Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-07-26

NEW DEWEY STORY.
the Faoeus AdmiPal Nearly Started
Another War with Mexico.

NEW DEWEY STORY.
the Fanous AdmiPal Nearly Started
Another War with Mexico.
TN May. 1875, Admiral Dewey waS
commander Of the old Narragansett," :"
said Lieutenant winslow, ''and he was
detailed to surveying the Gulf Of Cali
fornia and the shores of the coast Of
Ehe peninsula. 1t was not long after
the virginius affair at Santiago. and
the feeling toward the Mexicans and
Cubans was none too cordial. The
Narragansett reached La Paz, near the
southern end of the peninsula. and We
no sooner got ashore than we heard
that an American mining engineer a2d
some Englishmen who owned the mine
were prisoners in their mining shan
hes. forty miles back Of La Paz. in
the mountains. The American had re-
sented an insult, a quarrel followed.
and the American killed two Mexicans.
The friends Of the latter swore they'd
kill the Yankee and the Englishmen.
too, and the latter were soon obliged
10 U0XElCa9h6 tueHSCAVCo. AAO oAO6C
had been on for several days when we
dropped anchor.
"As soon as Commander Dewey
aeard Of 1t he was very much inter
ested. The next day he sent a mes
Senger to the Mexican colonel in La
Pas, who had a garrison Of 600 SOL
diers there. asking him what he was
going to do to give the American a
trial before he was shot.
"'Oh. he got into the trouble-let him
get OUT said the Mexican.
Commander Dewey didn't like thi,
,oply, and the more he thought about
It the angrier he got. The next fore
colonel telling him that an American
citizens life was in danger. and that
the man was entitled to a fair trial.
He told the colonel that he would al.
low him just twenty-four hours to res
cue the American and protect the En-
glishmen. II at the end Of that time
relief was Eot on its way to the little
mining party he would lombard La
Paz and burn it
when we heard what Dewey had
lone We were all frightened.
"'Does he mean itT We asked one
another.
"As for myself, vas soon satisfied
that he meant every word Of 1t. l was
In command Of the guns. We had only
two old howitzers on the Narragansett
the larger guns having been left tenn
porarily at the Mare Island navy yard
"'Get those howitzers ready for to
morrow morning and inspect all the
small arms and ammunition. said
Dewey to me. Then he called the mcI
to quarters and estimated that Of thu
crew Of about 40 We could land ninety
able, armed men as a storming force
We drilled the men all that Afternoon
and far into the night That night. ol
Commander Dewey's order, We steam
ed to q point commanding the princl
pal streets o: La Pas and trained tn
howitzers on the town. By next morn
ing We were all ready to begin q sec
snd war against Mexico.
at aaybeoaka Nexie4n 61gDes7 4
came ON board with . message from
his colonel saying that the Narragan
sett commanders request would b
compiled with. Early that morning.
we watched 300 armed Mexican sol
diers start for the mining camp. ant
We kept the old howitzers trained OIL
La Paz till the soldiers returned witt
the American engineer. When Dewe.
reported to Washington on the matte
he minimized the Importance Of 1t, an,
L was passed over as q mere incident
Lieutenants Harris and Wright wer
on the Narragansett then. and Harris
at least, was with the feet at Manila
1t is somewhat singular that Mt tina
time, when we were expecting a dec
laration Of war against Spain on &C
count Of the Virginius affair. Com
mander Dewey had his plans all mad
to sail the Narragansett to Manila
| New York Tribune.