The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-09
U|TH GEN. LEE N HAVANA.
HIS HEADQUARTERS IN A REAL.
TIFuI. COUNTRY HOME.


| Told Of the Pressd~nt's kindness
| ia Him-FitshuKh Lee. Jr.. Rus
! sell Harrfse. aaa Yeanx Sartcris
| fThe Havana correspondent OF the Chicago
Inter Ocean,
| HAVANA. Cuba--Masor General pTsx-
hugh Lee has been fortunate In conang
/ through the war with Spain with the res
| Harkanle popularity with which he EN-.
/ tered II unlmpaired while other notable
| characters Of the war have been severely
| criticised. General Lee. however. who be-
| came = popular hero even before the war
| began, still retains hts hold on the public
| He has had ne opportunity To display the
| courage and dash for which the people
love Rim. but he grew 30 strongly into
/ their ssmpathtes during these troubieus
tine before the war when he STAYED al
most alone In Havana and defied the Span
/ lsh power. that ne is still given the benefit
| of the imagination in tscturisag the daring
deeds he would have done had he found 8
! chance.
/ General Lee, as commander of the Sew
entn army corps, has headquarters al a
hrautifui country residence at Bueaa Wis.,
| iA- about ten miles from Havana. on the
read which skirts the gulf. II Is a typical
| Cuban country house. wide spacious and
| airy, and situated in the middle Of one Of
| the handsomest gardens of tropical plants
| ! have seen in Cuba. The house itself il
| given up entirely To officers General Lee
ana the headquarters stan eating and
| sieeEing In quarters just tack OF IT, The
/ general has his family comfortably in
/ stalled In pleasant house at Quemados,
a few mites away, but he himself like tue
/! good soldier that he Is stays with his men
Sls.;~tk xs,.f In ,.
/ with the headquarters mess After / had
seen how General Lee has tauved upon
! army life, and recalled how substantial a
/ citizen he has become. / was SEINE .yliat
| interested in inspecting the strength af he
/ cot upon which he sleeps. and found TIA;
ne himself had realized he situation and
| had IL doubly braced and STRENGTHENED
/ General Lee was found at work at his
| desk IN small office in the rear of the
general reception room He puts on no
j fuss ana feathers, and il MAS only lseCes-
/ sary 10 present the letters II his secre-
tary 10 secure instant admission and a
! cordial welcome. The general vas dressed
/ in the light brown khaki uniform WITT
/ the double breasted coat butt oneti over =
rosund stomach. General Lee. like Pal.
/ Sheridan. who was built on much the same
i architectural lines. is one of the men who
look best on horseback. His facial ap-
/ pearance is still the same as tina; with
which the public became so familiar dur
: ing those trying days just before the out
/ break ef hostilfies. but his camp service
| at Jacksonville and here have hardened
| his flesh. bronzed his face and siyel, him
| an even stronger aud more determined
! look
still anxious to draw him GU n poll
/ ties. II possible. l told him that on tia.
| way down here l had made t. IL poinS IL
| talk to as many Southern Democrats as
possible. and found them all vary friendly
| 10 President Mckinley. quite Indifferent
about Bryan and anxious to vote for
man named Lee for president. Unless
| am utterly unable to read mans face
| General Lee was pleased by this bu. he
merely said that as far as ne was ctAr-
cerned he didn't think the hing -ou,i
| ever work out He then talked very kindly
about the way President Mckinley had
! treated him, and said he certainly appre-
| cisted it very much HIS appointment as
! major general had been made without ai.y
suggestion or request on MS part, during
the service he had repeatedly favored him
and bad kept his command the seventh
army corps. intact for him, while all the
| other army corps had been broken up and
sent here aud there. To further Illustrate
| this Kindness he related me foIllow.,g in
ciient:
Before We came To Havana / was sum-
moned to Washington for a conference
with the president. ana was instructed TO
bring one aide-de camp AS the other
two were busy. told my son. E1tzhuzh
Lee. Js. to pack up and go along When
he reached Washington he asked Sccre-
tary Alger II he might go along II the
White House and see President Mckfn-
ley. whom he had never met, saying that
he would leave as soon as he had shaken
hands with him. The president received
us In his room. and after ny bov mad
been introduced and said a few WORDS. he
excused himself and started out The
president watched him and said: Lee.
that is a trim-huilt good looking young
fellow OF course, | couldn't DENY &:
and he went on. putting his hand on my
shoulder. Lee, I have been wanting 10 do
something for you and will give that
boy an appointment In the regular army
II you say so Now. II happened that I
had other plans Tor the boy. and all this
being entirely unexpected. / hesitated for
81 moment. Secretary Alger said: What
are YOU hesitsting a5ouf2 II he doesn't
like II be can resign This decided me-.
ard told the president he was very Kind
and I would accept fer the coy"
We evineed so much interest In this
story. characferisticaNy told BY General
Lee, that he called his orderly and sent
hin out for Lieutenant LIE | produced a
| letter 10 Major Russell Harrison. sen Of
/ ex President Harrison, aud another or
| DERBY was dispatched for him. In a fe,g
| minutes young Lee came IN. a slender
well-3uiit good-lookus young fellow. fui-
| " instifying the presidents confidence and
| his fathers pride. His father said In in
| Producing uS: 'Fftz. here are some people
| who understand you are a great friend If
| the president. ana want 70 get your in
| nuence.''
| JUST then Msjor Harrison came in He
/ = . short sturdy young man. growing
| bald. With his fathers icok about his eyes
| lie has seen sometimes criticised as
| 'rsps tos, bar whatever mistakes he
| may have made Ia the past Ae is doing
| good work ia his present trying position.
| 9hich involves police control of alt the
| soldiers and others IL the camp General
| Lee says he works early and late and is
| not afraid 81 anything q quality which
/ evidently appeals - him. Major uarrE-
| son seems To bss enjoying hts work and
/ Is certainly thriving on T. be being the
/ onlx onc on The headquarters staff who
! has pot host day on account or sickness
/ As ee sat chatting something was said