The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-05-05
A BLUFF THAT FAILED
Story of a Pompous Naval
Official and Plucky
Ohio Boy.
Lieutenant Commander Hawley De-
manded an Apology, Which He
Did Not Get.

Special Dispatch to Commercial Tribune.
Members of the Ohio colony in WASH
ington who know the story, are felicitat-
ing themselves, with State pride, over
the manner in which an officer of the
navy was hauled down from
a high pedestal of arrogance
and made to apologize by an Ohio boy.
For obvious reasons the story isn't be-
ing given out at the Navy Department.
The Ohio young man in question,
whose name is withheld for reasons of
prudence, was riding down in one of the
State-War-and-Navy Department eleva-
tors, in company with Secretary Long,
Lieutenant Commander Hawley and
some others. Now, being employed in
the War Department end of the build
ing, it happened that the lad never had
seen the distinguished gentleman with
whom chance had associated him for an
elevator ride, and, therefore, was not
appreciative of the great honor confer
red upon him each time he touched ell
bows with real Lieutenant Command
er the navy, to say nothing OF the Secre-
tary of that department himself.
The elevator stopped few inches
from the floor, and Secretary Long,
who was in advance of the party and
had started to step out of the cage, in
stinctively recoiled. The Ohio clerk,
being Immediately in the rear of the
Secretary, threw up his hands as pro-
lection, expecting the man in front to
step back against him. It seems that
this half-unconscious action was con-
strued by the distinguished Lieutenant
Commander as being an insult to the
only less distinguished Secretary of the
Navy.
Secretary Long walked away, wholly
Unconscious of the incident. The Lieu
tenant Commander turned on the Ohio
clerk and demanded that he make an
apology for what he termed an insult to
the Secretary. The Ohio boy promptly
refused, upon the sufficient ground that
he hadn't insulted anybody, and until
told by the Lieutenant Commander,
didn't even know that the other distin-
guished parsonage was Secretary Long.
Then the Ohio boy went about his busi-
ness.
Not long after he reached the room
where he is engaged as clerk, mes
senger came, demanding that he go
down to the room of Lieutenant Com
mander Hawley and apologize. The
IOhio boy again refused. He insisted
that he had not insulted anybody, and
that he was not in the apologizing bust
ness.
| After short time he was informed
that the Captain of the watch, which
means the biggest policeman on the
beat, was outside the door and wanted
to see him. The Ohio boy went out,
and was told by the policeman that he
must go down and apologize to Lieu
tenant Commander Hawley, or he would
be arrested. The Ohio boy, not in the
least frightened, explained the whole
affair to the policeman, and the police.
man, having fair sense of justice,
, simply advised the Ohio boy to go down
and talk the matter over with the irate
Lieutenant Commander.
To the room of His Highness, the
Lieutenant Commander in the Navy
Department, the Ohio boy went, by
this time getting somewhat angry
himself. There the Lieutenant Com.
mander proceeded again to demand an
apology, and the Ohio boy again to in.
, sist he had none to make, because nc
one had been insulted. He explained
J he did not even know Secretary Long.
'But, you know me?" asked Lieuten
) ant Commander Hawley, pompously.
''No; don't know you; who are you,
lanyway?" answered the Ohio boy.
81 sir, am Lieutenant Commander
, Hawley, of the navy.
81 swell, sir, I am citizen of the
United States, and can vote; you can't, ,
] rejoined the Ohio boy. 'How in thun
der is anybody to know you are al
A officer of the navy when you go about
in golf clothes? But it don't make
any difference, for haven't anything
g to apologize for. I'll tell you what I'll
' do, though. I'll report you for sending
: policemen around and threatening t
have me arrested, and for trying t.
4 make me lose my place. You have nj
n authority in the War Department.
2 And then that distinguished naval
. official parsonage in the golf suit pro
i lceeded to climb down off his higf
J, horse, and to apologize to the Ohio
boy. He saw he had met one Buckley,
. who meant business.