Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-10-06
STORIES OF SCHLEY .
INCIDENTS WHICH REVEAL THE MANS
GOOD CHAR ACTSR.

He Is Born Fighter of Southern stock
But He Stood by the Flag When 1t Came
to the Parting of the Ways in 1S61-His
First Brief Command of Ship.
Il do not send my men where will
not go myself"
1t was Commodore Winfield Scott
Schley who said this. He was then
commander Of the New York and stood
on the forward bridge of his ship, out
ward bound from one of the ports of
the Atlantic seaboard. Ten minutes
before a badly frightened man had run
up to him, calling out:
Captain, the forward port magazine
is on fire.
Then shut your mouth" said the
captain. The man, thus recalled to
his senses, touched his cap and re-
lapsed into silence, while his COM
mander quietly ordered fire drill, and
moment later commanded the flood
ing of the magazine. Both orders,
part of the daily routine on every
American warship, were promptly car
ried out, but it was not until all dan
ger was past that the officers and men
obtained knowledge of the true state
of affairs. When they did find out
they realized that their captain had
been standing all the time just over
the magazine, and one of the officers
begged him to come down from the
bridge and let him take his place. 1t
was then that the captain made the
remark quoted above. His course in
front of Santiago later proves that he
is always as good as his word.
The story of Commander Schley is
the story of man who did, and one
good for patriot ears. In one of the
closing days of April, 1861, the sloop
of war Niagara. returning from long
foreign cruise, sighted Minsto Ledge
light off Boston Harbor. Half an hour
later a pilot came aboard, and making
his way to the quarter deck, saluted
the commander, Capt Mexican, who
put the usual query:
well, pilot, what's the news?"
"Sumter's been fired on" was the
reply, "and the United States has gone
to-
Slowly the listening officers fell back
and instinctively made two groups
the North and South, but the captain,
with steady voice said:
''Mr. Pilot put us into Boston as soon
as you can
Then lifting his hat he added:
THE flags servants and yours, gen.
tlemen," and went to his cabin. Late
that night the anchor chains hurting
through the hawser holes chanted
Home Again" Early next morning
all the officers were called together and
Capt. Mexican said:
Gentlemen We have come to the
parting of the ways. Some of us will
never meet again, and some of us will
die in doing what we believe is right.
The government has educated. fed and
clothed us and we have sworn to stand
by it, but no oath can bind man
beyond the strength of his conscience
and changed conditions make changed
men. On that table | have written out
the old oath of allegiance and signed
Il. For my part, they buried him
years ago in an admiral's uniform-"I
stand by the flag. Let each one of you
go to his cabin and think it over; then
let him come back here and sign below
me or-let him go his way
SO saying, he went on deck, while
one by one the officers came back I'M
til nine names stood under that of their
commander; the rest were going the
other way. At the end of an hour the
captain returned to his cabin and took
the paper in his hand. AS he did so,
he looked up and saw before him tall,
young midshipman from Maryland.
DO you sign, WINNER" asked the
old man with a pepceptible tremor in
his voice.
AYE, aye, sir. Same flag and same
Uncle Sam in Massachusetts as in
Maryland, you know"
God bless you, boy. Your father
and l fought side by side, as lads in
the war of 1872, and while there are
some Of us who are going away,
prayed God your fathers son would
stick to us.
Commodore Schley had been five
years in the navy wheh he took this
resolution to stand by the flag-a reso-
luton which saved to the service as
alert, dashing and accomplished an Of
ficer as ever reached flag rank. Born
near Frederick, Md, in 1899, he came
from a line Of sailors, his father hav-
ing achieved distinction as naval Of
ficer in the war with Mexico. Appoint
ed acting midshipman in 1856, he was
graduated at the naval academy in
1860, and made his first cruise on the
Niagara. He was promoted to be mas
ter in May. 1861, and went with the
Niagara to the blockade of Charleston
whence being already thorough sea
man, he was sent by Capt Mexican as
master of the first prize taken by the
navy in the war between the states
1t was British cotton ship, the Gener-
al Parkhill.
On July Is. 1862, Commodore Schley
received his commission as lieutenant