The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-01

OF the Spanish and Portuguese IAN
| guages."
| COL James Morgan, NOW q resident OF
/ Washington, was a Confederate leader
| and was one of the officers who. after
the loss of the cause for which they
fought so hard, went to Egypt and enlist
| ed in the service of the Khedive. Said
he the other day:
Its odd that people didn't
know that Dewey was hero
| before We of the old Confederacy
| knew it long ago. Don't you rememte er
| how the United States ship Mississippi
was run down by one OF oalr ships and
/ sunk? Well, Dewey was heutenant on
| board her, and he and his gun crew stood
| by the gum Ike had in charge until the
vessel was almost under water In fact
| the water was up to the mu2zle of the
| gum when the last shot was fired. Then.
| because it was too late to escape III any
other way. the future victor of Manila
got out through a port hole and swans
for it. Why, Dewey was always a hero.
in his class at the Naval Academy he.
was always at the top OF everything, ex-
cept in his studies He was a splendid
athlete. boxer and Il fencer. One thing
he hated like holy water was a bully.
Though far from being quarrelsome
himself, he would hunt fight with any
fellow who attempted to impose upon lis
interiors in physical strength. Any town
boy who developed a reputation as a
bully was sure to fall foul 81 George
Dewey, and to get a licking, too, ! don't
think he was ever beaten i'll a fight.
i y
lit was at Manila, day or two before
I the famous colloquy between Admiral
! Won Diederchs and the British captain
of the cruiser Immortalite, in which the
former asked what attitude the latter
would assume III case trouble arose be-
tween the Germans and the Americans,
Chichester replying that information on
THAT point could best be obtained from
dewey. On this occasion Dewey was
dining with Chichester, and over the
nuts and wine they got swapping stories.
The host expressed his admiration of
the confidence of victory exhibited by the
Yankee sailors, and his guest replied that
there mi CHIT be too mucl confidence III
cres ability to win fight. The Eng
lishman did not see how that could be-
and Dewey proceeded to illustrate his
remark with a little anccdote. Said he:
IAN old frend of my grandfathers up
I'm Vermont lent some help to his coun-
try's cause IN the war of 1872 by fitting
cut Il fine privatcer. He took command
Of her himself. having HAD some expert
ence in sailoring. and called her the New
Jerusalem. SHE was a sainalt little bar
kentine and mounted six 12-poundeFs and
1fpound pivot gun forward In the
course of the first voyage She took two
or three prizes of no great yalue, and two
months or so elapsed before she got a
whack 1T something really worth captur-
ing.
1t was on foggy morning. IN the
region OF the tropics, the wind having
died down to a mere catspaw, that she
sighted the royals and gallant stunsls of
huge merohantnmn carrying the Brit
ism flag. 1t was il spectacle to make
any pirsltical person mouth water. The
lriyateer. being to windward, crept up
to the prey, herself unobserved IN The
mist. and presently hove to within half
a cables length of her.
Heaye to. CT III sink You, yelled
my gqandfathers friend. thinking gloat
| ingly OF the silks and laces, with who
| lSnGYs what other spoil, he was goin5
| to take back to Vermont.
/ There was no reply, and just then 4
| puff Of wind blew away some 9f tne
| for. revealing, instead of a merchant
/ man full-fedged line-of-battle ship with
rows Of frowning ports.
81 was about to say shouted the
conanaalaer of the privateer, THAT, while
| inviting YOU to surrender, III case you
don't want to do SO, | will.
And he did, said Dewey. (Which
will serve to illustrate my meaning when
! say that too much confidence i'll war
fare is not always a good thing. Your
very good health, Chichester.
There has been IL great deal OF discus
| SION about the things Dewey sa1d az
Manila during the naval battle, but,
whatever his remarks may have been, IL
| is safe to assume that they were forci-
| BILE ones. Though quiet MIN under ordl-
| marry circumstances, he speaks ott when
there is occasion, and his flow of lam
/ guage at such times is described rs love-
! ly. Sailors do not MIND such things as
/ rough talk so much as they do having
/ language addressed to them that they dc
not understand, when they know tnat it
| has AN uncomTlimentary significance.
| Most of all they dislike to be called far
mcrs, in irony. Well, it is related that
| on a day in 1885, when the Pensacola,
| Capt Dewey in comnmnd, was IN the
Meditelranean-she was then the flag
| ship Of the European squadron shift
Of wind accompanied by a rapid fall oI
| the barometer gave warming of chang
| ing weather. Presently Il white squall
came up and there was busy work for al
| hands, the executive officer I'm the waist.
| the officer Of the deck ON the quarter
deck. and the midshilmnen in the focastlr
bellowing and repeating orders, while Inc
sailors jumped through the tops like mon
| keys just then something follled the
/ clews OF the naintogsail at the very
moment the squall struck, and lqungling
| for a moment or two nearly cost the
| vessel spar. Dewey, from the bridge.
was looking on. and everybody was in
| tremulous anticipation of a severe re-
lalke. But he only turned to the officer
o. the deck, and said mildly:
"WiB you kindly tell me what was the
| matter just now with the agricultural
/ po1apation ON the maintopsail yardE
This remark percolated Through tie
| lnidshipmen to the crew, and, being du'y
| ...,e1.,.a ~ "a ,,,.o,,,,oad an effect frnl1