The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-16
ge dahia 1aY aeIe: aadmesdaY 9urmg apr1I 1e 1890.

c>c--.:s-. Polucian, an e1-CIp3crDate; but or
military affairs he knew nothing, end those
opposed to him said so IN plain terms. His
| appointment was denounced in one leading
newspaper as "a outrage on the soldiers, and
| it was suggested that he be turned over to
some orderly sergeant Of the regular army
and ''made to drill Ike sixty for month"
| 1t was only a little after his entering on
active military service that Scnenck's critics
found new occasion for reitereting their
original views. The general was engaged in
securing possession Of tie Loudon and Hamp-
| shire railroad At Vienna the train convey
! ing his forces was fired upon, the engineer IN
| coupled the locomotive and ran away, and
| Schenck's handful Of men had to face band
| Of very eager and active opponents. Ths
| truth OF the matter, as afterTard established,
was that the combatants on both sides dis
! PLAYED creditable courage and came out of
the contest with honor, but Schenck's en-
emies declared that he had been ignominious-
" routed. and sarcastically dubbed him the
''hero OF Vienna
The probable reasons why President Lin
coin gave Schenck his commission were two
in number. For one he knew the man to be
able, aggressive and brave And again he
considered himself under great personal obi
cation. 1t may not be generally known, but
1t is an actual fact that Nj Lincoln gave
SchencK the credit OF first naming him for
the presidency. In September, 1859, the for
mer addressed a meeting at Dayton, O., on
tho politial issues Of that period. AllusiCn
being made 70 the subject Of the next presi-
dency, Nr. Schenck suggested shat If an
honest, sensible man was wanted, it would be
well to nominate the distinguished gentleman
from Illinois who had just addressed them"
However, if the beginning Of Schenck'S
military career was not glorious, either
through lack Of experience or want of oppor-
tuni5y, he showed conspicuous gallantry and
ability later on. At the second battle of Bull
Run, while in the thickest Of the fight and
urging his men forward, ball struck his
right wrist and his sword dropped from his
hand. Says one of the historians of the war:
Soldiers still enjoy telling Of the generals
rage and fearful imprecations at the loss OF
his sword" He refused to leave the field
until he had recovered it. The wound per-
manently injured his right arm, and for the
remainder OF his life Gen. Schenck wrote
with his left hand.
When minister to England Gen. Schenck
became the target Of a good deal Of adverse
comment because he was reported to have
published a book on poker playing for the
use Of the English aristoc-acy. Poker
Bob" as he was afterwards called by his op-
ponents, never took the trouble to deny the
charge, but his friends claimed that he SIM
ply wrote out the rules Of the game in COM
piance with the request of lady She had
the manuscript put in type and issued few
copies of the pamphlet for private circula-
ton.
Gen. Schenck spent the last years Of his
life in absolute retirement He gathered
about him a few old friends but cared to
make no new ones. AS one of his biographers
says: His enemies spoke of him as selfish;
his friends called him whole souled, generous,
big hearted, hospitable."