Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-18

served under him like to show their APP
probation of him by telling what
good fellow he is.
Dewey has always been n kindly
officer to the men forward. AS COM
handing officer he seems to have been
in'tolerant only of a liar For the lib
erty breakers. fc'sle scrappers, over
night DRINKS and other petty offenders
aboard the ships under his command
he has always had an exceedingly un-
observing eye. and he has been noted
for some difficulty he has had with his
hearing apparatus when such offenders
have been reported to him in the
course of duty.
Give him show. He'll be good
now, | guess" is a remark Dewey used
often to make when as a ship com
mander he had to receive the neces-
sary reports of deck officers about the
little breaks made by men forward.
But he was d terror in his handling OF
a liar. bluejacket who would stand
at the mast before him and Try to give
him a cock-and- story instead OF
coming right out and owning up to his
delinquency was in for trouble. and
whole heap Of it. As commander he
liked and demanded candor, No other
game went With him.
Dewey is man with big. piercing
ewes" said q messenger in the Navy
Department who made Il cruise WitE
the master of Manila. Hes what "a
call a little fellow as to height. but h"
surely looked biggern Dutch trigdte
when he stood on his side of the mast
and you We're up in front of him. But
he was Il tander-hearted man on the
cruise when he and | were snipmates-
He'd try not to see or hear things thai
ne didn't want to see or hear None Of
US knew hn--up forward. ] mean-as
q connlander Some of us had been
sh:pnlates with him when he was
deck officer, and had never got the
worst of it a his hands. But we weren't
sure how he'd stackup as skipper. We
weren't long in finding out We had
to sailorize all right. but there WASH
much brigging with Dewey. He didn't
like to see man in double irons IN
his tours of inspection. We hadn't
been to sea with him very long before
we got next to how he desPised liar.
one of the petty officers went ashore
at tIlbIaIIGI, Spl IlIGtu IN hftli hiiN
soldiers in the canteens UP on the hill
and came off to the ship paralyzcd
He went before Dewey at the mast next
morning He gave Dewey the two
| beers and sunstruck yarn.
"'You're lying, my man. said
| Dewey. You were very drunk. ! my
self heard you aft in my cabin. / will
not have my men lie to me. don't eN-
pect to find total abstinence in a man
| o'-War crew. But | do expect them to
| tell me the truth, and I am going to
have them tell me the truth Had you
| told me candidy that you took the drop
| too much on your liberty. you'd have
| been forward by this time for you. at
| least. returned to the ship. For lying,
| YOU get ten days in irons. Let me hay"
! the truth hereafter. ! am Mold YOU are
| a good seaman. A good seaman has no
| business lying
"After that there We're few men
| aboard who didn't throw themselves
on the mercy of the court when they
waltzed up to the stick before Dewey,
and none of US ever lost anything by
it. He'd have to punish Us in accord
ance with regulations, but he had a
| great way Oh piutllhS9 tiN i'i'oeHS -
men he had to sentence to the brig be
| fore their sentences were halt worked
out.
Dewey was the best liberty-grant-
ing skipper ] was ever shipmates with.
| He hated to keep quarantlned men
| aboard when the good conduct men
were focking off to the beach One
fine Christmas day in Genoa harbor all
the men entitled to shore liberty lined
up at 10 O'Clock in the morning to ans
wer muster before taking the running
boats for the shore. There We're about
forty of us. myself among the number
who were quarantined aboard for hav.
| ing raised Cain ashore in Nice a few