Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-22
TALK
TO GERMANS
Was Straight and Was to the
Point.
HIS ORDERS WERE OBEYED
II They Had Not Been l! Meant War;
Capt. Coghlan Speaks of His
Experiences at Manila
HIS ORDERS WERE OBEYED

New York April 21.-Captain j. E.
Coughlan and his officers of the United
States cruiser Raleigh were entertained
at the Union League tonight. The din
ing room was handsomely decorated with
American and British flags. President
EAihu Roo presided, and after a speech
of welcome called for three cheers for
Dewey. They were given, SO that the
building seemed to throb in sympathy.
Three cheers followed for Captain Cough
Ian. Almost greater We're the shouts of
approval when President Root called for
three cheers for the ''men behind the
guns
Captain Coughlan was called upon to
speak. He accepted, he said, all the good
things that nave been said about him
and his men as meant for Admiral
Dewey.
Every day we were with him. he add
ed, 1--WE learned more and more to like
him, and more and more how the coun-
try's interests We're safe in his hands,
and how he could do nothing but that
which would rebound to the country's
credit. Throughout those long, weary
months Of waiting and the most outrag e-
Gus nagging that anybody could suffer,
wearing him to the very bone, he held
himself up INC he held us up with him."
Then Captain Coughlan told the fol-
lowing story of his admiral:
a officer of our friend, Admiral Won
Dledrichs, came one day to make a COM
plant. 1t was my pleasure to step out
on the quarter deck just as he came
aboard. 1t was partly by accident and
=, n ttlyr bv lnrin ~, r loorJ H., AN a.
admiral about his complaint and I heard
the admiral reply:
Tell your admiral those ships of his
must stop when l say 50. I wish to make
the blockade of this harbor complete
The German officer replied:
but we fly the fag.'
THE reply Of the admiral was just like
Dewey. He aid
Those flags can be bought at half a
dollar a yard anywhere
There was no fun in that expression
OF the admiral. He told the officer that
anyone could fly a German flag, and
that a whole Spanish fleet might come
upon him with German flags up. Then
he drew back and stroked his mustache.
He has a great hab Of stroking his mus
tache when he gets mad. He said:
your admiral I am blockading
here. Now note carefully what I say.
and tell III admiral that ! say it.. I
lave been making this blockade as easy
fer everybody as 7 could, but l am get
ting tired of the puerile work here. It
has been of such a charcter as a man
would not notice. although children
might fight over it, but the time has
come when it must stop. Tell your ad-
miral that the slightest infraction of any
rule will mean but one thing. That will
be war. 1t will be so accepted and re-
sented Immediately: If your people are
ready for war with the United States,
they can have it at any time
Il am free to admit that it almost took
my breath away. 1t came SO suddenly.
We had expected it all along, but thirgs
you have been expecting always come
Unexpectedly. AS he left with a face
about This long Indicating by holding up
his hands, far apart, the German said to
me:
81 think our admiral does not ex-
actly understand
HE not only does understand I told
him, but he means what he says, and
you had better look out
"After that they did not breathe more
than four times successfully without
asking permission