The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1898-06-23
.eFIcnr1xe non,
Characteristics Of the FAnUu
American Naval CeAAanler.

Vnofoctef1ot1eS Of the rAAOuD
American Naval Cennander.
II you want to make Evans angry a.
dress him as Fighting Bob" He vin
answer to the name right away by knock-
ing you down. Probably nothing in hts
! life has ever annoyed him SO much a.
that epithet, which some thoukhtless
newspaper applied to him originally after
certain little episode at Valparaiso.
where he vindicated the quality Of Ameri-
can manhood In striking way that has
been Well remembered.
This memorable incident, half humor-
Gus and half tragic. has been Garbled
to q considerable extent in the various ac-
counts OF Il printed. The facts, simply
stated. We are assured by tho New York
World. are that he was in command of
the y. 8. 8. Yorktown at Valparaiso at
q rather exciting period, and some Chill
cans on shore. having an Unborn hatred
!; for Yankees anyhow. took q notion to
be tmpudent to the sailors Of the York
town.
Capt. Evans had occasion to send a boat
ashore. and the Chileans would not permit
the men to land. Evans then sent q
steam launch. with q 1-pounder gun in
the Dow. and gave notice that II he was
interfered with he would make hell
smell Of garlic" 1t Is hardly necessary to
say that the trouble ended night there
A good many people have acquired the
notion that Evans is a loud and a bullying
person. At the beginning of the present
connect ne was quoted as saying that he
would make Spanish the prevailing Ian
Suage in Hades. Far from answering to
such description as this implies, he 10
q very quiet and unassuminS man not in
the least given to bTster
AT the same time he is unQuestionably
fighter by instinct. in the good sense
OF the term Anybody who attempts to
fn-T,nSQ TN
to suffer for the indiscreticn. He ia =
man OF strong prejudices and passions
ard he never makes any disguise about
his opinions. Throughout his career he
mas been down on the red tape Of the
navy and has fought it's privileges ana
claims tooth and toe nail
Just before he was appointed 10 thu
command Of the Iowa. il CHANGED that he
went into jewellers shop on Broadway
and entered into conversation With a
clerk behind the counter. The man was a
German and had no notion Of the iden-
tity OF his customer. but had some ideas
to express about the expected war with
Spain. Said he:
Ply chiminy. hat a boy in the navyy"
Indeed said Capt. Evans politely,
What ship is he on?''
Hes on the Iowa. Ply Ch;miny,'' re-
piled the clerk. Hes goins down to
Cuba with Bob Fighter
POSSESSING
remarkable executive ability. No COM
mander In the navy is more beloved by
his men. though they are Just a bit
afraid Of him. too. AS to work he is
very exacting, but when work is over he
gives his men all the play they want.
Though strict. he Is TO martinez In
short, on shipboard he is Just as good q
fellow as he is on land.
Generous to a fault. he is one of the
most Open-hearted of men, and socially
inclined in Q high degree. He belongs to
good many clubs in various cities. in
GLIDING the University club In New York.
1t is said that he is an excellent judge Of
wine. though he has always been an alb
Stemious man. and during the last three
years he has not drank drop.
Fighting Bob is about feet 10 inches
in heighth. sturdily built. and weighs
$50 pounds. He parts his hair in the
middle. and his face Is clean shaved and
round, like full moon. Occasionally he
has been mistaken for an actor.
Anybody would call him n good looking
man. though not exactly handsome; ono
would Judge him to be younger than he
really is. His eyes are blue and his hair
is brown; his dress is always modest.
Now and then he uses n little profanity
when stirred up.
Evans has a bad limp: he walks with !.
one knee bent. The damage was done
during the attack on Fort Fisher. thirty
five years ago. On that occasion he was
shot in the knee and fell on the sand.
A comrade named HOban Sands. who n
now commander of the cruiser Columbia,
came to his rescue and piled up an en-
bankment of sand in front OF MIN to pro-
tect him against more bullets
Evans is one of the best practical sea-
men in the navy. He has a thorough
of the art of sailing a boat.
and when in command of the old frigate
Saratoga he Unanswered her in way
that astonished the nero hant sailors. It
is said that no Jack Tar in the service
can tie so many different kinds of knots.
Capt. Evans is the son OF DR.. Evans
Of Virginia, who was a well known man
in his day. He was a rough and tumble
sort of boy. Born near Christiansburg.
he was named Robley Dun2iison. after
the man who edited the famous diction-
airy of medicine.
He has three children. one of them.
Taylor. is an ensign in the navy, and
S now on board of the battieship Massa-
,husetts, having been graduated from
the naval academy at Annapolis ahead
Of time, owing to the outbreak of war.
Oddly enough, the same thing happened
10 the father.
The other two children are daughters,
md their names are Charlotte and Vir-
yinia. One of the daughters is single,
md the other is the wife of Lieut.. Charles
Marsh. now on the cruiser New York.
Both Of the young women are now at
Hampton Roads, Va, learning to be war
nurses.
Capt. Evans wife is sister OF Capt.
Harry Taylor. of the battleship Indiana.
.ow with Admiral Sampson. 1t is
lighting family, you see. She was
laughter of Frank Taylor. who many
ears ago kept the biggest book store in
" Washington. on Pennsylvania avenue.
The old man was no: an ordinary book
hop keeper. however. but was a littera-
eur. and famous for his learning.
Into Fighting Bob's" life came his ro-
nance after he was wounded at Fort
fisher. When he was slowly recovering
lie met the pretty daughter OF Capt. Tay- ,
or at that officers home. He had none
II the graCes of the ball room with which
o WOO his sweetheart. for his poor.
wounded limb prevented that. But he
Won her by the manlier arts OF the SOL
Ter. by the simple tales of the battles he
ad fought.
When Bob Evans was secretary of the
Clubhouse board he got permission to put
p a residence on the lighthouse reserva-
ion at Old Point Comfort. This reserva-
ion was the property of the war depart
ne nj from which the treasury obtained