The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-06-13
The Man Who Goes to Cuba to
Look After Uncle Sans
! Affairs.
He Talks Intelligently About the
Lost Cause and Other
Questions.
An Interesting Story as to the
Way He Fought on the
Other Side.

| Other Side.
Frank G. Carpenter writing from Wash
ington says '.|
| Before this paper is published Gen. Fitz-
hugh Lee will probably be in Havana act
! ing as the american consul general and
also as personal confidential adviser to
President Cleveland as to the Cuban
troubles. He VIII for the time have the
most important diplomatic post under our
government, and he is, I believe, especially
| fitted for the position. Gen. Lee is a man
of high culture, a soldier of experience, and
| his life has been spent in dealing with pub
| lie men and affairs.
spent morning with him here in Wash
irgton shortly before his appointment, and
| had chat with him about himself and pub
lie matters. Just before meeting him had
finished looking over his Life OF Robert
| E. Lee,' and our talk of this brought out
some Of his own war experiences which
have never been given to the public. He
has you know, had some of the most mar
! row escapes of any man now living. Three
horses were shot from under him at the
battle of Winchester, and he has been
wounded again and again, both in his In
dian service and in the war of the rebellion.
AS looked at Gen. Lee could not re-
alize that he had been through so many
per:ls. His modest unassuming manner
scars, and it is hard to associate his low,
sweet voice with that which in stentor.an
tones gave the orders to the br;gades un-
der him when ile' was the chief cavalry
general of the Southern Confederacy. His
pictures give YOU little idea of the man.
You need the colors of a. Titan or a Ru-
bens to bring out his Characteristic feat
ures Gen. Lee has a complexion Of that
delicate red and white which shows the
veins running here and there through it.
His eyes are of the brightest blue, and his
head makes you think of peice Of fine
china thatched and bearded with the prrest
of frosted silver. He has a strikink face.
His forehead is high and full, his nose
straight and his jaw firm He is under
medium height, and, though his form is
we'll rounded, it is muscular rather than
fat He stands as straight as a West Point
cadet, and, though he is now so, he moves
about with all the vitality that he showed
when he was in the regular army IN Texas
about 40 years ago.
FITZHUGH LEES GREAT INDIAN
FIGHT
I found Gen. Lee very loath to talk about
himself and ] had to ask many questions to
draw him out. During the talk his service
in Texas as a lieutenant came up, and
showed him a. statement which his friend
Mai. Hayes had made concerning the great
Indian fight in which he and Gen. Lee took
part. Maj. Hayes is now in the regular
army Gen. Lee was, am told, very anx-
ious to take him with him to Cuba, but
owing to the rules Of the service was not
able to accomplish this end. He read the
statement very carefully and said that it
was substantially correct. The incident oc-
Cured in 1860. Fitzhugh Lee was lieu
tenant at the time and Hayes was bugler.
Both were in service at Colorado, Texas,
when the scouts reported that body OF In
dians had massacred some settlers near by
The officer commanding. Maj. Van Dorm,
at once took Lee, Hayes and other soldiers
and started in pursuit of the Indians. 1t
was in the winter and it was showing hard
They marched sixty-elght miles in less
than two days and finally came upon the
Indians upon ridge OF timber. During
the charge the troops became separated,
F;tzs1ugh Lee and Hayes going together in
pursuit of two Indians who were making
for the timber. They killed one before
they reached the woods, and followed the
other for several miles through the trees.
There was much snow on the ground and
they could see his tracks Finally they
came out of the woods and in the distance
saw him hiding behind ledge OF rock
Lee at once rushed toward him, firing as he
ran. The Indian shot an arrow at Lee. It
struch him, passing through his arm and
breaking off. A moment later the Indian,
who was chief Of more than SIX feet In
height. Jumped for Lee and tried to stab
him. Lee had a revolver in his right hand.
The Indian grabbed the barrel. The re-
volver went off, but the Indian was not
hit, the pistol dropping to the ground.
Fitzhugh Lee was six inches shorter than
the Indian He saw that he could do moth
ing if he allowed the Indian to use his
knife, and he threw his arms around him
and hugged him for dear life. The Indiar
tried again and again to stab him, but Lee
held him tightly to him and the two swayed
to an fro, packing the snow under their
feet.
..At. this time,' said Maj. Hayes, II
started to Lees rescue, but 1 did not
dare to shoot, as both Lee and the Indian
were twisting and wTithing, so that /
could not be sure of not killing both at
the same time, or Lee instead Of the In
dian. AS / approached, however, saw
the two fall to the ground with Fitzhugh
Lee on top. AS they went down they
struck the ground not far from the re-
volyer.. Lee saw it. He grabbed it and
shot the Indian throught the head. The
mouth of the savage was open at the
time He. was just about to give one Of
|hiss terrible ye.ls, and the hall went
through his cheeks and mouth without
striking a tooth A second later Lee dis
charged the revolver again, the ball this
time going through the Indian s brain.
The savage at once relaxed, his head
fell back and Lee rose to his feet B He
first shook himself 3 and felt Of his body
Is see II he was wound led. for the knife
had cut his coat asked him how he
i.