The age-herald., 1898-09-18
THEY ALL LOVED
 YOUNG WHEELER
From the New York Sun.

of the affection in which General Wheeler is held here, but because of his own per- sonal qualities the death of young Thomas A. Wheeler has cast a gloom over the en- tire encampment The suddenness of the catastrophe, and the fact that only a few minutes before they were dragged out to drown by the undertow young Wheeler and his friend Lieutenant Kirkpatrick were surrounded by a number of merry-making bathers, has served to accentuate the trag- edy in the minds of all. Cadet Wheeler re- sembled the father in that he was so con- sttuted that anyone in grief or trouble im- mediately enlisted not only his sympathy, but his aid as well.
 On getting a furlough from naval duty From Wheeler as his friends called him, came on here to join his father, with tho intention of having a good time. Sea air, sea bathing, good fishing and an open eounA try in which to ride horseback present d aspects very promising for an enjoyable vacation; but the young man didn't get much of a vacation in the sense of idle ness He discovered very soon that the.e were many things to be done here which were the business of no particular person, and were therefore left undone oftener than not. He also discovered that his fath- CT was subjected to constant calls upon his time outside the regular line of his duty, which involved a very sufficient amount of work for any one mans atten- tion. Without making any fuss about it, the young man decided to give up his no- tions of having a good time and attend to cases which were brought to General Wheeler, and which any person who knew something about the lay of the land here could look after First he started in to familiarize himself with the camp-ro small matter in the confusion of the cary days here. Then, as much as possible, he set himself to intercept visitors who came to inquire of his father where their miss ing friends could be found, and if possible, to do the work of looking them up. When he wasn't hustling around the hospitals or regimental camps he was at his fathers headquarters, and it Is probable that nine out of ten of the visitors took the good- looking, erect young fellow with the pleas- ant, quiet manners and the helpful ways for somebody's clerk or secretary.
 "Is there anything that I can do for you?" was his greeting to any civilian whom he discovered wandering about head- quarters with that hopeless expression characteristic of one who hasn't any idea where to find out what he wants to know,
 If Tom Wheeler could not tell himself he could at least direct the Inquirer to the most likely source of information. His knowledge of the camp was of the greatest service, and he became sort of general directory. To the newspaper men he was a great help, as he had an excellent mem- ory and seemed to know better than any one else the location of the troops, the regi- ments to which the various officers belong- ed and hundreds of other matters, and he was always ready to be of service
 In time the cadet took charge for his father of the business of issuing passes to visitors, a matter requiring tact and judg- ment. Many were the requests for passes that he was obliged to refuse, but there is yet to be heard of case where the req fused person was offended Sometimes he managed matters so that passes were not necessary. A woman came to him plead ing pitifully for a pass to see her husband, who was in the detention hospital. At that time there was thought to be yellow fever there.
 the young man, "but if you'll sit right down here and wait I'll send a man over there to look up your husband, and we'll see what can be done. We'll find out, any way, Just now ne SettlnS along ana whether he needs anything"
 Then he quietly gave orders to the order ly to see if the patient was well enough to be moved and if so to have him brought over. A few minutes later there was q reunion of husband and wife there at the headquarters; then the man returned to the hospital. When the woman was ready to go she tried to thank Tom Wheeler, but broke down, and to his intense confusion and embarrassment took his hand and kissed it.
 Whatever he wished done he did himself if it were possible, and always in the most unobtrusiYe way.
 Hundreds of soldiers knew Tom Wheeler without having the fantest idea who he was. He always had a word or a nod for every soldier with whom he was in any way thrown in contact, and only two days ago the writer saw him attending to a sick private who had collapsed on the roadway. "]'d like to know who that young fellow is," trooper of the regulars heard to say few days ago at the station, point ing to the cadet. ''He found out l was hungry one day, hearin' me tryin' to buy half piece of pie with my last nickel, and he says: Have somethin' on me- he saysI I've been broke myself, and he did it 50 nice a feller couldn't refuse He got me lot of stuff to eat, and then blame if he didn't blow me off to a plug of tobacco"
 Guess he's one of them cottagers," re- piled the other. "I seen him up near tho cottages yesterday hepin' an H troop man round up mule"
 "He's the whitest lad I've struck this good long time," said the first speaker.
 The sympathy of the enlisted men for General Wheeler is touching to see. As he drove down to the station this morning with the escorting troop of cavalry the so- diers whom he met on the way lifted their hats or stood still at the salute as he went by. At the narrow defile near Fort Pond a dozen colored troopers rode along laugh m 1lofn turn, one of them recognized the approach ing cavalcade.
 Heres General Wheeler coming' he called out
 The troopers pulled in their horses. backed tSem around to the side of the roadway, took off their hats, and remained uncovered until the carriage had passed JOHNNY HAS COME HOME For The Age-Herald:
 The time for muSterinp-out hoe oor,a.