The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-28

not less than that of McGinty to obey
the colonel's orders at San Antouio.
We marched with the present Governor
OF Cuba from Daiquiri to Siboney, Cuoa-
on the BIRD OF June, 1898. He had so
thoroughly assimilated the different ele-
ments in his command that that time
none could have distinguished from their
looks or bearing the difference between
the Western desperate or laborer and
the Eastern college man. All were
bronzed, dirty, happy, careless. well dis
ciplined soldiers. Wood. with Roosvelts
invaluable help, had built something out
of nothing, and that something was the
finest volunteer regiment that the Amer
lean; or any other army, has ever had
the good fortune 10 see.
No man has ever made a more impress
sive sight in battle than did Wood at
Guasimas. He went well in advance OF
his men, and led his horse into the field.
He stood leaning against his sorrers side
with what seemed like absolute indiffer-
ence, and the side he leaned against was
the outside. He had taken a natural
breastwork into the field. bue he scorned
TO use il.
his face burned to brown which was
almost like that of the khaki uniform he
wore His sandy mustche, too. had been
grizzled by the sun until it fitted into the
general harmony of tone, and he stood
there, brave and strong, Ike statue in
light bronze.
The Cuban grass reached almost tohis
waist There was not a breath Of air.
and yet the grass about him moved. once
slowly, as if a breeze were blowing ii.
At first we had no right idea OF what
caused this but presently it came 10 our
minds that it might be bullets. And then
we realized that Colonel Wood, forming
with his horse the most conspicuous item
in view before the Spaniards, was natur-
ally the target for all the bullets they
could shoot. 1t was the effect of volleys
fired from Spanish trenches and from
the bush across the valley that made
the grass wave about his feet. We real
lied It slowly. He knew it from the start
That he escaped unscathed was extraor-
binary, but that he stood there without
a CULVER of muscle, without the tremble
of a seconds worry, was not less than
wonderful. He had left a wife and a
family Of little ones in Washington. and,
of course, he wanted to return to them.
The certainty that he would be advanced
with or without winning battles. was alb
solute. Yet he stood there in the battle
which he had sought himself and never
stirred a finger.
And he stood outside Of his sorrel horse
It cannot be that that man failed to
remember that all good things were be
hind him. where peace and quiet were;
and he knew that there were ahead of
him only worry and strain and possibly
death. Men who had already been hit
were near him. and he could see their
red pools of blood from where he calmly
stood. He played the highest stake that
man can offer against the honor which
he won that day, and If Fate did not
win her wager it was not the other gam
bler's fault
We watched him-fascinated
A little while later when Major Brodie
who had been hit in the left forearm, but
who thought he had been hit in the foot,
came hopping down the hill with that
foot held out tenderly, and reviling the
Spaniards as if they had personally in
suited him by shooting a bullet into him.
Colonel Wood laughed as heartily and as
merrily as he could have laughed after
he had heard q particularly good speech
at dinner. month after he told me
that his one thought while he was stand
ing there before his horse. waiting for
Spanish bullet to strike him, was regret
because he had Mt taken out certain
large life insurance policy which had
been offered to him. But he stood there
as calmly and as quietly as if he had
been watching a particularly uninterest-
ing game of golf. His horse was ner-
vous. but not frightened, and only
twitched with surprise as the constant
Ecu! Ecu! Zeu"' of the passing Maus-
ers Kissed in his ears. Colonel Wood
had the reins in his left hand, and with
it he had tucked them into his trousers
pocket
Brodie had not the least ;dea that he
could be shot by a mere Spaniard In
his expression was mingled amazement
and anger until he fell. He went toward
Colonel Wood shouting:
Great God. Colonel, they've hit met
It was plain to see that he considered
it an unwarrantable liberty.
And after ths-and the wounding Of the
major in command Of q battalion was
most serious thing TO this man, on whose
shoulders rested the responsibility Of the
battle-wood laughed, and laughed
heartily.
Once again I saw him at the beginning
OF one of his great life passages. II was
only the other day, after he had been ap-
He had already had charge Of Santiago
Province for many months. Whatever
there is dangerous in Cuba is contained
in Santiago Province. Some OF the pO7u-
lation there IS unmannerly. unmanage-
able and half savage. The province was.
when Wood took hold of it, fun Of ban
dts. whose special mission was the loot
ing Of property and the destruction Of
human life The years Of the insurreS-
| ton permitted organized bands OF these
robbers 70 grow up and the days Of the
/ Spanish war encouraged and made them
more dangerous than ever.
When I asked General wood the other
/ dav what had become Of the bandits he
I told me that they bad ceased To b.
/ troublesome I knew what this meant.
I L meant that they were either dead OF
| Jailed. Il meant mostly that they were
/ dead
! He is a man ~ few words
/ He IS a man Of quick action.
He IS a man who never becomes excited
{ or T. he does never shows Is.
During his early days as Governor n
I Santiago Province a mob of Cu5ans de-
cI5ed 10 wreck The Spanish Club, When
4 Wood received the Gevrs he vas sitting
/ alone in his ot7re. with one orderly in
/ attendance. Plenty r arms were near
{ $50. t-.. .,-t- ---- ~ +Aa-- lie could have