Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-11-02
CAME OVER TO SEE DEWEY.
Mother of Sailor Sails in the Steerage
to Greet Admiral.

Across the ocean in the steerage of
big liner came Mrs. Theresa Hawler
to see Admiral Dewey and thank him
for caring for her son, who served on
the Olympia. She had not seen the
boy for ten years.
Mrs. Hawler is an Irish woman by
birth, but she has lived in England
ever since her second marriage. The
son who was with Dewey in the men,
orable battle is John Lawrence Brown,
his father being her first husband. It
was his mothers second marriage that
sent him away from home ten years
ago and brought him to this country
Mrs. Hawler has no knowledge of when
ne first went into the navy. In fact,
she knows but little of any of his
movements from the time he left her
until just after he sailed into Manila
with Dewey a year ago lastMay. He
was a good boy" she says, but he al
ways had will of his own and there
was no use going against it, When he
left home l knew there was no use
hunting for him and | male no at
tempt. l was confident l would lear
from him in good time, and sure
enough the news did come from his
own hand.
Through all these years | waited
for him. He went round and round the
world, without getting near enough to
his old mother to come and say word
| 10 7 M
how was Johnny to know where was ?
But l got it all right, and such a letter
as it was. 1t came straight from Ma
Mia and it told me all about the great
battle. What did l care before that
about the Spaniards or the yankees?
There was just little talk in our
neighborhood about there being a war
and that was all l ever knew about it
until the letter came from my Johnny.
1t was all different after that Johnny
himself was there in the thick of the
fight, and when l found out what side
he was fighting with l was with the
yankees every minute until the whole
thing was over.
Johnny didn't tell me how he came
to get into it. All l know is that he
fought with Dewey and he says the
admiral's a great man. So here l am,
thousands OF miles from home ready
to see my Johnny once more and tell
the admiral what think of him.
1T was this way: When Johnny
wrote home to me he had little to say
except about this Admiral Dewey OF
his. 1t was a hot morning they had
that big fight. Johnny tells me he was
working at one of the big guns on the
admiral's own Snip, the Olympia. He
didn't get hurt or anything like that,
but right in the hot of it the weather
was too much for him. IL seems he
was overcome by the heat and another
man had to relieve him at his post.
He was carried out on deck and laid
down under the shade of one of the
boats, he says. There was long time
when he had no idea of what was go
ing on. Then there was a let-up in
the firing and the next thing he knows
the great admiral himself was bending
over my Johnny and offering him a
drink of water just to help him out.
Here S how Johnny tells it:
What s the matter, my boy?' says
the admiral as kind as you could ask.
You haven't been hurt, have you?"
No. no. says Johnny, nothing as
bad as that. But my head is splitting
with the pain and heat
And then the admiral bends over
him and wetting his handkerchief
with water from a cup puts it on john
ny's forehead.
"T got better right after that
says Johnny, and when we started in
firing at the Spaniards again l was
right there at my gun. 1t was the best
treatment / ever got in all my life and
I'll never forget it. The admiral's a
fine man, so he is