The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-16
SOME ROOSEVELT STORIES.
From the Boston Journal.


"A man in Chicago has a dog that
can count and read minds and tell
ages" said a visitor at the White
House to the President. by Jove,"
said the President. II would like to see
him. Can't the dog be brought here?"
The dog, could be, and was brought.
The President devoted an hour to it
and then called in half dozen friends
to see for themselves and try to ex-
plain-to sit as a jury, in fact. He
said the dog was the best he had ever
seen. There were no remarks by the
dog.
little while ago the President,
young Theodore, William Dudley
Foulke, Senator Lodge, James A. Gar
field of the Civil Service Commission,
and somebody else went walking.
The President had designs on Mr..
Foulke, who is rotund, and he wanted
TO try out Mr.. Garfield, who hadn't
been long in Washington, but who
looks like an athlete.
From the Chain Bridge road they
put down to the river bank. They
came to a place where there had been
quarry. Big rocks jutted out to the
river. The workmen had put a cable
over the side of the rocks to help them
crawl around. There was a boat for
the tiinid ones.
Did the President of the United
States take the boat? He did not.
He clambered over the rocks, hanging
on by his feet and fingers a few feet
above the muddy Potomac. Young
Theodore and Garfield followed.
Senator Lodge and Mr.. Foulke took
the boat and padded around.
That trip Is called the ascent of the
Matterhorn by those who were in the
party. The President said 1t was
bully"
When the naval officers of the Chi
cago were arrested in Italy there was
queer apathy on the part of the gov
eminent. The Secretary of the Navy
was waiting for the Secretary of State,
and the Secretary of State did not see
where he came in, anyhow The Amer
lean ambassador to Italy was not par
ticularly active, either
Things had gone along this way for
two or three days. Nobody was able to
get action. Then some friends of the
officers called on the President and
asked How about it?"
The President listened to the story.
Then he called a stenographer and die
tated this most remarkable bit of diplo-
matte correspondence that rests in the
archives of the State Department.:
Dear Hay What is Meyer doing?
1t seem to me that he should be step
ping lively. I. r.
Secretary Hay sat up" in his chair
when he got that note. Meyer was
joited by cable and the officers were
out of prison in mighty short time.
When one enters the station at Oys-
ter Bay he always notices the old hack
and its veteran driver Jake White"
The rig is an old, dilapidated surrey
which not even j. p. Morgan or any
other great man could buy.
The owner of the ancient vehicle has
constituted himself President Roose-
velts @hackman" For the past 40
years Oyster Bay has known these
two almost inseparabIe figures. They
are the first objects that meet the eye
of the visitor upon arriving at the
bay and the last things seen on depart
ing.
And this veteran Jehu's vehicle is
the one always chosen by the Presi-
dent to take him to Sycamore Hill
when his own private carriage fails to
meet him.
A story is now going the rounds of
how self-sufficient city chap. ignor-
rant of "Jake's" local Importance, ven
tured to criticise his rig, and. as it
turned out, to his ultimate discom-
fort. When he entered the carriage
and was about to be seated, he Jump
ed up and exclaimed in a disguised
tone: Say. old man, do you ever dust
this ark
Jake grew angry, jumped up and
pointed impressively to the dusty seat.
do you see that air seat2" he ask
ed. We'll, you Teller, the President of
these United States has sot dab time
and time again. Seems to me IL it's
good enough for him, it might be good
enough for SIGH as yolr -
The passenger subsidized.