The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-14

CollleF1 Weekly: The moment that
General LaWton arrived in town from
the front MrA LAYTON took charge Of
him. she saw to 1t that his clothes and
his food were rlght; and the big soldier
was childiin the little woman's hands.
She hurried through the dark days Of
his absepes BY making light for the
wounded omcers and men % her hus-
bands division who were In the hospl-
tai. The arrangements that she was
making to, surprise each one with a
Christmas present had to walt for the
three days that he was at home before
he started on the insIgnIacant expedi-
tion that. cost him his life. happened
70 Gee chem both the last afternoon they
were together. She was sitting near
his desk Al the division Headquarters
while he was looking over the type
writer's copy Of his orders for the expe-
dltion, WHICH he had written with a
pencil on a pad in his full, round
hand.
had brought him a photograph Of
himself which was taken last spring.
Anything about the general interested
Mrs. L.awton at once. She scruhniEed
the likeness carefully from many points
of view and concluded that 1t was very
good. Since 1t was taken, however, the
general had grown a full beard.
II shall have to make another on that
account" suggested.
But. as she looked first at the pic
ture and then at the general. she seems
ed dubious about this.
~ don't know as 1 am going to let
him keep the beard" she explained. at
does very wei for the present, for he
has so little chance to shave when he
Is at the front"
'Wouldyou go with him to post hop
in the states IL he wore lit" asked
her Iolingly.
"oh. would go with him anywhere~
she replied earnestly.
Kind to the Newspaper Mem.
The road to the generals headquar-
tiers was well.beaten one for the cor
respondents. He was always accessl-
bic and kindly and never misplaced
confidence in trusting them with infor-
nation as to his future movements.
ut won't BE- worth your while to go
with us on this trip" he said. I'VE are
only going out to garrison San Mateo
with two DattalIons Of infantry and an
escort Of Colonel Lockett,s cavalry.
Maybe there are two or three hundred
insurgents up there. They'll fire a few
shots and run, as usual"
Early In the afternoon heavy rain
storm set i'll on his way 1t Q o'clock in
the evening out to the pumping station,
where the little force was to be mobi-
liked. he stopped at the palace for a
final WORD with General Otis. who told
him again that he was needlessly ex-
posing himself to the storm and to turn
the command over to Colonel Lockett.
%oh, I'm ali right. he said. "This
Will keep the rain off," referring to a
long. yellow oilskin coat that he was
wearing.
That White Helmet.
It was as hard, for him to keep out of
the thick Of the lighting as for some
boys to keep out Of mischief. When the
bullets were unusually thick he would
take OH his white helmet and hold 1t
between his two hands as II he was try
ing to discover why 1t attracted them.
His stan begged him again and again
to discard this helmeI, which made him
as prominent-he was always standing
or on horseback-as the church steepIe
in the landscape of q town viewed from
distance. He only laughed and said:
ITS very comfortable. Keeps my
head cool. Bought 1t at Huez for a
dollar and half. Bargain, wasn't it?''
In one sense, the manner OF his death
was quite worthy, in another sense
quite unworthy. OF his character. His
was not the spirit to have borne with a
bad wound which would have enfeebled
him for life. For a major general to be
ported in an exchange OF shots for
which skirmisb Is too dienI6ed a name
Il anpallInn to the military mind. For
Iawton "a fall while he was passing
along his nrInr line doing the work Of
a lieutenant was wholly n keep,ne with
T.swton,a career The man who was
FOND Of UNDERGOING the same hardsblps
an hid men fell by their side. The
BROOKE had become torrents and the
mud was knee.d oep thatOmorninr