The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-06-25
Down on the Tune

They are telling a story a the Brooklyn
navy yard about Captain Richard Leary of
the San Francisco When that vessel was
last at the yard for repairs her band played
every night for the men at quarters and
later for the officers mess. 1t seems that
Captain Leary was very fond of one air
| called LA Paloma,' and almost every even
ing after the band had finished its regu-
lar programme the captain would send out
request that La Poloma" be played.
Nov, the of the San Francisco are
loyal Americans to a man. By a simple
process of reasoning it became evident to
them that La Paloma" from its name
must be a Spanish air. This was enough
to make the tune obnoxious to the crew,
afflrms the New York Sun.
Captain Leary, in blissful ignorance of
the mental trouble he was causing his men,
continued to ask for his favorite air. One
night there came a crisis in the matter.
The men were scattered about the decks
when a messenger came forward with the
usual request.
Boys, this is too much" said one future
Jim Hickey, sprnglng up. Lets queer the
blamed Dago tune"
Standing near by were scrap buckets
containing the remains of the evening
meal. When the band struck up the Of
fensive air each man grabbed a cold po-
tato or anything else that came handy and
let fly at the musicians. The men proved
that they could throw straight as well as
shoot straight The band kept with
true Yankee fortitude, but it was in very
discordant fashion that La Paloma'' float
ed on the evening breeze. Captain Leary
noticed the difference, and sent for the band
leader, who played violin.
whats the trouble?" he asked.
aXVa1 ran1ied ire musician. ait takes
both my hands to fiddle, and I can't do 1t
well and dodge potatoes at the same time. =
When the whole affair was explained,
Captain Leary appreciated the joke as much
as anyone. He has found new favorite
air now, and La Paloma" is discarded.
How Gen. Sherman Was Bothered by Forged
In the back part of John Cawthra's desk
at the county jail in Rochester, says the
New York Sun, is a photograph that has
all the appearances of age, but the feat
ures are easily recognizable as those of
General William t. Sherman. Below the
picture is the generals signature, and on
the back, in a plain hand, is written:
ITO the association of the old Thirteenth
New York Volunteers. With best COM
pliments of w. T. Sherman. General
Washington, d. c., Oct IL, 1S7S.'
Mr. Cawthra tells this incident as con-
neeted with the souvenir: sit was in
June, 1861, and the First brigade under
Sherman-he was a colonel then, with the
rank of acting brigadier general-and the
Seventy ninth Highland regiment of New
York city, the Sixty ninth New York, and
Second Wisconsin regiment were drawn up
along the Potomac. Our regiment was
encamped near Arlington Heights, on the
west bank of the Potomac, and we had
strict orders to guard the bridge over the
river and allow nobody who didn't have a
pass to get by. 1t was terribly hot, just
about the kind of weather the boys at
Camp Alger are getting now. The temp
tation to go over to Georgetown for little
relaxation at night time led a great many
fellows from our regiment to apply for
passes early the result being that the de-
mand far exceeded the supply. The colonel
had started in by allowing each regiment
fifty passes, which gave each company in
each of the four regiments five passes. 1t
happened, though. that some of the men
abused the privilege a little by their &C.
colonel heard of this he declared, in his
own vigorous language, that he would stop
that business, and proceeded to do so by
cutting town the passes of every blessed
company from five to one for each night
That came pretty .;ard On the men in our
regiment
well the colonel was hopping mad the
next morning when, instead of receiving
only ten passes from our regiment, upward