The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-17

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sMr. Dewey said the captain. ex-
citedly, that is a most remarkable bird.
4 He has been ashore only three days
and in that time upon my sacred honor
he has picked up a thorough working
knowledge of the Spanish and Portu-
guese languages.
Dewey a Hero Even Then.
Colonel Jim Morgan, now resident
! Of Washington, was a famous coufed-
! crate leader, and he was one of the
officers who after the loss of the cause
for which they fought so hard, went to
Egypt and enlisted in the service of the
| khedive Said he the other day:
IT'S odd that people didn't know that
4 hero before. We of the old cOnfed-
eracy knew it long ago. Don't you re-
member how the United states steam-s
ship Mississippi was run down by one
of our ships and sunk? Well, Dewey
was a lieutenant on board her. and he
and his gun crew stood by the guns he
had in charge until the vessel was al
most under water. In fact, the water
4 was up to the muzzle of the gun when
4 the last shot was fired. Then, because
it was too late to escape in any other
4 way, the future victor of Manila got
out through q portfolio and swan
for it.
4 why, Dewey was always a hero
continued the colonel. s'In his class at
the naval academy he was always at
the top of everything, except in his
studies. He was a splendid athlete a
boxer and a fencer One thing he hated
like holy water was a bully. Though
far from being quarrelsome himself. he
would hunt a fight with any fellow who
attempted to impose upon his interiors
in physical strength. Any town boy
al,
was sure to fall foul of George Dewey,
and to get a licking, too. I don't think
he was ever beaten in a fight"
1t was at Manila, a day or two before
the famous colloquy between Admiral
Won Diederichs and the British captain
of the cruiser Immortalite, in which the
former asked what attitude the latter
would assume in case trouble arose be-
| tween the Germans and the Americans,
Chichester replying that information on
1 that point could best be obtained from
Dewey. On this occasion Dewey was
dining with Chichester, and over the
nuts and wine they got swapping stor-
les The host expressed his admira-
ton of the confidence of victory exhib-
tied by. the Yankee sailors, and his
guest replied that there might be too
much confidence in ones ability to win
in fight. The Englishman did not
see how that could be, and Dewey pro-
ceeded to illustrate his remark with a
little anecdote. Said he:
Dewey Illustrates Story.
"And old friend of my grandfather's,
up in Vermont, lent some help to his
country's cause in the war of 1872 by
fitting out fine privateer. He took
command of her himself having had
some experience in sailoring, and called
her the New Jerusalem. She was a
smart little barkentine, and mounted
six 12-p6underS and 16-pound pivot
gun forward. In the course of the first
voyage she took two or three prizes of
no great value, and two months or so
elapsed before she got a whack at
something really worth capturing.
1t was in a foggy morning in the
region of the tropics, the wind having
died down to d mere catspaw, that she
sighted the royals and gallant stun
sis of huge merchantmen carrying
the British flag. 1t was a spectacle to
make any piratica1 persons mouth wa
ter. The privateer, being to windward,
crept up to the prey, herself unob-
served in the mist, and presently hove
to within half cables length of her.
'Heave to, or I'll sink you yelled
my grandfather's friend thinking
gloatingly of the silks and laces with
, who knows what other spoil, he was
going to take back to Vermont
There was no reply, and just then
a puff of wind blew away some of the
fog, revealing, instead of a merchant
man, a full-fedged line-of battle ship
with rows of frowning ports.
81 was about to say shouted the
commander of the privateer, that,
, while inviting you to surrender, in case
you don't want to do so, Will
And he did, said Dewey. (which
will serve to illustrate my meaning
when I say that too much confidence
in warfare is not always good thing.
Your very coed health, Chichester.
, A Substitute For Swearing.
There has been a great deal of dis
cussion about the things Dewey said at
. Manila during the naval battle; but
whatever his remarks may have been,
it is safe to assume that they were
forcible ones. Though a quiet man
, under ordinary circumstances, he lets
loose" when there is occasion, and his
flow of "cuss words at such times is
described as lovely" Sailors, how
ever, do not mind such "sea blessings
SO much as they do having language
addressed to them that they do not
understand when they know that it
has an uncomplimentary significance.
Most of all, they dislike to be called
farmers" in irony.
Well, it is related that on a day in