The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-26
TWO ARMY CHARACTERS
MULTI-MILLIoNATRE AsToR AND HIS
CONDUCT ON THE FIELD.
Gen. sandy" Burt, Fighter Who Has
a Weakness for BasebaIl-
l Gen. Fftzhugh Lee.

The United States army, regular and vol
unteer. abounGs in characters whom the
environment of camp life accentuate. Men
with enviable records, men with past, men
of wealth, men famed in professions and
politics, men of every shade of thought and
belief. help make up the remarkable per-
sonnet Of the volunteer army and its satel-
lites and each type is to the others an in
teresting study. The old Indian fighter
from the Black hills Is no less a model for
Richard Harding Daviss genre painting, as
Mr. Davis would delight in calling it, than
is Mr.. Davis an oddly to the frontiersman
The fiction writer sees rare gameness and
sterling qualities in this man of steel-gray
eyes, while the latter, looking at the nov
elist, yearns to make chappie dance jig
over the peppering of a six-shooter Mr..
Davis is very. very funny. just as one
writer describes him, broad shoulders,
squeaky little voice, London trousers and
all. 1T is remarkable, said an old soldier
that so picturesque an ass can write such
charming stories" Then there was Roose-
welt and his Rough Riders and all the cir
Gus side of the army, the muleteers from
Arizona Colonel Grigsby. the Smoked
Yank," and a roll. too long to call, about
whom good stories could be written. One
of the first celebrities to reach a Southern
camp was John Jacob Aston. young man
who could buy a couple of battle ships
without skimping his living.
A ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SOLDIER.
The temptation to poke fun at youths
worth $40,OO0O0O or more is overpowering,
possibly because the opportunity is too rare
to be neglected, and, besides, it delights
US to exercise our great American latitude
Of doing and saying what we please. Col.
Astors conduct did not warrant half the
humor had at his expense. He is on Major
General Disadvantages staff, and is now
with the army of invasion near Santiago,
Cuba, taking pot luck with his brother Off
GERS. l saw him in the early days of his
service. OF course, said some of the lieu
tenants and others who had grubbed out an
existence in Indian neighborhoods for many
years, he came into the army merely for
the tinsel of the thing, and, instead of liv-
ing like a soldier, will live like a prince
Others really expected him to bring silk
tent to the field Canned terrapin instead
Of canned beans might be his provender,
and champagne instead Of coffee might fol-
low his mess. Besides, he wore ''kharki'
uniform, fresh from a swell tailor His
horse was a thoroughbred, and, hardest of
all to bear, was the report that he brought
his valet with him to war One could hear
almost any sort of story at Chickamauga
about this young Croesus from New York,
and the stories were repeated at Tampa
when he reached there. The stories passed
about in a subdued Tone however, for
among regular army officers it is breach
Of discipline to comment on superior Off
GERS, either favorably or unfavorably, and
many volunteer officer concluded it to be
the better part of valor to say nothing
about an officer who some day might be
in a position to grind out his grapes of
wrath if these stories ever came to him.
The correspondents made facetious sally
at his greatness by writing purported in
terviews with his valet. Through it all John
Jacob Aston. with his mouth closed, went
about his business.
ASTOR IN THE SADDLE
Only a few years ago the New York news
papers were heralding Mr.. Astor as the
greatest matrimonial catch in New York,
measuring his eligibility by other standards
than wealth alone. He was considered pas
SADLY good looking, of athletic build, excel
lent habits, had written a book and was
the son of New York's reigning society
queen. Jack was a favorite in various
eminently respectable circles. When war
scion of a notable American house taking
the field, and his friends further insisted
he would make a good soldier. Arriving at
Chickamauga, he established quarters in
the best hotel to be obtained, changed his
clothes and went out to camp, where, in a
few days, his tall figure, jogging in the sad
die of a beautiful horse, became familiar
sight. Soldiers pointed him out to each 9TH
er, and speculated on how many good things
TO eat they would buy had they one-ml-
lionth of the wealth at his command. But
there are things even money will not buy,
and one of these was Chickamauga water
in the early days of Camp Thomas. One hot,
dusty day, Colonel Astor drove up to a
pump guarded by soldiers and tried in vain
to get water for his horse. He was firmly
refused, for orders were to furnish no horse
water at that pump, and for SO cheap re-
freshment as this the multi-millionaire had
to ride long distance under the blazing
sun. he seemed immune to all the conse-
quences of risking ones powers of endur-
ance. Miles and miles he rode each day, in
on learning every detail of army organiZa-
ton as IL came within the province of his
duty. There has sprung up recently in army
circles the recognition of certain Well-de-
fined physiOgnomical characteristics which
point conclusively to valOr and a militant
disposition. The Dewey jaw is one, and the
the lighting nose to partial degree.
Here is a story of his conduct under fire
as it went the rounds at Camp Thomas
Three brigadeS in a division were maneu-
vering in a sham battle, two against one
with the solitary brigade holding the point
of vantage as an offset against the disparity
IN numbers A few minor incidents stirred
up sufficient feeling between the combatantS
TO precipitate a realistic scrap with CUR
butts and fists. The blank cartridge firing
had become general down the line, and Col
Astor recklessly rode between the forces
Indifferent to the imaginary hail of leaC
that poured in sheets across the bitterly
contested field. AS soon as he emerged from
al its height, he dashed up to the com
mander TO whom he had been assigned, and
after making proper salute, said; Il have
the honor, sir, TO report the battle is over.
The general coolly surveyed him moment
and replied; The HI you say; get back e
your position"
As a reader of books it is said Colonel
Astor's taste is Unsuitable. My first glimpse
of him at Chattanooga was in a news stall
where he was making a selection of cur
rent magazines; and when l caught sight
OF him at Tampa, there he was, bending
over the paper backs, looking for the good
things dished up in printers ink. He viii
not have much time TO read where he is
or whatever il was. that landed him in Cuba
with the first expedition.
GENERAL BURT A TYPE.
If one were to rake the army for a con-
trast TO the type mentioned above, no bet
ter choice could be made than that of Brig