The San Francisco call., 1898-06-25
LEES FOOLS
 WITH THE
 ARMY AGAIN Disastrous Encounter With Col. Smith. GETS THE USUAL REBUKE THE CHIEFS UNDo1Na CON- NIvED AT BY WHITMAN. An Unwarranted Sur on the South ern Troops Which Is Promptly
 Refuted by Undeniable
 Authority.
GETS THE USUAL REBUKE
THE CHIEFS UNDOING CON
 NIVED AT BY WHITMAN.

Chief Lees has "monkeyed with the buzzsaw" again. and, of course, has contributed some more of his anatomy to the waste pile.
 Years ago, before the brain of the Chief showed signs of senility, he did not need to have lesson repeated to him; once was sufficient But with the constant ravages of time on his mental faculties the venerable thief -taker can- not remember to-day the disciplining of yesterday, which is most disastrous, for each day brings discontinue to the old man.
 Just at present the army is the buzz saw from which Chief Lees persists in trying to pull the teeth. Already he has forgotten his unhappy half hour with General Otis, and yesterday he went against Colonel Smith of the First Tennessee. Possibly a misty remem- brance of the Otis interview fitted through his remnant of mind, for in- stead of boarding the lion in his den Lees detailed Sergeant Perrin to re- ceive the brunt of the affray.
 Perhaps the Chief is not altogether at fault for the latest rebuke he has brought upon himself; it would appear that Captain Wittman-he of the frosty feet and .clamy hands-led him to ex- pose his person to the military boot. If so it was a mean advantage to take of the helpless old man, and Is not cal culated to advance his chances of suc- ceeding to the throne of the Upper of- fice.''
 However, by tomorrow Lees will have forgotten all about his affair with the Southern officer, and will lapse into his old day dream of bygone days, with their gorgeous procesSions, headed by Lees, bedecked with gold lace till Butcher Weyler would machete him. self through sheer envy.
 The cause of the Chiefs trouble was a letter signed by one George R. Lewis,
 who complained to Whitman that he had been ill treated by one or two sol diers. "who by looks were the Tennes- see soldiers Whitman turned the
 communication over to Lees, with an addendum, and the Chief sent it to Colonel Smith by Sergeant Perrin. Instead of an abject apology and al | assurance that a dozen or two of the command would be shot at sunrise as an example, the Chief received in re- ply the following, which needs no com ment:
 Headquarters First Infantry, Tennessee CAMP MERRITT, San Francisco. June g, 1S9S.-To the Chief of Police, San Francisco-Sir: I have the honor to ac- Knowledge the receipt by the hand of Ser geant Perrin of your force of a communi- cation addressed to you by one George R. Lewis, making complaint of having re- ceived bad treatment at the hands of one or two soldiers ''in blue uniforms who by 1 looks was the Tennessee soldiers | In reply I beg to say that there are hundreds of soldiers other than Tennes- seeans in San Francisco at the present time who wear the blue, and while I do nt C1o i'm fnr hn nf hn nessee regiment absolute freedom from fault, I am unwilling that every case of | disorder or disagreement with the col ored element of your city shall be The members of this command are amenable to the laws of this State and city like any other citizen, and when they become violators of the State and city laws I hope you will arrest them, that they may be brought to punishment. In this connection l beg to say that my attention has been directed to an inci- dent that occurred some two or three days ago, in which two soldiers of this command were grossly insulted and characterized as Southern =, and about the use of such language they were set upon and assaulted by quite a number of negro toughs armed with raZors. I had this matter investi- gated and found that the negroes were the aggressors and had provoked the diff ficulty.
 l beg to assure you that no efrOrt will be spared by the officers of this com mand to prevent these unpleasant oc- currences, but l hope that all the diffl- culties between the white troops who wear the blue and the negroes of your city will not be charged to my regiment, simply because they are Tennesseeans. In the city from which this regiment comes there are many negroes between whom and the soldiers of Tennessee the most kindly feeling exists, and the members of this command will continue to be law abiding citizens and do their duty as soldiers and gentlemen, as they have al- ways done in Tennessee-not because it may be especially popular here, as sug- W. Whitman, Captain of Police, in transmitting the letter of complaint, but because it is right that they should conduct themselves as respectable gen. tlemen and as the representatives of a loyal and honored State in the brother hood of States. Respectfully,
 WILLIAM c. SMITH, Golonal First Infantry. TenneSsea XollIn-