The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-11
DYES STRANGE CAREER.
The Romantic Story of Former Union
Soldier Who is Now in Corea.

tween the Japan and the Yellow seas, is
the peninsula of Corea. Its head is piIlowed
on the southern slopes OF amouutain range,
its feet are laved in the waters Of the Pacific
ocean. 1t is a region not long known to
western civilization. 1t was a portion of
China, ana was characterized by all the Sc
clusion of the moon-eyed inhabitants of the
mainland Buddha has the fealty of
majority of its inhabitants, and Confucius
commands the allegiance Of the remainder.
Last year the teachings OF christianity were
forbidden.
Some three ports are open TO foreign COM
merce, the admission being but lately
Granted. For the first time envoys, within
the last year, have been sent to foreign
countries. Ii Hung is king, and the min
ister is Shuem Sun Tex. The last named is
ambitious and progressive, and is DESTROYS
TO introduce the practices of the occident.
A gentleman of this city, in Journey
round the world, stated couple of weeks
at Seoul, the capital. and there encountered
an American who has a rather remarkable
history.
When the late civil war broke out there
was with Twiggs' command in Texas a
Can't, William Nee. Dye, whose life is a
romance, full of exciting variety and weird
adventures, such as were related by the
svarthy Moor to the impossible Desde-
mona He was at that time about 80 years
of age and an heroic figure in his physical
development. He was two inches over six
feet in hight, perfectly proportional, with
reddish golden hair and beard, the latter
falling like cascade down almost to his
waist. He had a face freckled, as is usually
the fact with men OF auburn complexion,
and kindly and yet piercing blue gray eyes.
He was i'll the prime of life, agile and
strong as a panther; courageous to the
limit: conscientious, and a skilled soldier.
Born in Pennsylvania, he had graduated at
West Point, and was assigned to the depart
ment commanded by Twiggs
When the rumors of civil war drifted to
the camp of Twiggs the commander at once
determined to carry his forces over to the
confederacy. The majority readily COL
sented there was a minority, among who
was Capt Dye, thatsrefused. Twiggs was
very much enraged over this opposition,
and threatened to arrest the the loyaliSts
and hold them as prisoners. Learning of
this purpose, Capt. Dye determined to es-
cape. The location was so we'll guarded
that it was impossible, with any chance of
SUCCESS, to go north, and after carefully
examining all the possibilities he resolved
TO reach home by way Of Mexico.
The undertaking was one requiring in
IlllLe GDuuIduGc udL anu pOIS6N6IduC6
The Mexicals were hostile, and always
ready to assassinate and rob hated Saxon
from the northern country. For two
months he wandered through the Sierra
Madre mountains, mourning indescribable
hardships and dangers, sleeping on the
ground, pelted by storms, and incessantly
on the watch for deadly enemies. Reach
ing a port on the Gulf he secured passage
on vessel to New York, and soon after
was at his home in Marion, Iowa. The call
for 800, 600 men had just been issued, and he
became colonel of the Twentieth Iowa.
He led his regiment through many bloody
battles, at Prairie Grove, and from that
over the Ozark mountains, through South
ern Missouri and Northern Arkansas to
Vicksburg and SO on to Mobile, always
marching, fighting, and covering the bril-
gade, to whose command he had won pro-
motion, with glory. He was a lion in
combat, a lamb in repose, winning the
admiration of his comrades for his gallantry
and their love for his gentleness and sim
plicity.
Soon after the war closed Col. Dye was
one of the three officers selected by the
Khedive of Egypt to serve on his staff. He
accepted the offer, and in a brief time
found himself transferred from the bayous
and the lagoons, the swamps and the ALI
gators of the region where, on the lower
Mississippi, he had last fought, to the
antiquity, the sands, and the crocodiles of
the Nile.
He performed his staff duties to the salts
faction of the authorities, and participated
in the Abyssinian expeditions ordered by
the khedive for the purpose of extending
his power in that state. He saw and shared
in many wild raids, skirmishes, and min
iature battles. Here, thousands Of feet
above the sea level, he marched, fought,
and found time to study the country, its
people, aud their peculiarities. He had ma
neuvered along the swampy and marshy
borders of the Gulf of Mexico, aud now he
operated on the vast nights which over
looked the Red sea.
Col. Dye also led an expedition up the
Nile and examined portions of Nubia, that
vast unknown, indefinite region between
the Sahara ana the shores of the Red sea.
He visited the since famous Khartoum and
many an unknown place which has now
become noted from its connection with the
English expedition into Soudan.
From his observations while on these
various missions he prepared a descriptive
and statistical work embracing materials
immense in quantity and valuable for their
minute details of the customs of the native
tribes, the character of the country, and
the strategic lines for the operations of an
invading force. 1t is claimed that had the
English war office been in possession of the
information contained in Col. Dyes book it
would have found ample evidence of the
necessary failure of their Soudan move
ment. In fact, the closing pages of his
volume, written at the point when the
English movement began, clearly and dis
tinctlv foretold its disastrous failure
And now the soldier of fortune undergoes
another change, and, sweeping half around
the globe, appears in Washington as chief
of police, position which he acceptably
filled and held for many years. From fight
ing the disturbers of the national peace in
America and suppressing revolts among the
negroes in Africa he continued in his woes
ton of suppressing disorder by becoming
the principal peace officer of the national
capital.
His military training gave wonderful
efficiency to his administration, and in his
capacity as head of the capital police he
made as good a record in proportion to the
difference of the responsibilities of his place
as when marching through the Ozark
mountains or skirmishing among the clouds
On the slopes bordering the Red sea.
The democratic regime took possession of
the capital, aud on the ground that he was
a carpet-bagger he was dismissed to give
place to a native of the District OF Column
pa. lie was soon given responsible
position in the pension bureau by an old
war comrade, which he mlnistered with
sagaclty and fidelity till the time came
When the Corean government, in search OF
military instructor, looked over the
capitals of civilization and selected as the