Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
NEW DEWEY STORY.
The Famous Admiral Nearly Started
Another War With Mexico.

From the New York Tribune.
Lieutenant r. Winslow, U. g. N, retired
cousin of the famous commander of the
Kearsarge, is at Albemarle, and yesterday
he told Tribune reporter a new story
about Admiral George Dewey.
"In May, 1876, Admiral Dewey was COM
mander of the old Narragansett," said
Lieut.. Winsiow, land he was detailed to
surveying the Gulf of California and the
shores Of the coast Of the peninsula. 1t was
not long after the Virginius affair at Santa
go, 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 and some En-
glishmen who owned the mine were pris-
oners in their mining shanties, forty miles
back of La PaZ, in the mountains. The
American had resented 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 to
barricade themselves. This siege had been
on for several days when We dropped an
Choir.
AS soon as Commander Dewey heard OF
it he was very much interested. The next
day ne sent messenger to the MeXical COL
onel in La Paz, who had a garrison of COG
soldiers there, asking him what he was &C.
ing to do to give the American a trial be-
fore he was shot.
oh, he got into the troubIe-let him ret
out said the Mexican.,
Commander Dewey didn't like this reply,
and the more he thought about it the an
grier he got. The next forenoon he sent
note to the Mexican colonel telling him that
an American citizens life was in danger
and that the man was entitled to fair
trial. He told the colonel that he would al
" II h<,t 60 =,
American and protect the Englishmen If
at the end of that time relief was not on
Its way to the little mining party he would
lombard La Paz and burn it.
when we heard what Dewey had done
We were all frightened.,
other. ,.
LAS for myself 1 was, soon satisfied that
he meant every word Of it. I was in COM
mand of the guns. We had only two old
howttzers on the Narragansett, the larger
guns having beenI left temporarily at the
Mare Island navy yard
: Get those howitzers ready for tomor-
row morning and inspect all the small
arms and ammunition said Dewey to me-
Then he called the men to quarters and
estimated that of the crew Of about 12O we
could land ninety able, armed men as a
force We drilled the men all
that afternoon and far into the night. That
night, on Commander Dewey's order, we
steamed to a point commanding the prin-
cipal streets of La Paz and trained the
howitzers on the town. By next morning
we were all ready to begin a second war
against Mexico.
AT daybreak Mexican corporal came on
board with message from his colonel say
ing that the Narragansett comma nders
would be complied with. Early that
morning we watched 800 armed Mex
lean soldiers start for the mining camp,
and we kept the old howitzers trained on
La Paz till the soldiers returned with the
American engineer. When Dewey reported
to Washington on the matter he minimized
the Importance of it, and 1t was passed
over as a mere incident. Lieutenants Har-
rts and Wright were on the Narragansett
then, and Harris, at least, was with the
1eet at Manila. 1t is somewhat singular
hat at that time, when we were expecting
4 declaration of war against Spain on ac-
count of the Virginius affair, Commander
Dewey had his plans all made to sail the
NarraganSett to Manila