Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29
STORIES OF GENERAL HENRY
General Stanton's Remini,cercs Of tie d.
ceased Military Commander.
PATHETIC INCIDENT ON YUMA DESERT
How General stanton Told General
Henry of the Death of n FnNorite
Child-strong characteristics
of the Dead Man.


Henry would make a large volume. His in !
diyiduality was so marked and he had so
many distinctive traits of personal character |
that he stood cut prominently as a unique |
and interesting figure in army life. He was
a soldier, a scholar and Christian. He
could kill Indians, or he could teach class
in Sunday school, in his family circle he was
domestic and in camp on the frontier or
elsewhere he was as hardy as 49er, and
the strctest OF disciplnarians. He vas
past master in military tactics but he did
net 20 so much on theories and dress parade
/ as he did on active skirmish. He was as
thin as a shoestring and as bold as lion.
Tho is the estimate placed upon the dead
commander by army authorities who knew
/ him we'll. Among those closely asscc!at ell
! with him was General T. II. stanton Of this
/ city, who was recently retired as paymaster
| general OF the United States army. General
! Stanton was for many years a department
| paymaster. He not only paid the men but
| he took a hand in the fighting whenever op-
portunity offered. In the Black Hills Indian
campaign, where General Henry served with
such distinction, General Stanton won the
title of the lighting paymaster." He was
! much grieved when informed OF Gene al
Henrys untimely death.
From press reports l cav he was in bad
condition." said the general but l trusted
that hie strong will power and seeming in
difference to death would pull him through.
That man had a wonderful hold upon life.
| have seen him when he was wounded in
way that would have cofiined the average
man, and / have watched him struggle
through such attacks. But every mans time
comes some day.
Il was personal friend Of the dead man.
aside from being his ardent admrer because
OF his military genius. l was more or less
instrumental in bringing him to Omaha
when no served here"
General Stanton tells a pathetic story of
how he once conveyed to General Henry the
news Of death in his family.
1T was many years ago." eaid General
Stanton, when General Henry was on duty
. in southern Arizona His family was in San
Francisco and in those days there was no
, telegraphic communication. l was going
into Arizona to pay the troops. Just before
| left San Francisco the generals 1-year old
boy, the pride Of his heart. passed away. The
little fellow died rather suddenly and Mrs.
, Henry had had no opportunity OF sending
, word to her husband She requested me to
carry the sad news, for she knew was start
ing for Arizona.
Il met General Henry in the Yuma desert.
1t was bright day in December, but in the
, Yuma country December is as hot as June in
this latitude. 1t was most dismal place.
He cantering over the prairie on fiery
horse such as he delighted TO ride.
, How are the folks at home?' was the
first question he asked me after we had ex-
changed salutes.
at may have been the desert sand that
lnt
another cause.
: II was silent for a moment would
rather have battled with all the Apaches in
a Arizona than to have told Guy Henry that
his boy was dead. But l had to do It.
: said it in plain words. He wheeled around
e in bis saddle and looked across the desert
The emotions that swelled within him were
manifested in his demeanor, but he was
n brave. He regained his composure and
: asked for further particulars. BY that time
d / felt more like talking and l conveyed tc
: him in detail the message Mrs. Henry had
t sent He bore his affliction with the true
Y solderly fortitude that was born in him, bu
= it was blow far worse to him than bull
1t let through his body"
IS Prominent in Church Work.
General Henry was churchman. HI
was twice married and his second wife
II since girlhood has been active churcl
$ worker. When they lived in Omaha sh'
Is was a prominent figure at Trinity cathedral
l. Bishop Clarkson was great friend of th
,e general and he was well known to all tn
parishioners. General Henry went about hi
church work with the same energy tha
characterized his action in battle. In what
ever he undertook he worked always wit
the purpose OF accomplishing something.
AS governor general OF Porto Rico afte
the Spanish evacuation General Henry or
ganized Sunday schools and was prominen
in bringing the natives into religious en-
vironments He was greatly devoted to hi
wife and family, but when duty called hir
away he was ever ready to sacrifice his per
sonh feelings.
General Stanton tolls in graphic detail tn
story of how General Henry suffered a froze
hand in South Dakota. That incident is on
OF the most emblazoned pages In the histor
OF the dead warrior
"It was in the early days OF South Da
kota" said General Stanton, "and Genera
Henry was sent out to enforce an evacua
tion order against some settlers who wei
as holding land by right OF possession ratht
in than by legal authority 1t was not exactl
warfare, because no blood was shed, bl
vo with Guy Henry it was a case OF obeying oil
M Mi.- ders To do it a hazardous ride was necet
sary A blizzard blew up and the cold wine
re swept the dismal prairie so furiously thi
- even the most rugged frontiersmen hunte
IN their cabins, General Henry was warne
~ that 1t was a dangerous undertaking, but
av would not heed the warning. He led b
ps men and rode on and on through the stor
mt until his mission had been fulfilled. Some
the men observed that their commander 81
Oh stark and stiff in his saddle as though
RS were an object Of stone. AT last 1t was d
m, covered that he was chilled almost to II
'e- sersibiity. The men lifted him from Il
-, saddle and a hasty examination revealed tn
nv one OF his hands was frozen to the perisl
ry ing point His grip on the bride rain vi
I'm SO rigid that the leather had to be cut. TT
80 men tried to remove the generals glove.
as was fixed as though 1t were glued to
iii hand. They tugged and tugged at it, but
he had frozen TO the flesh. sharp knife ripp
be the glove into shre1s, but with 1t came bi
of fingers. The flesh was literally torn awi
so solid was the freezing
ch THE loyal soldiers thawed their chit
Xxi. but to his dying day he carried main
fingers as a memento OF that awful ri
IS in a South Dakota blizzard. Other membe
-. of the rarty suffered, but not so severe
d" as did General Henry for his thin physiq