The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-21
SAD STORY QF NAVY LIE
TWO TRAGEDIES IN THE LIFE OF
LIEUTEN ANT COMMANDER
ROPER
CRUEL POLICY OF THE NAVY
The First Mrs. Roper Became Its
Victim, and Her Death
Put an End
to 1t.

Lieutenant Commander Roper's heroic
teath on the gunboat Petrol recalls an
other tragedy Of the navy connected with
that gallant officer-a tragedy now al
most forgotten, but which at the time
was much talked Of, and resulted in the
dropping by the navy department of a
cruel policy which it had begun to pur-
sue regarding married officers and their
wives, says the New York Press
The first Mrs. Roper was the daughter
Of Jennie June Croly. At the time
Of their marriage Roper was a master
In the navy, rank since abolished, but
corresponding to what is now lieutenant
frail, delicate girl, not more than nine
teen years old, when she was married,
but of a most cheerful disposition, full
of life and energy.
Soon after they were married, that is
IN 1882, Master Roper was ordered to sea
duty and assigned to the Lackawanna
of the Pacific station. The Pacific sta
ton then, as now, was bounded on the
north by the North Pole on the south
by the South pole, on the east by the
Western continent, and extended as far
west as Samoa. Generally, however, the
ships on the station lounged up and
down the Pacific coast, from San Fran
cisco to Valparaiso, showing the flag at
out-of-the-way Central and South Ameri-
can ports and taking an occasional run
over to Honolulu to look after the Amer
lean interests in the Hawaiian islands.
The Lackawanna was cruising from port
to port on the South American coast,
and after time Mrs Roper determined
to visit her husband at one of the ports
of the Pacific coast of South America,
at which his ship was supposed to be
making its headquarters. She left New
York in September, 1882, sailing on the
Pacific mail steamer San Bias for Colon,
and began a search for her husband
which was to end only with her death.
THE CRUEL ORDER.
While Mrs. Roper was on her way to
Colon the married officers of the navy
and their families were much exercised
over the issuing Of a remarkable order
by the secretary of the navy, forbi ldnS
officers wives to follow their husbands
when they were assigned to foreign sta
tions. The order was "semi-official,' .
but strong, and it was underst god that
upon the assembling of officers wives
at any foreign port the husbands of tie
offending ladies would either he trans
ferred to some other station or the ship
In which they were serving ordered not
to touch at that port. AS an officer
when ordered to a station usually spen IS
three years there, it has been the custom
for the wives of the married officers
to spend at least a portion of the three
years of their husbands exile at some
convenient port on the station where the
fleet was most in the habit of stopping.
This, the secretary thought, was detri
mental to discipline. He thought that
the ships on foreign stations did not
cruise enough when officers wives were
on the station. Let the women wait al
home three years and see their husbands
when their tour of sea service was over
and they took their turn at shore duty
Now, as naval officer spends three
years on shore alternately, unless he has
pull at Washington and can "coburg'' al
the capital or put in his sea service on
the home station. the coast in the coast
survey or some fancy duty, he would be
debarred from seeing his wife just hall
of the time he remained on the active
list of the navy.
A FEMININE REBELLION.
The officers could not, of course. cues
ton the secretary's order, but the womer
Of the navy rose in one mighty revolt
and de1ed the secretary They abjuret
him and all his works and began wal
upon the head of the department ir
which they finally won, but not before
the life of poor little Mrs Roper had
been offered up as a sacrifice.