The Portland daily press., 1898-05-13
ENSIGN WORTH BAaLEY.
Something About This Fine Young Officer
and Two of His Classmates.

friends. Since his graduation from the
Naval Academy and while serving MS
two years at sea as naval cadet he visited
this port several times and being an ex-
ceedingly bright and agreeable young
gentleman left many friends behind him
when his ship sailed.
Ensign Bagley came from Raleigh, N.
G., where his family is among the best in
the state, and one which has numbered
many brave soldiers and sailors in the
past. He comes from fighting stock and
that he should be killed thus early in his
career robs the navy Of one of its most
promising young officers. The writer well
remembers bis first meeting with Bagley
at Annapolis. rs was "bilger" or in
other words 8 cadet who had passed a
year or SO in the naval academy and then
failed and was re-appointed into q succeed
ing class, His stiintimate friend at that
time was Joseph G. Breckenridge, Jr., OF
Kentucky, the son of Inspector General
breckenridge of the army. These two
"bilgers" for Breckenridge had also seen
year or SO in the naval academy before
he dropped back into the class with which
he finally graduated. were the most popu-
lar men in the class of '95. BagIey with
his handsome face and genial manners
was always surrounded by a crowd of
cadets when their duties would allow Of
1t and among the ladies at the academy
he was by all odds the most popular.
Besides being good student and a
good fellow Bagley was also star foot
ball player. He played in three games
| with the West Point team, each time as
full back and each time he so distin-
guished himself that the New York and
Baltimore papers could not say too much
of his dashing, clever work. Mr.. Whitney
of the Harper's Weekley who writes ON
sporting matters for that paper compli-
mented Mr.. Bagley by placing him as full
back on the "All Star America team
and that was indeed great compliment
when it is understood that the best foot
ball players from all the American col.
leges were selected for this team con
paper because of their ability in their
particular position.
1t was great sight to see Bagley 60 in
to game, for his skill was SO great and
his pluck SO good that no matter how
badly things were going for the
"middiss" Bagley always wore smile
and seemed to be the coolest man in the
lot. The cadets ranged along one side of
the field wonld open the game by giving
the academy yell and then followed their
own especial yell of admiration and en-
couragement for Bagley. He had failed
on the academy examinations IN
chemistry once all because he Ecould
not classify certain substances which were
soluble or insoluble. This was where
the Bagley yell came from. 1t went some.
thing like this:
"Sol, sol insol sol
Insol, insol sol,
Bagley."
And how this yell used to roll out from
the $50 cadets as the Naval academy team
came trotting out onto the. field i'll their
dirty football clothes and with their long
hair waving in the breeze. And Bagley
was the king of them all, the man who
was never known to loose his head and
who was as sure on punt or catch as
any man who ever chased the pigskin.
Again and again he saved the Naval
academy team from defeat and his won
derful courage and dash will not soon be
forgotten by those who knew him.
There are many pleasant storiss the
naval academy men have to tell of
Worthless Bagley as he was called by
those most intimate with him. He
roomed during the four years course at
the academy with Breckenridge. who was
drowned on another torpedo boat, the
Cushing, while trying to get into Havana
several weeks before the Maine affair."
BAgley and Breckenridge were never left
much to themselves, for to their rooms
crowded the cadets at all hours of the day
and night for advice, for skylarking, for
sympathy, for assistance in their studies
and many other things. And no one, not
even homesick plebe entered this room
that he did not come away feeling happier
and more contented with his unhappy
lot, for though he might be hazed and
run" little by Breckenridge and Bag
ley, he was never ill treated or made I'M
happy by their treatment of him.
And there was another one, the first
young officer in the navy to be killed by
Spanish treachery and that was D. R.
Merritt He too was classmate of Brock
inridge and Bagley, and very close and
intimate friend of both of these fine fell
lows. Merritt was killed in the explosion
of the Maine few weeks after Breckin-
ridges death on the Cushing. These three
men, Breckenridge, Bagley and Merritt,
all classmates, all friends and all remark
ably fine young officers will not soon be
forgotten by their associates, and if the
young ensigns and assistant engi neers in
the navy who were classmates of these
fine fellows ever get within gun shot Of a
Spaniard and don't more than square ac-
counts with them for the death Of these
men, it will be passing strange
BANGOR WON'T BE IN 1T.
At q p,eotipr of tho tbIetic association,