Evening star., 1923-08-09
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.


During the American war of Sc
cessiOn blockade running into Con-
federate ports came to be looked
upon as an exciting sport rather than
a more or less lawless business enter
prise. There was SO much risk of
capture. imprisonment and of being
sunk by the guns of the naval forces
Of the Union as to endow the under
taking with that spice of adventure
which appeals so strongly TO men of
the English speaking world on both
sides of the Atlantic.
The fact that successful blockade
run was quite remunerative was an
to many of the Englishmen of birth
and fortune who are known to have
taken part in attempts to bring re-
lief TO the economic difficulties of the
Confederacy, which, 1t may be re-
called. had number OF sympa-
thizers in the British Isles and
colonies-people who questioned the
right Of the Union in the conflict. 1t
is now no longer ID secret that there
were not only some great names Of
the British Isles but even some naval
officers who subsequently attained
ice took hand in the sport,
concealing their identities, since dis
covery, in the case of naval men,
meant the forfeiture of their COM
missions and the ruin of their
careers.
Sir Brodrick Hartwell has evidently
had this in mind in openly orSaniz-
ing an enterprise in England for the
purpose of selling liquor on the high
a profit of 90 per cent and even larger
returns on all capital subscribed. In
Sir Brodrick's estimation, the main
difficulty with rum-running into the
United States, so far, has been the
small size of the ships employed.
Given a freighter of sufficient ton
mage to weather any storm and to
carry the stuff in large quantities, il
appears to him quite feasible to stock
up the smaller craft of the boot
leggers outside American territorial
waters with a minimum of risk and
maximum of returns. Sir Brod-
rick insists that his ships will remain
beyond the limits of the American
territorial waters and will leave to
the bootleggers the task of landing
the liquid freight.
But it is very doubtful whether he
will be able to restrain his ships
from transgressing beyond the terri
torial limit if a favorable opportunity
is afforded The temptation will be
too great.
1t must be borne in mind that if
there were many, in America and
abroad. who questioned the rights of
the Union in the war of the seces-
sion, more than half century ago,
there are still greater number, both
in the United States and In foreign
countries, who question the legality
OF the federal prohibition laws and
who do not hesitate to evade them,
sympathizing with their violation.
Sir Brodrick Hartwell, it may be OF
interest to know, is an Irishman,
scion Of the same ancient house Of
which the Earl of Middleton is the
chief, and has in his veins the blood of
Murrough, Marquis of Thomond. His
family has played an important role in
Ireland ever since the reign of King
Henry VII and it is a matter of record
that Sir William Hartwell. who died
as mayor of Limerick, was created a
knight of the Order of the Bath on the
OCCdSlOl VI IiiS AH 1ou1I "
Arthur Prince Of Wales, the elder
brother of the subsequent Henry VIII,
for his military services in Ireland. The
Hartwells have always been In search
of fight and adventure and Sir Brod-
rick, who is the fourth baronet of his
line, took part in the South African war
of r. quarter of a century ago and also
in the recent great international con-
fagration, in which he commanded, as
lieutenant colonel, a battalion of the
Oxfordshire Light Infantry. On return
ing from South Africa in 1902. he went
to Morocco in search of adventure, con-
tracted a marriage with the daughter
OF a French settler on the Algerian
border, a stormy union which came to
grief and divorce, and sought his next
wife at Esquimault, Vancouver, in the
person of Miss Joan jeffrey
Sir Brodricks father was a gallant
captain of the royal navy, who. after
seeing much service out in China. died
! as British consul general in southern
Italy. Sir Brodrick's uncle, whom he
! succeeded in the baronetcy, was a vet
eran of the Crimean war and married
to the daughter of Sir Henry Dymoke,
the hereditary champion of the British
crown. Until the advent to the throne
Of Queen Victoria, the Dymokes were
wont to appear on horseback, arrayed
! like their charger in medieval armor'