The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-11-25
HOBsON
DEWEY

DEWEY.
&. l.. II.
The reference to Monday is TO
the time Of the transfer OF the house
from the Admiral to his wife.
Extracts from other communloa
tions printed by the Star are as fol
fows:
"As one of the contributors, in a
small way. to the Dewey home fund.
have read with surprise, pain and
Indignation your statement concern
ing the transfer of the home to the
Admiral's new wife have the feelings
of man who has been imposed upon.
! believe the great majority of the
thousands who took part in this gift,
to show their afectionste apprecia
ton Of Admiral Dewey's great ser
vice to our country. will experience
the same feelings. O0e prefers to
throw his money to the winds than to
have it diverted from the use be in
tended, and the size OF the contribu
ton makes no difference
Another subscriber writes 81 res
gret exceedingly that all the heroe
of this great country of ours have TO
do something to weaken themselves
in the minds of our people, for as
Grant did, so Dewey has done, and
numerous others whose fame has not
been so great in their line of duty
which our Government had employed
them to perform"
Grateful American" writes "As
Admiral Dewey has transferred to his
wife the house presented to him by
subscription, and is now without a
home of his own, | suggest that
movement be started at once to pro-
vide the nations naval hero with
a second home, so that our valiant
Admiral shall have residence in
his own right"
A women writes "As a woman, |
desire to enter my indignant protest
agsins Admiral Dewey's transfer of
his house to his wife, albeit Mrs.
Dewey is, no doubt, an estimsble
woman personally, but she is a
stranger to us. We do not know
her, and it is no reflection upon her
that her individual welfare is of little
consequence to the American peopls,
aside from the mere fact that she is
Admiral Dewey's second wife y
WHAT DEWEY SAYS.
10 au interveiew with a reporter
Admiral Dewey expressed the keenest
regret, indignation, sorrow and re.
sentiment at the manner in which the
information that be had decided his
home to his wife had been received
by the American people. He said he
had never experienced such trying
time as the present one, and that he
did not beieye it was possible that
the American people should 80 mis-
understand aud i'll treat him. At
times his voice grew husky, his
words became scarcely distinguish.
able, and he was so nervous that he
frequently rose and paced the floor.
THE ADMIRAL's STATEMENT.
"When | made over this house to
my wife," he said, II thought was
doing the most gracious act that an
American gentleman could do. !
thought the people had given me this
house to dispose of as chose. 1t
seems that | was mistaken. would
never have sold it, nor given it, nor
willed it, nor disposed Of it in any
manner whatsoever outside Of my
own family. But | did believe had
the right to give it to my wife or my
son il | chose to do so.
1t pains me very deeply to feel that
am compelled to lay open the secrets
OF my domestic life, but in view of
the insults which | have received at
the hands of writer's OF letters which
have been published, feel justified
in somewhat overstepping the bounds
OF propriety and saying that Mrs.
Dewey understood better than | did
the feelings Of the people, and at first
declined to permit the house to be
transferred to her. She did consent
only after an arrangement had been
effected whereby not only the house,
which was the gift to me from the
American people, but her entire per-
sonal fortune, which, as you are
aware, is considerable, was to ulti-
mately 60 to my son George. Thus
he had absolutely nothing to lose by
my conveying my house to my wife,
but, on the contrary, was great
gamer thereby.
"The relations between my SON and
myself have always been the most |