The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-09
SOCIAL LIONS.
Are the CROUCH Riders" of
Roosevelt at Tampa.
Roosevelt Hates the Term of
CROUCH Riders,"
BUT 1T WILL STICK.
He Would Rather Have Them
Called Mounted Rifiemen.
They Are Inspected by General
Miles on Arrival.

| tents, which are low, rakish pyramids
| of canvas, four feet high and six feet
! wide, the picturesque gentlemen of var
! 1ous pursuits, who have been gathered
| by Colonel Wood and Lieutenant Col
| onel Roosevelt to fight the Spaniards
| are enjoying their first real rest.
| The Rough Riders as the regular
army folks have dubbed them, have
| struck Tampa. A boisterous, rough
| looking lot they are, to be sure, with
! lots of Drawn in their athletic bodies
| and boards week old their faces ;
| a strange mixture of college men, so
ciety daWdlers, cowboys, half breeds
! and full blooded Indians, all hard as
| nails, brought to a tawny hue and i'm
| patient to use their macheteS and car
| bines.
Their brown canvas uniforms have
| been the most conspicuous in Tampa
! today, and the individual members are
| more cOurted than the dozen generals
! and other famous folk about Tampa,
| waiting the word to take up the line
| of march for the transports which are
| to take them to Cuba.
| The friends and rela of the ''Ruf-
fans" who, by the way, resent the
! designation, can be assured that they
! are all in excellent health and fine
spirits. Hungry for a good. square
meal of dainties, they are but delight
| ed by the strong discipline of army
life, and, on the whole, are happy and
contented. Lieutenant Colonel ROOse-
| Welt is justly pleased with his men,
| and predicts a brilliant career for them
/ in Cuba or Puerto Rico, to which ever
| point they may be sent.
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt found
waiting him here a score of ambitious
young men, some from New York,
others from Boston and two or three
from Philadelphia They were all &C
cepted in the companies.
General Miles drove through their
camp yesterday and was given a rous-
| mo NH II cd priv l.
| lie Tiffany hauling wood: young Bert
| Mcmillan, son of ex-Park Commissioner
Sam Mcmillan, cooking coffee; Wood
bury Kane grooming his horse, and a
lot of others whom he has met at dim
ners and aristocratic social events, per-
forming all sorts of camp duties. None
of them dared speak to him as he can
tered past on his gray charger, but he
showed his recognition by a grim smile
of encouragement.
They are a hardy lot of men," was
| his comment.
The men had a hard Quincy from
San Antonio. but got through without
trouble. Shortly after leaving New Or
leans shot was fired at the train The
bullet passed between two soldiers of
troop E, cutting the coat collar of one,
but not doing any further damage. Be
yond this and the occasional seizure"
of razor backs" poultry and other
country produce, the journey was I'M
eventful
Corporal Stuyvesant Fish earned his
first laurels by smashing a private's
nose, according to orders, and as one
of the college boys said today, he did
it to the Quane's taste"
One of the privates was a little hi
lariouS and grew so noisy that he an
noyed Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt
Turning to Fish, who sat in his car, he
said: Fish, go in there and smash that
fellows nose. He is too fresh for this
regiment"
Corporal Fish arose promptly, saluted
cir
car. Finding his man he administered
the punishment. He reported back
that he had finished the job. The lieu
tenant colonel smiled. Later, in telling
the story to another officer, Colonel
Roosevelt said, with a chuckle: The
boys tell me that Fish did good job
on that man. Corporal Fish has been
named '.Teddy's executioner.
This is a freak regiment" said one
of the captains, a bright young man
from the Indian Territory. 1T contains
millionaires, owners of ranches, over
seers, cowboys, cow thieves with
laugh) miners, doctors, merchants,
dentists, lawyers, and about everything
you can think of, including watch
thieves, as L found out at San Antonio,
where my watch was nabbed from my
blouse They are good men, and Will
make a reputation when licked into
shape They're all good horsemen, can
take care of themselves, are good
shots and are beginning to take a little
discipline"
In companies L and M there are
many Indians, some full-bloods, but
most of them half-breeds. One tough is
a fuIl-blood, named Jones. He is holy
terror" when drunk, as his captain
says, and is hard to bring under dis
cipline. When placed on guard he
stays there as long as it suits him and
then wanders off. He takes his medi-
cine like a little man, but it does not
have any effect. Since he enlisted, it
has been ascertained that he has
penitentiary record in New Mexico, and
the officers say steps are being taken
to get him out.
I'VE don't want such men, said
CAPTAIN Bruce. I'VE have a fine lot
of men, taking it all through, and we
propose keeping up the standard"
The men all speak in the highest
terms of Colonel Wood and Lieutenant
with them to command they can lick
the entire Spanish army.
There are a number of Harvard and
Yale men in the regiment who are do
ing the drudgery of camp work with
the same compOSure that they devoted
to intricate equations and philosophy.
The Harvard men are D. S. Dean of
81; Guy Murchie, the famousss half
mile sprinter, '96; Stanley HOLSTER and
William Saunder, '97; Charles Bull,
there are Locket. Coleman, Williams,
Scudder and Ogden Wells; Sumner
Girard, of Harvard law school, and
Garrison, the regimental bugler, from
Yale. They make merry lot Of fell
lows, being of athletic build, strong and
full of life. Their comrades make much
of them.
The mascot of the Rough Riders is a
haIf-grown mountain lion from Pres
cott Arizona 1t has stood the heat
so far, but is in rather bad humor most
of the time.
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt is net