Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-21
| N. E. Corner
| 9th and nain.
ScHLEY'S POPULARITY.
He's an 'sEnIisted Mans Oficer' and
That's the Secret-StOries of
HIS kindliness.
From the Washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
When Commodore Schiey gave orders to
the Brooklyn's officer of the deck. at the
beginning of the tight with Cervera's fleet.
that the men down below in the engine and
fire rooms should be kept informed OF the
progress of the battle, he did an em!nentiy
Schley-hke thing. Schley has the reputa-
ticn of being a generous, big hearted man
Whole American navy-an enlisted mans
officer" they call tim-and he has earned
the reputation from his MILDLY days: The
o.d-timers tell many a story illustrative OF
Schleys kindness as a SLIP commander.
One of these stories rsverts TO the period
when Schley was the skipper of one of the
One beautiful. nalmy Christmas morning
Sch!eys ship pulled into the harbor OF VII
lefrancne. The ship had been steadily
curse. % the MEN had had no shore liberty.
So when the mudhook was dropped in Vii
lslranche harbcr the gangWLy bo' sun S
deck, passed the word ,hat ali hands for,
ward who We're entitled to liberty could
put their names dcwE with the ship $
writer for a day ashore. The good-couduct
word. and they rushed to the ships
writer's desk 70 get their names down;
entitled TO hit the beach" as the sailors
! call gCiEg ashore on liberty. But there
| were about seventy-five of the biuetackets
whose names were on the bad-conduct list.
that is. sentenced to remain aboard ship
! for varying periods ranging from ten days
up to three months. The offenses OF the
requiring discipline, none of them having
done anything serious. Some OF the very
best men in the ships company were,
therefore, booked 10 remain aboard ship
Oh this suns:,iny Christmas day. while
they watched their haapy shipmates. done
over o RI the se side fora merry whirl ashore.
The mea ready TO so on liberty were
! mustered in patches on the quarter-deck,
and away they w vent IN IN h9atloaas; nnsnns .;Is
pended by strings beneath their mastering
shirts. The quarantined men, looking dis,
| NAL and down In the mouth, stood ;i,s GROUND ne
, watching the departure of their more for
| tunate shipmates. When the last cutter
load OF iiberty,hound men ;,l nad showed ,i, OF,
! Of his cabin door ana stepped up the poop
| ladder for his morning constitutional. He
| strolied up and down with his hands be- .,
! hind rim, occasionally glancing in the III.
| rection OF the departing steam cutter, filled
with shore-rnakiag btuejackets from his
! ship. Then Schley began to size up the
| disconsolate looking groups OF quaranttned
men sioUching around on the spar deck ui
| for'ard Of the main stick: He looked al
! them out of the corner of his eye for a
| while, and then ne stepped down the ladder
! and came forward.
You boys hop into your mastering
clothes said seh!ey and wi when the the steam S.s I'm
and enjoy yourselves. I'll give orders to
the paymaster to let you have whatever
! part OF your withheld pay you'll need for q
| day ashore
| The happy men set up a cheer when
| Schiey started aft. He wheeled and re-
turned to the main stick. =.
! afterthought, come back right this time
you fellows: Act like American sailors
| and there'ii be no need OF quarantining yoU
| any more. 1 don't want man OF you tc
| have to he whipped aboard in bo'sun,,s
chair when he comes off to the ship this
| time"
! they had left it off. and there wasn't a
man in that quarantined gang that WASN'T
late on Christmas night. American blue
jackets put on their honor by a kindly COM
mander never break their parole.
| tom of asking the skipper to "whitewast
| the books on New Years morning. Sew
eral dozen of the quarantined men. whose
duct lists for trivial offenses. would as.
| semble at the mast and ask to have ar
| interview with the commanding officer
| of his cabin and walked: forward TO the mas
| the leader Of the bluejackets would steI
out OF the gang and quietly hand the com
| wash and big whitewash brush stickns
in it. This pantomime meant that tht
auarantined men asked the skipper, t.
the names off the bad conduct lists. there
by giving all hands chance to begin TIM
| New Year right. II the skipper took thu
| bucket from the hands of the bllejacke
| they would set up a cheer. for they knew
| that the commanding officers acceptance
| of the bucket meant that he would acceds
| to their pantcmiraic request. But If th'
| skipper shook his head and declined to re
| ceive the bucket. the men would quietly
disperse. always looking cheap. but no
| making any criticisms.
Schiey never turned down a gang o.
quarantine6 bluejaokets who presented hin
with a New Year gift of a bucket of white
| wash. He invariably 'whitewashed thu
| books" for the men. His ship was lying
| in the harbor of Montevideo one New Yea
morning. and the gang with the white
| wash buckle. was unusually large. Some o.
the men in the gang before the skipper haS
orly been auarantined for three or fou
DAYS. When the second-ciass gunner:
mate handed the bucket to Schley. he tool
it, smiling reflectively.
| THE surgeon" said he. turning to IN
| executive officer, was talking TO me tn
other day about giving the men forward
some sort Of a tonic while we cruise II
these low ATTITUDES. Well: the lads ma!
need a tonic. but I'm quite certain ina
none of them needs any nerve food: A.,
The books we're whitewashed, all tn
same.
Old Foggy-"I am pained to hear tha
that last night you lost S2a Young FOG!
to ma NAV the the game. Old Fosy-"so an
| s.<s..,ad Nv tho marty who won the mon