Washington sentinel., 1900-10-27
RnosereIt,s nUniaue Feat. .

sisted upon SnOutlue' SayS
Kurnel, how bout dat Spaniard
youse shot in the backa" The irate
"Kurnel" would probably have
liked to shoot his tormentors then
and there. But being in Chicago,
and on Sunday, he restrained him
self. According to the reporters
he simply glared terribly, showed
his teeth and in his deepest and
sternest tones muttered, "Sllence,
you miserable scoundrels." he
story about shooting the fleeing
Spaniard has, evidently, become
distasteful to the Republican can
didate for the Vice Presidency.
There are probably a great many
people who propose to vote tor
Mckinley and Roosevelt who
disbelieve the story altogether.
They regard it as most Mckinley
ties seem to regard the Declara-
ton OF Independence-as only an
other Democratic or PopulIst lie.
Unfortunately, however, the story,
such as it is, originated with Cover
nor Roosevelt himself. 1t was
told by him not in camp or at the
dinner table, nor in the confidence
Of one OF Senator Platt's Sunday
morning breakfasts, nor to a news
paper reporter. 1t is to be found
printed in a book written by Gov
ernor Roosevelt himself, published
in 1900, bearing the imprint OF the
respectable house OF Scribner's
Sons, New York, entitled "The
Rough Riders, by Theodore
Roosevelt"
On pages 1873 and I39 OF "The
Rough Riders, by Theodore
Roosevelt" will be found the fol-
lowing passage in the course OF bis
description OF the part he and his
regiment took in the hight on San
Juan Hill, near Santiago, July I,
1898:
When we reached the trenches we
found them filled,with dead bodies in
the light blue and white uniform OF the
Spanish regular army. There we're very
few wounded, Most of the fallen had
little holes IN their heads, from which
their brains were oozing, for they were
covered from the neck down by the
trenches.
We pause to note the incidental
tribute which Colonel Roosevelt
pays to the wonderful markham
ship Of his men. The Spaniards
were all killed like squirrels, shot
in the head, probably in the same
spot, which justiies Mr.. DooleY's
inference that Colonel Roosevelt
did it all himself and at a single
shot, the Spaniards conveniently
standing up in a row and putting
their heads together for the pur-
pose. But to resume che gallant
ColonePs narration:
Lieutenant DAVIS first sergeant, Clar-
ence Gould, killed a Spanish soldier
with his revolver just as the Spaniard
was aiming at one OF my Rough Riders.
At about the same time IGlso Sh0t one.
was with Henry Bardhsar, running up
at the double, and two Spaniards leaped
from the trenches and fired at us not
ten Yards away. rs Hey hVaed to yuH
/ closed in and Jfrsd tlOice. missing the
first and killing the second"
How like pigeon shooting
missing the first and killing the
secondW And first CLOSING in"
upon the fleeing Spa niards, who
had less than "ten yards startl
'At the time," continues the
Colonel. modestly, II did not
know Of Gould's exploit, and Sub-
Posea my fEat to be unigue."
Unique" it certainly was. Itis
unique" we believe, in the his
tory OF modern war for officers to
boast Of such "ieats." Colonel
Alexander s. Bacon, in his bro.
ehure, THE Seventy. first at San
Juan" commenting upon the same
passage, says Of Colonel Roose-
yelts "feat:"
His Staying the fleeing Spanlard less
than thirty feet away sounds much like
murder. No officers ofthe Seventy first
Regiment found it necessary 20 establish
their reputation by an account Of ex.
ultant bloodthirstiness. They accepted
the painful duty Of fighting the enemy
as one Of the sad necessities Of war and
sought to win no glory by gloating over
the widows and orphans they were
forced to make. How pathetic
to dwell on the sight of the future
Governor Of New York writing himself
down as a man SLAYER O:her great
warriors have been forced to speed the /
fatal bullet or thrust the deadly sword,
but they have sought to forget it. They
Certainly never boasted Of it.
Colonel Bacon was counsel for