The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-21
PROUD OF GENERAL WOOD.
His Old Friends Commend Him Very
Highly.
Now York World


General Leonard Wood, the first colo
mel of the rough riders, now governor
of Santiago, Cuba, is the Oldest son OF
the late DR.. C. j. Wood of Wenaumet,
Cape Cod, Mass. His aged mother said
to him recently: The boy never gave
me any trouble, and the man is d great
| comfort. to me. No, 1 can't say there
was anything remarkable about his
boyhood. He always was thoughtful
boy and always busy about something
a great reader of all sorts OF books,
novels included, and never sick.
When his father died he went to
Harvard medical college. He always
said from the start that he was going
| to be a sailor or a doctor, and he is
very fond of the water. When he grad
! uated ne practised year or so in Bos-
ton and then got an appointment in the
| army (his father was a surgeon in the
| civil war, you know and went west.
| There he was in the Indian wars
| (Sioux-Apache). He went very much
among the Indians in peace, as a sur
| geon and always said he was never
afraid of them-he could trust them
He was with General Lawton when he
| followed Chief Geronimo and was one
of the few that held through until the
capture. He said that the heat of the
| march was so great that in the canyons
| they stripped to their underclothes, and
| so moved on
Yes, / knew Len Wood when we
We're boys together at the old Beach
school house years ago. said a broad
shouldered carpenter. "A fine fellow
top and bottom, minded his own bust
ness and played all the games like the
rest of the boys; light hair, blue eyes,
l toll e-lix .-f-
boys liked him. He and l had a scrap
once, just before school began; some
boys nonsense, / suppose, and we tum-'
bled over the benches and he got a sore
nose. {? l forgot what l got; nothing
p'r'aps. But at recess, as the boys
We're going in to school, he before me,
Len, as he got inside the door, turned
back quick and gave me a big kick.
L haven't forgot that kick yet. But
we made it all up and there was the
end ont
What sort of a scholar was hep
'Oh, there he was way up; nobody
could touch him on books; tip-top, al
ways had his lessons. A nice fellow was
Len Wood"
Another schoolmate was interviewed
Len Wood? Yes. The same square
much and kept TO himself. Seemed to
be doing a pile of thinking and ready
to take a hand with the other boys,
but didn't catch on with the girls very
much. Minded his own business very
much, you see; but he wouldn't stand
much fooling; nobody could monkey
with him.
LAS to his books? Tip-top every time
Always said he was going to be a doc
tor, and doctor he was, sure enough
when he growed up and went to Bos-
ton.
''Arter he had gone years away was
workin' in Nagee's foundry. Chelsea.
One day in Boston a Teller slapped me
on the shoulder with How are you.
Nate?' and there was Len Wood, as
sure as you're livin'. He was wearing
a full beard.
What you got that beard on for?'
SEE I.
Well Nate seq he, I've got my
single out for a doctor. but it's
mighty slow work gettin' practice;
they think I'm too young for a saw
bones. and so I've raised this ere
beard
You see, Len always got there when
he set out for something. Then he
moved away and I never heard of him
az in until he turned up down in them
Spanish islands with the rest of the
boys.
Il hearn tell his father used to give
out to the neighbors: My boy Len.
there. I shan't see it-you may-but
somebody will hear from him when he
grows up, for sartin.' You see, Len
was always ridin' round with his
A clean boy was Len