The times., 1898-12-06
CAPT. cApRoN, SENIOR.
A Brave and Picturesque officer ns
Seen by N Volunteer at Santiago.
(From the New York Sun. }

| Brave and Picturesque officer as
Seen by N Volunteer mt Santiago.
Qrom the New York SUM-
The army officer whose personality most
impressed me during the Santiago cam
! paign was the late Capt. Allyn Capron.
| sr.. of e Battery. Fist Artillery. From
July until early in August my company
| was camped on Misery Hill" as we
| called ii, right alongside Capron's Bat
| terry. i saw a great deal of him and his
men. Capt. Capron was short broad
shouldered. stockily-built man with IRON
gray hair. Evidently between fifty and
sixty, he was straight as a ramrod. He
had neck like a bull the back OF
men danced when he gave command,
but never tired of Dragging about him.
One of his privates said TO me:
When thing goes wrong the old man
may cuss the entire battery into a hem
orrhase. but he never sticks a decent man
in the guardhouse or gets him fined"
a few days after the San Juan engage
ment met an artilleryman whose enlist
! ment had just expired. / forget his regi-
| ment and battery | remarked that I sup
posed he would get back to the States as
soon as possible and bid good-by TO sol
! diering.
You bet." he replied and then added:
Unless l can get in Capron's battery. I'm
on my way to see the old man now.
one of the yarns that Travelled the
rounds of the encampment before San
tiago went this way. 1t was on one OF
the three days of the San Juan fight
, Capron was leading his battery up road
toward the front when he came upon q
battalion of men lying down along the
roadside. While the rest of the regiment
went on faint-hearted major had kept
fsa-
stiffiy by. paying no heed TO the drop
shots that fell around him. the quakins
major got on his feet and, saluting,
asked:
Lieutenant what shall do with any
men2'
Damn your impudencer' thundered
Capron, ARE you 50 badly frightened, sir.
that you cannot see that I'm a captain2
Tell your men TO go to the front. and
then. by God. sir. go home, sir. and get
under the bed. sir
AT the engagement at Las Guasimas
/ Capt Allyn X. CaprOn, Of the Rough
+ Riders, son of Capt Capron, sr., was
, killed. His body was left for time
! where it fell. His hat was placed To
! cover his face and black rubber poneho
4 thrown over the body Only the rough.
/ mud-elotted shoes protruded from be-
/ meath the poncho. Word was sent To
/ Capt Capron, sr.. and he soon reached
/ the scene of the engagement White-faced
{ but upright, he stood for a moment look
( ing down at that black forbidding outline
/ in a by-path of a theket-aI that re-
. mained OF the last of three promising
sons, STOPPING. he lifted the hat from
the dead boys face and gazing at him
I with moist eyes said: Well done boy"
I Then replacing the hat he turned on his
/ heel and marched stiffiy away.
During the bombardment of Santiago [
was in the trenches right beside Capron' ;
Battery. Overhead the Spanish shells
were humming and screeehing. could
; occasionally see the CLINT of one in the
I sunshine as il passed over. About our
/ ears a humble bees nest of Mauser bul-
lets Were zinsfng and zooing- There was
! Capt CaPron. heldglass in hand and erect
and infiexible as ever. One Of his gun
ners, who had just thrown a shell wide
Of the mark, stood beside him An IN
usually how shot from the enemy made the
gunner involuntariiy dodge. Capron
looked at him impatiently.
Who in blank are you bowing to. you
c0ck-eyed dancing master2" he demanded.
Can't YOU see a bIockhouse right on the
end Of your nose? Look through these
glasses See it? Now. try IL again.
The next shot landed fair on the mark
Now. shrapnel.' shouted Capron as the
Spanish survivors began to pour from the
! b!ockhouse. Give il TO them
And give IL to them they surely did.
Capt. Capron always appeared pleasant
with the enlisted men Of the volunteers.
He usually had CHEEKY good day for
them. He would stop and respond to a
remark or question that was respectfully
put. But he did NOT seem TO consider
them in the same class with mis- own men.
His attitude toward the volunteers was as
If he looked on them as lot of promis-
ing young cubs. In fact he said Of the
lads who loafed around his tent:
The cubs have good stuff in EN-: 7
wouldn't mind whipping some of the
whelps into shape myself.
But mis- own men he treated as if they
We're a herd of full-srown. roaring lions.
seeking that which they might devour.
His simplest order was delivered in A
hOarse below. Not that his men were a
noisy lot. for they We're singularly silent
and self-contained. But they one and all
seemed TO approve of Capron's attitude
toward them. Big. brawny and hairy
chested, they were in comparison with the
volunteers like a lot of untamed grizzly
bears beside litter of white mice And
they seemed happy TO be treated as griz-
zlies by Capron.
In my memory of the men and events
of the Santiago campaign there will al
| ways stand out clean-cuI the image oi
Capt Allyn Capron-man and soldier. His
| Creator forgot to put hinge in his back
And he deserves from his cOuntrymen d
monument inscribed:
I