The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-09-20
b
HOW A BLOCKADE RUNNER
GOT THROUGH.
Stray Dog that Followed the Captain Ct the
Laughing Lass on Board Utilized
to Save the Situation.
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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 adventures would Ill
volumes. 1t was purely his love OF
adventure that prompted him to pc
come a blockade runner during the
civil war, and he often declared that
this OCCUPATION had furnished the
greatest sport he ever. experienced
81 suppose it was the novelty Oh the
thing" he remarked; "a sort OF
changing places with the game-De-
coming the hunted instead Of the hunt
err I fought Malay pirates one whole
summer, but it was not nearly so IN
teresting as slipping in and out OF
Charleston barber through the teder-
al guard ships"
While Capt. Rockhill owned and
commanded his ship, the Laughing
Lass, he never derived a cent OF pronC
from his blockade running. He would
take on a cargo of medicine and 9TH
err supplies purchased in England by
a 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
The Laughing Lass was handsome
ly appointed and very swift schooner
yacht, and in all her career no Unit
ed States ship ever saw more Of her
than her topsails as they faded away
in the distance, although on one occa-
sion she must have passed within SO
feet of a steam warship, and when
there was scarcely enough wind to
give steerageway. This occurred off
Charleston, when the schooner was
coming out, after having landed
cargo.
The Laughing Lass had lain with
loosened sails behind the confederate
batteries for ten days before an OPP
portunity presented itself for her es-
cape from the ironringed harbor, but
on the night of Feb. H. 1864-the
same night that the submarine Hun
ley 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 sup
piled with felt-soled shoes. The hull
of the vessel had been painted a lead
gray, very similar to the war paint of
the United States vessels of the pres
ent Gay, and her sails instead of be-
ing white canvas, were of a 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 a great while before
the fog bank was blown out to sea,
and they intended if possible to go
with it. It 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 almost entirely.
Occasionally sail would flap, and
there was a hardly audible ripple I'M
der her forefoot.
Suddenly, sounding with startling
distinctness in the deathlike silence
which prevailed, there came to the
straining ears of those aboard the
schooner the sound of oars, and
moment later a hail.
"Boat ahoy!" came the voice out
of the fog, and then the sound of feet
upon a ships deck.
"Ahoy Is this the Housatonic?'
came the answer, as the small boat
evidently rested upon its oars.
eyes. What boat is that?"
"Boat from the flagship" was the
response, 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 scranlb-
ling up a ladder.
"she is on the port quarter" Capt.
Rockhill whispered, his mouth within
an inch of his pilots ear.
mo; on the starboard," the pilot