Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-10

Captain Rowan's Perilous Trip Across
Cuba.
THE MODEST BUT BRAVE YOUNG
MAN NOW CAPTAIN OF co. /.
NINETEENTH REGIMENT AT
CAMP MEADEIA NATIVE OF
WEST VIRGINIA DISTINGUISHES
HIMSELF.

HlMSELF.
Wherf war was declared between the
United States and Spain, it became nee
essary for the authorities at Washing
ton to communicate with General Gar
cia, who was then in command of the
Cuban army on the eastern provinces.
Garcia was somewhere ia the eastern
portion OF Cuba; but just where was a
puzzle, and as there was no mail nor
Geographic message could reach him, it
was decided that the President must
secure his cooperation very quickly.
Some one said to the President:
"There is a fellow by the name of Row
an will find Garcia for you, if anybody
can"
Rowan was sent for and given a let
ter to be delivered to Garcia. He took
the letter, sealed it in an Gil skin pouch,
strapped it over his heart, in four days
landed by night off the coast of Cuba
from an open boat, disappeared in the
jungle, and in three weeks came out
on the other side Of the island, having
traversed a hostile country $50 miles,
delivered his letter to Garcia, and had
returned with maps and his reply,
stating where the United States army
should land and what assistance he
could render, all of which was of the
greatest Importance to President Nc
Kinley and to our War Department.
The man who did this daring deed
took his life in his own hands (for if
he would have been captured it would
have meant DEATH, is Lieutenant An
drew S.. Rowan, now promoted to Cap
tain of Company |, Of the Nineteenth
regiment at Camp Meade. His being
in our midst makes his daring deed Of
special local interest. He was invited
on Thursday evening to the residence
Of DR.. D. w. C. Laverty, where a num-
Der of town people had the pleasure of
meeting the Captain and hearing him
tell of his thrilling experience.
His mission demanded pluck, courage,
good judgment and sand" all of which
qualities he proved that he possessed.
He was born in Virginia in 1860, and
was appointed from West Virginia as
a cadet in 1877. He graduated at West
Point in 1881 and was commissioned as
Second Lieutenant in the Fifteenth
Infantry. For some years he served in
the western frontier and later was sent
to Central America, where he learned
to speak Spanish fuently. After that
he went to Cuba and there succeeded in
accomplishing a deed which was fully
as important to our army as was that
of Hobson's to our navy.
ROMANS PERILOUS TRIP.
Rowan was first sent to Jamaica,
island, which is one of the English
possessions, where he was introduced
to Geroaci Sabio, an officer in the
Cuban navy, who was charged with his
safe conduct from a little bay on that
island to the Cuban coast, one hun
bred miles north, and his safe delivery
to General Garcia. He landed in the
jungles in the district of Portillo on
the 9th of April, was conducted to the
central part OF the island, meeting
Garcia at Bayand four days later. After
a brief consultation with the Cuban
commander, Rowan was taken to the
northern coast of Cuba and carried in
a cockleshell of a boat from the harbor
of Manati to the island of Nassau,
where he was met by an American
schooner, and reached Key West on
May II. On this hazardous trip to
Nassau, Rowan saw SIMPSONS fleet on
it's way to Porto Rico. All this was
accomplished before the first fight of
the Americans on Cuban soil.
EFFECT OF THIS TRIP.
Captain Rowan is a nan of medium
height and very modest and quiet
about the noble deed he has perform
ed; but the manner in which he re-
ceived the command and the readiness
and willingness which he showed in
promptly and faithfully executing this
difficult and dangerous task, has al
ready attracted the attention OF many.
We would especially refer in this brief
article to a preachment entitled "A
Message to Garcia" written by Mr..
Ebert Hubbard, editor of the Philis-
tine Magazine, published monthly at
East Aurora, Erie county, New York.
1t was first published in the above
magazine, after which it was printed
in a booklet by the Roycrofters in East
Aurora. So many requests from
clergymen, teachers and others inter-
ested in the education of the young
came in for the copies of "A Message
to Garcia" that Mr.. George H. Daniels,
general passenger agent of the Grand
Central in New York, decided to make
it one OF their -Four Track Series"
which is an educational as we'll as a
travel series, and to print it in edi-
tons of one hundred thousand until
the demand is supplied. Already they
have an order for a million copies.
We give a few clippings from the lit