Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-05-20
MORE ABOUT DEWEY.
A PEN-PlCTURE OF THE VICTOR OF
MANILA BAY.


Dexter Marshal, the New York rep
resentative of the American press asso-
citation, writes as follows in a recent
letter of the man who is now the chief
figure in the eyes of the nation
Though Commodore Dewey is neither
a native nor resident of this town, New
York may almost lay claim to him as
son by adoption, since he is a member of
the University club, where he has many
warm friends and enthusiastic admirers.
There they say he is much such man
as Admiral Sampson, with this differ
ence: Sampson never Jokes, and, in fact,
hardly seems to know a joke from
funeral yarn, while Dewey not only
recognizes jokes when he hears them,
but is constantly perpetrating them on
his own hook. Moreover his Jokes are
really funny, which is a good deal more
than can be said of the alleged-to-be
! humorous remarks of most men.
Like Sampson, Dewey is a good look
ing mantle ladies who know him say
strikingly so-and his good looks are
much enhanced by his pleasant smile.
In dress he is particular and in person
neat. In manner he is the pink of cour-
tesy. In style he is counted the SWEETEST
officer belonging to Uncle Sans navy,
and he cuts good deal of a social figure
wherever he is.
In spite of his 81 years, he is fond of a
good time. He even likes to dance and
is genuine ornament to any ball room
floor. lie doesn't look his age by any
means, and not one of his friends here
likes to believe him more than 80 or 81
at the outside. He makes good speech
and is an especially happy after-dinner
talker. He spins yarns with the same
facility that he cracks jokes, and the best
of it is that most of his stories are new.
When otherwise they always contain
some new point or unexpected twist
which gives them all the charm of nov
city, so that an old story by Dewey is
better than brand new one told by most
anybody else, as one of his friends put it
to me this morning.
81 don't want you to think Commodore
Dewey lacking in dignity from what |
have told you" said the acquaintance
from whose talk | gathered the material
for these paragraphs, "for at the proper
time he is dignity personified, and on
shipboard his enforcement of discipline
is as rigid as that of any other officer in
the navy. Perhaps it would not be out
of the way to say that he is the strlctest
disciplinarian among Uncle Sans sea
fighters. AT the same time it is not true,
as some of the papers have said, that he
is mot over popular with the under Off
GERS and men, AS matter of fact.
while he insists on having things exactly
as he wants them, his courtesy is so pro-
nounced and his treatment of every one
aboard ship from the boys up is so uni
formly fair that he is really one of the
most popular officers afloat.
Like Admiral Sampson, Commodore
Dewey is remarkably close student"
the speaker continued. His study of
ordnance and of the laws governing ex-
plosives has been especially profound.
If there's any man living who knows
more about the theory of gunnery, I'd
like to hear him. 1t isn't necessary for
me to say anything concerning his prac-
teal knowledge of this subject. He has
made his own demonstration in this
direction.
Like Sampson, Commodore Dewey is
man of great determination. 1t has
long been saving in the navy that
when Dewey sets out to do a certain
thing it's going to be done unless some
thing breaks You see he mixes brains
with his determination, and, while he has
sometimes been spoken of as one likely
to take desperate chances, the truth is
that the chances are really in his favor
before he goes ahead, though they might
be against less able man in similar cir
cumStances.
sin still another respect Commodore
Dewey resembles Admiral Sampson.
Dewey Is no blusterer. In truth he is
apparently about the mildest man you'd
meet In week. He never makes bluff,
and he never uses violent language. 1t
may be that he used big, big d or two
while the fight was on at Manila, but |
doubt it. have known him fairly well
for nearly 20 years, and | have never
heard him swear once. And | never
heard him brag. He is about as different
from Fighting Bob Evans as you could
well imagine, though | don't mean any
disparagement to Evans when | make
this comparison. Both are brave men
and able officers, but they are of exactly
opposite types.
"Unlike Sampson, Dewey is quick
both in speech and movement, but he is
mighty careful to be sure he's right be-
fore he goes ahead, and, like Sampson,
he is man of unusually strong convic-
tiOns on most topics. And there isn't an
officer in the navy that is Jealous of the
promotion of either to the rank of adj
miral.n
Commodore Dewey is unlike Admiral
Sampson in being good deal of sports
man. Dewey likes to shoot game as
well as Spaniards, and fishing is one of
his greatest delights. He is likewise an
enthusiastic horseback rider, and, accord
ing to recently published interview with
his SON. grew TO have such an aflection