Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-12-29
LAWTON.
North Dakota Boys Have Many In.
teresting "reminiscences Of the
Dead General.

North Dakota volunteers were among
lie troops with General Lawton on his
famous expedition from Manila, and
they have many interesting memories
of the general recently killed. They
all liked Lawton as the ideal soldier,
and although he worked his command
hard, he partook of all the dangers and
inconveniences, and that is what en-
deared him to the soldiers. One of the
members of Company n calls the at
tention Of the Tribune to an article in
Harper's by Dinwiddie, the special
correspondent of that paper, which he
says shows some of the characteristic
traits of Lawton. among which is the
following:
The general had an Irish orderly for
Il while, who took care of him like a
child, and the staff used to take places
Or easy vantage 50 that they might
hear the conversations between the
two. The general failed to turn up
ut the table, and The orderly promptly
marched down to his tent with a steam
ing tin of cocoa-for LawtOn seldom
drinks coffee-and plate heaped with
baked beans, crisp bacon, and some
baking powder biscuit; he saluted be-
fore the generals tent. and said,
Here's the gineral's dinner The
reply was: 81 don't care for anything
to eat. Who ordered you to bring my
dinner?' The orderly, rigid as q
post, with dishes in each hand, an
swered: "Shure an the gineral must
ate. l brought the g%inerars dinner
meself." stake it back, sir, l don't
want it," and once more he became
absorbed in a map spread out upon his
knees. The Irish orderly looked fur.
lively from side to side, as If expecting
to see grinning faces peering from
around the neighboring tents, and
then, gently tiptoeing toward the gen
erals tent, he set down the various
dishes by his side and stepped back
again to attention. After some min
utes the general looked up, stared a
the orderly, and remarked, well, or
derly?" The orderly, in a solicitor:
tone replied, ''Sure the gineral's din
ner will get cold" Without response
the general reached for the plate. att
heartily, and put the empty dishes OF
. the ground. Immediately becoming alb
sorbed again in Il plan of battle for tn
> morrow. AS the orderly carried tn
5 dishes swinging in his hands back t.
$ the cook-tent, a beatific smile illum
=, ined his c~ountenance, and he wills
pered to the cook: Don't YOU know
l the gineral has to be tr'ated like
coddlin' infant? He nades his mither'
milk. but, begorra, he must have hi
t squall first"
General LawtOn is very careful t
Q secure sleep enough, however. Wha
. he may lose one day he makes up til
. next; for it is no uncommon thing 10
S him to go forty-eight hours withou
. sleep, if the movement necessitates |
! AS IL rule, Immediately Mt the conclu
n sion of IN engagement he lies dow
n and is lost in peaceful slumber in
II few moments. This ability 10 nap q
n all times and under the changing COZ
10 ditions of an active campaign doe
much, no doubt, to sustain his mare
lous vitality. 1t apparently makes Il
Q difference how many times he
q aroused to attend to official matter.
!. he either drops off again instantly
the subject is trivial, OF gets up to houl
e of labor with bright eyes and dete,
d mined energy if the matter is Of in
portance. One morning, after he ha
slept in a nipa hut and been wakene
~ repeatedly by the desperate sqeakir
- Of pigs from beneath the airy floor.
:, remarked. with a smiling face, to OF
!, of his officers: ''That noise w.
% rather haru to stand last night. WASH
~ it? But I knew the North Dakot.
We're short on meat, poor fellows! D
y. you hear that feIlow say: Choke hi
,f off, Jim. Cut his wind quick befo:
- they hear hlm?"
le