever saw more of her than her topsails as
they faded away in the distance, although
on one occasion she must have passed within
50 feet of steam warship, and when
there was scarcely enough wind to give
steerageway. This occurred off Charles
ton, when the schooner was coming out,
after having landed a cargo.
The Laughing Lass had lain with loos-
ened sails behind the confederate batteries
for ten days before an opportunity pre-
sented itself for her escape from the iron
ringed harbor, but ON the night of Febru-
ary II, lS64-the same night that the
submarine Hunley went out to her tragic
but glorious fate-a heavy fog rolled up
from the south, and it was decided to make
the attempt.
Every precaution was taken against the
occurrence of the slightest noise aboard the
schooner; every rope end was secured, and
the crew was supplied with feltsoled shoes.
The hull of the vessel had been painted
lead gray, very similar to the war paint of
the United States vessels of the present
day, and her sails, instead Of being white
canvas, were of brownish shade. Not
light of any kind was shown, and the
schooner slipped off through the fog like
some spirit ship.
The wind had shifted to the west, and
the blockade runners knew that it would
not be great while before the fog bank
was blown out to sea, and they intended il
possible to 90 with it. 1t seemed very
likely that this would be the case until the
schooner was some ten miles out from the
harbor, at which distance she was likely to
encounter one of the blockading ships at
any moment, and then the wind failed al
most entirely. Occasionally a sail would
flap, and there was hardly audible ripple
under her forefoot
Suddenly, sounding with startling dis
tinctness in the deathlike silence which
prevailed, there came to the stralnlns ears
of those aboard the schooner the sound OF
oars, and moment later hail.
"Boat ahoy p came the voice out Of
the fog, and then the sound Of feet upon
ships deck.
"Ahoy Is this the Housatonic?
came the answer, as the small boat evi-
dently rested upon its oars.
eyes. What boat is that ?
"Boat from the flagship, was the re-
sponse, and the oars again began their
regular beat. A moment later those upon
the schooner could near the steamboat
bump into the man-of- war, and the noise
of a man scrambling up ladder
s'She is on the port quarter, Captain
Rockhill whispered, his mouth within an
inch of his pilots ear.
"No; on the starboard," the pilot NUT
tered, straining his eyes to pierce the cloud
that enyeloped them.
A catspaw of breeze stirred the fog,
the schooner heeled over, and boom
creakea.
"Did YOU hear that, sirY' voice ex-
claimed excitedly upon the guardshlp'
'There is ship very close can near
the movement of her through the water I
The. men aboard the Laughing Lass
scarcely dared to breathe. In the very
air was strain of intense listening. A
sail tapped and drew tight with short
snap.
"You were right, lieutenant-there is!
another voice said hurriedly. "Get the
men to their stations make no noise.
Capt. Rockhill realized that in a few
minutes more an alarm would be sounded,
and the whole feet know that blockade
runner or confederate cruiser was trying
to slip through the Gordon. He touched
his chief officer on the shoulder.
"Get the long boat over, as quick as
you can, and without sound, he Wills
pered. There was not the slightest splash
to announce when this had been done.
"Get that dog that followed me on board
the other day was Capt. Rockhills next
command. "Put him in the boat, with
fresh beef bone, and cut the boat loose.
Three minutes later this had been done.
The dog had been carefully muzzled when
the Laughing Lass slipped her cable, but
now the muzzle was removed, and he was
left gnawing contentedly upon the bone.
The breeze, though still light, was now
steady, and the schooner was gliding ST.
lently forward at a rate of perhaps three
knots an hour. From the slight sounds
heard the man war now evidently astern,
little on the port. III
LOAD with grape-double charges, 7
was the order distinctly audible, followed by
the sound of gunners working about their