The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-23
CUT TO THE QUICK |
ADMIRAL DEWEY SHARPLY RE-
SCENTS PUBLIC MISINTERPRE-
TATION OF HIS ACTS
DOMESTIC PRIVACY INVADED
Believed He Had the Right to Do
as He Pleased With Property Pre-
scented Him-BitterIy Laments-
Having Accepted the Gift "WIth a
String to It"-DisappOinted In the
F1ckIeness of American People.

FickIeneks of American People.
WASHINGTON, Now 22-Admiral
Dewey expresses the keenest regret, in
dignation, sorrow and resentment at the
manner in which the information that he
had decided his home to his wife has been
received by the American people. He said
he never had been so annoyed, and could
not understand how the American public
could so misinterpret and ill-treat him
The language of the Interview is de-
cidedly warm, and no room is left for
guessing at the admiraFs state of mind
He is mad and nurt clear through, and
doesn't care who knows 1t.
He says that If he had known what was
coming, he should have declined the gift
in the first place, and that If it were not
for his country, he could wish that he
had never fought the battle of Manila
bay. The admiral's language Is too direct
and forceful, however, to be paraphrased.
Here are the exact quotations which give
the gist Of the whole interview:
when I made over the house to my
wife, 1 thought I was doing the most
gracious act an American gentleman
could do. I thought the people had given
me the house to dispose of as 1 chose. 1t
seems l was mistaken. I would never
have sold it, nor disposed of 1t in any
manner outside of my own family, but 1
did believe 1 had right to give it to my
wife or son it 1 chose to do so.
at pains me very deeply to feel that l
am compelled to lay open the secrets Of
my domestic life, but in view of the in
suits which 1 have received at the hands
of the writers of letters which have been
published, I feel justified in somewhat
overstepping the bounds of propriety and
saying that Mrs. Dewey understood bet
ter than I did the feeling Of the people
and at first declined to permit the house
to be transferred to her. She did consent
only after an arrangement had been eff
fected whereby not only the house, which
was the gift to me from the American
people, but her entire personal fortune,
was to go ultimately to my son George.
Thus he had absolutely nothing to lose
by my conveying the house to my wife,
but, on the contrary, was a great gamer
thereby.
THE relations between my son and my
sell have always been the most kindly,
and between Mrs Dewey and my son the
most pleasant. She thinks great deal of
him, and he of her, and he was to be her
heir as we'll as mine This arrangement
is not i'll the least affected by the clamor
which has arisen within the last two
days.
II would never have believed it possible
that the American people who lately ap-
plauded me could so suddenly turn upon
me and fill the columns of the newspapers
with the worst sort of abuse. When |
landed in New York L was told that I was
q hero, the idol of the nation. I was told
nothing was too good for me; that any
thing l could ask was mine. 1 asked no
idolatry, no applause; I had merely done
my duty and was ready to do 1t again;
but, did ask one thing, and that was to
be let alone, to conduct my personal and
domestic affairs. as 1 saw fit, and that one
simple privilege has been denied me.
Where l was hero two months ago, 1
am now reduced to such a position that
certain people can't say things too viii
famous or TOO scurrilous about me, and
no one defends me- If 1 was so much of
a hero then, why do not some of these
people defend me now? If I had known
how much trouble, how much abuse, was
to come upon me as the result of accept
ing this house, I would never have taken
it. When l sailed into Manila bay over
dangerous grounds with death and even
worse in front of me, l little thought that
In such a brief period of time after I re-
turned to my native land, the American
attacks upon me because 1 was doing
what l considered to be the most gracious
thing I could do, to present my home to
my bride. l do not intend to arralgn the
entire American people for the acts of a
few, but am hurt; am cut to the quick.
I never have felt so bad in all my life.
I want the American people to know it
want them to know that if 1 could L
would return to the contributors of the
hOnS0 purchased with III |
would never in the world have accepted
1t, If l had known what it would cost me.
IF I should feel tomorrow as 1 feel
today, I would throw up everything, go
on the retired list and go abroad. I hard
ly feel like living in country where l
can be attacked in such an outrageous
manner without being defended by any
one"
FILING OF THE DEEDS.
An interesting feature in connection
with the three Dewey deeds now on file
with the recorder Of deeds was noted this
afternoon The first deed fled that by
which George, Dewey ct al. transferred the
Rhode Island avenue property to John
w. Crawford, although dated Nov. IA, was
not acknowledged by amotatry public I'M
til the 10Th inst. The second deed, by
which Crawford transferred the property
to Mrs. Dewey, and the third deed, re-
corded today, by which George Dewey
and Mrs. Dewey turn over the title to
George D. Dewey, were both, according to
the dates set forth in the papers, acknowl-
edged the 14th inst. In other words, it
would seem that Crawford transferred
said property to Mrs Dewey and the lat
ter in turn to George d. Dewey, two days
before Admiral Dewey transferred the
title to Crawford.