Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1912 — TOOK RISK AND LOST [ARTICLE]

TOOK RISK AND LOST

WHEN FORTUNE WAS UNKfNff TO BLOCKADE RUNNER. Consignment of Buttons for Confed* erate Navy Made Cargo of Captured Ship Contraband, and Wjbgilsh Merchant Failed. S stories are told about tmers and blockade runangers, the losses and s feature of the game at re is a man in New York a story of this sort that le. close of the Civil war. s quite a young man, he wandered into a place on Nassau street, and looked on while the cargo of a captured blockade yunner was being sold at auction. The goods offered at such sales rarely brought much, and this occasion was no exception. One of the chief articles put up at auction was a big consignment of brass buttons on which the raised letters "C. S. N." appeared prominently, They were buttons apparently intended for the navy of the Confederate states. The young matt picked .up one of the buttons and. after examining it, put it into hie pocket as a pocket piece. On the under side of the button the name “Campbell, Isaacs & Co.” appeared a» the manufacturers. The young man had this pocket piece with him when he went abroad some time later. In London he paid * visit to a gentleman named Hart, a friend of his family, and Was a guest at dinner. After dinner, while chatting with his host, he happened to take the button out of his pocket. Mr. Hart asked if he might be penpittea to take a look at it He gave. * start of amazement as he turned it over and read the name of “Campbell,, Isaacs & Co.” Then he asked the* young man where he got the button and how. The young man explained. “That button cost me £60,000—4 >300,000,” remarked Mr. Hart Them Mr. Hart paid he was a silent partner' in the firm of Campbell, Isaacs < Co.’ The Confederate navy was in need of brass buttons and this firm got the order. The firm rushed the work the order, intending to ship by the, fastest of all the blockade runners—a* vessel in which Mr. Hart, who did quite a business in this line, had al decided Interest. There was some delay and the vessel sailed without the buttons. She had not proceeded far when they arrived. By the most, strenuous efforts the blockade runneri was recalled and the consignment was! put aboard. Then she started once! more for America. All went well until the blockade runner was close to the Carolina coast, whither she was bound Tbm she began playing her usual game and. With her usual confidence. The captain and the crew knew she was faster than any of the Federal boats patrolling the coast She had shown her heels to them before. But while, the blockade runner had been away on her laß<pyage the Federal government had put into commission a* faster, better equipped vessel than ever bad been on patrol duty before.: Thi blockade runner was captured

and she and her cargo confiscated. The English owners sent a representative to Washington and tried to convince the authorities that the initials “C. 8. N." on the buttons meant "Coast Service,’Nassau.” They were unsuccessful. The buttons were the only contraband of war in the blockade runner's cargo. Their presence there made everything else in the cargo contraband and subject to seizure. ' Mr. Hart had reason to think he was in hard luck. If the blockade runner had not been called back to get the buttons all would have-beet well, and if she had encountered any other patrol boat than the one she did she could have escaped dSpture. But by a strange coincidence fastest blockade runner and the fagtest petrol vessel came together and Mr. ***** London was out £60,000.