Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-20
Telephones 61s-694.

OF foes and his pursuit and capture of Geron-
imo, the famous Apache chieftain, has gone
down to history as one of the most remark
able campaigns ever undertaken with the
small force in hand General Miles picked
out Lawton to lead the chase after the In
dian chief and for three months, day and
night without q pause, through all sorts of
Vcissltudesn of weather and personal suf-
fering, Lawton hung on the trail like a
Bloodhound until the game was run to earth
and for the first time in quarter OF CEN
tury southeastern Arizona was pacified, y
Secretary Root and the president tonight
each expressed his profound grief at the
confirmation of the report of the death of
the gallant general.
sketch of His Career.
Henry w. Lawton was born in Ohio fifty
seven years ago. He was a country boy and
got only common school education-not
anyatoo much of it. 1t is to be doubted if he
would have learned great deal If kept
steadily at college until he attained his
majority. Emphatically he was not book
man. Studying the prpted page was to
him always a task and never a pleasure
Men we're his bcoksmen and happenings
His folk were plain farmer folk. From them
he derived his length and size of bone
The tremendous muscles, the tireless en-
durance which have marked him in later
life had the beginaing of their development
in the open air of the fields Of his boyhood
1t was said of him that it took him longer
to learn anything and longer to forget 1t
than any youth that ever tramped through
the snow TO log school house. His memory
indeed, has been one CT his strong points
since he emerged from childhood. He re-
membered well--partcularly enemies. A
hpttpr hatpr horn, IL follows
necessarily that he true in friendship.
He was, in fact, mans man. Women who
came to know him liked him well enough,
but not many of them got to know him. He
was never married.
Lawton entered the volunteer service of
the United States in April, 1861, and was
given the chevrons OF a sergeant in Company
T. of the Ninth, indiana infantry. In August,
1861. he was made first lieutenant of the
Thirtieth Indiana. In May. 1862, he was
made a captain, was lieutenant colonel in
November, 1864. was brevetted a col mel for
gallant and mertorious services in March,
1865, and was mustered out of the service
in November 1865.
He Joins the Regular Army.
On the list day of July, 1866, he was
gazetted a second lieutenant in the regular
army, helng assigned to the Forty frst in
tAntry. year ldlti nc as hildue q III 81
lieutenant He was transferred to the
cavalry arm in January, 1871, had advanced
to captancy in March, 1879. was made
major in the Inspector generals department
in September, 1888. and inspector general,
with the rank OF lieutenant colonel, in 1889,
That was his rank in the regular army when
he was killed, although he won the epaulets
of a major general Of volunteers
He had come upward step by step solely
through personal courage and personal
strength He held that 1t is the first
duty of the soldier, to fight, and TO fight as
soon as he gets the chance. He had b5on
possessed by no particular reinements Of the
art OF War. He had simply gone ahead and
fought like a hsnd when opportunity offered
and left to others the task of explaining why
and how such and such a victory was Won
or defeat suffered.
In person he was a wonder. Standing six
feet three Inches high, as straight as a rule,
with long arms, wide shoulders, deep chest
and thin hanks, he weighed 1876 pounds of
bone and muscle when 20 years old and when
he went to the Philippines weighed 2lO His
nead was small and set en- a massive neck; tis
hands and feet were large; he was as active
as a cat and as tireless as a wo'f Under the