The times., 1898-02-20
BRAVE BILL ANTHONY.
Soldierly Qualities of the Maine's
Marine Orderly.


Brave ''Bill' Anthony, marine orderly
of the Inflated battleship Maine, has
record to be proud of.
That he stood on the deck of the sink
ing warship as cool when on dress
parade surprises none of Uncle Sans
| boys who knows him.
over in the marine barracks at the
| Brooklyn navy yard crowds of blue
coated sailors-a newspaper in the center
! of each group-listened 10 the story of
| Anthonys valor.
How amid the shrieks Of wounded
sailors and the rush of flames. with the
great steel shin settling to her grave
| and the dead lying thick upon her shat
tered decks, brave Anthony made his re-
port to Capt Sigsbee.
| That report-the essence of courage and
discipline-should live in American his
| tory.
Sir" said the gallant orderly. stand
| ing at salute, IL have 10 inform YOU that
the ship has been blown up and is sink
ing"
-BilI' Anthony has carried a rifle in
Uncle Sans service since he was seven
teen years old. His father was a boss
truekman In New York In the old days
when Fifty-ninth street was out in the
suburbs. and .'Bill'' was born within
stones throw of the Battery. He is
natural born soldier six feet two inches
tall, broad-shouldered. narrow-hipped,
slender-limbed and stout-hearted.
The family moved to New Jersey just
about the time Bill completed rather
turbulent career in the public schools, and
one morning he vanished. The next heard
from him was that he had enlisted in the
army. Bill would drink. not often to
excess, but invariably just al the wrong
time. when his commanding officers-fa-
vorite though he was-could not wink at
the offense.
His last army service was at West
Point, where he figured TO the admiration
of cadets and everybody else as drum
major. --Bills" splendid figure and pro-
found knowledge of soldiery won him this
appointment.
Ten years ago he left the army and en-
listed as a marine. i was the old story
over again-rapid advancements, follow
ed by the inevitable setbacks all due TO
unwise conviyiality. Not that Bill ever
transgressed while on duty-for a firmer
diScplinarian never wore a marine uni
form. At the Brooklyn navy yard Anthony
is well known and well liked. He was
stationed there for TWO years, and during
the greater part of that time served as
clerk in the recruiting office.
They gave him the position on account
of his unerring judgment in the selection
~
cally up TO the mark ever succeeded in
running the gauntlet of Anthony's in
spection. But he lost the clerkship and a
singular story is afioat as to the cause
of it.
Anthony was intensely American. One
of the tenets of his faith was that none
but native-born citizens should don the
United States uniform. So when it was
discovered that Anthony had put his
views into active operation. and that lusty
foreign-born recruits We're being barred
out, brave -'BilI' was returned to the
ranks.
One incident in his soidierly career il |
lustrates his love of discipline in strik- |
ing fashion. During all the years of his |
service Anthony had been unable to re- |
visit his home. His father died and the |
mother was cared for by two nieces in |
a little Jersey village near Newark.
Anthony regularly forwarded part |
Of each months pay the venerable |
woman. and sent her a soldiers brief let |
ter now and again, but seventeen years |
passed without "A meeting.
One day Anthony, OH sentry duty at the |
Brooklyn navy yard. suddenly stood face |
to face with an old lady. She looked up /
into his clear gray eyes, as If struggling |
to remember. Then in voice that trem
bled asked:
do you know my son William-Will- |
lam Anthony, sir? They told me he was
here.
1t was his mother-the woman he loved /
with all his soldier heart and saw there>1
for the first time in seventeen years-but |
he was on guard.
He longed to throw away the rifle and
to clasp the withered hands held out to-
ward him. But the soldier in him tri-
umphed.
God bless you. mother-I'm your boy
he cried but don't kiss me now--Im on
guard.
So the old lady went away to the bar
racks to wait while Anthony tramped his
post without a murmur until the facts
reached the officer of the day.
Then the unbending sentry was relieved
and there was such meeting between
mother and son as the old barracks never
saw before.
Anthony was detailed to the Brooklyn |
on her cruise in the China seas. Upon
his return he was sent to the Maine.
where his soldierly merit won him the
post of marine orderly.