Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-06-06
ROOSEVELTTHE MADCAP
Stories That Are Told About
Our Strenuous President.
HE KEEPS WASHINGTON GUESSING


Says He Is the "strnnge-t Creature
white House Ever Heid'-Why lie
brought "A Mind Reading Dog ON
From ChicaEo-His Letter 10 secre-
tary Hay and what Came of Ii.
Some folks are having a hard time
Of il trying TO understand President
Roosevelt. says a special dispatch from
/ Washington TO the New York World.
/ An old timer at the national capital
characterized him recently as "the
strangest creature the White House
ever held" The presidents fOndness
for physical exercise and his personal
strength are things he is not averse TO
having exploited. He is as proud of
his twenty mile walks as is a profess
sional athlete OF his feats in the field.
He glories in his horseback rides, rain
or shine. He capers and skips about
In his private office when he is receiv-
Ing visitors as If to emphasize the
sprlnglness OF his legs and the supple
ness of his waist. He slaps big men ON
the back and tells them they would
make great football players and always
listens with keen interest 10 stories
Of tumu!tuous doings.
His personal pecullaritles serve to
emphasize the interest in the great
number of Roosevelt stories that are
constantly afioat. There is fresh crop
every morning, and II they could only
be collated and preserved their sum
total would entitle them, so far as bulk
goes at least, to a place on the same
shelf with the Lincoln stories, The pc
culiarity of nearly all the Roosevelt
stories, however, Is that they are based
OH fact-they are to large extent lit
orally true. Here are few Of the lat
est;
"A man In Chicago has dog that
can count and read minds and tell
ages" said visitor at the White House
10 the president by love-" said the
president, Il should like to see him.
Can't the dog be brought heref"
The dog could be and was brought
to the White House. The president de-
voted an hour to 1t and then called in
half dozen friends to see for them
selves and try to explain-to sit us a
jury, in fact. The president said the
dog was the best he had ever seen.
There were no remarks by the dog.
A little while ago the president
young Theodore, William Dudley
Foulke, Senator Lodge, James X. 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 MIR. Garfield, who hasn't been long
In town, but who looks like an athlete.
From the chain bridge road they cut
down TO the river bank. They came to
place where there had been II quarry.
Big rocks jutted out to the river. The
workmen had put cable over the side
of the rocks to help them crawl around.
There was n boat for the timid ones.
Did the president of the United States
take the boat? He did not. He clam
bered up over the rock, hanging on by
his toes and finger nails a few feet
above the muddy Potomac. Young
Theodore and Garfield followed. Sen.
ator 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 it was "bully."
On the Saturday when the first big
news came from Martinique Senator
Fairbanks, all GREATNESS. rushed into
the senate with a resolution providing
for an appropriation of 100000 for the
relief of the sufferers. 1t passed. The
story goes that somebody-name not
given-called the president of the Unit.
ed States up on the telephone, pro-
ceeding that is only resorted to in the
most urgent cases, and told him what
Fairbanks had done. Fairbanks incl
dentally has been talked of as presi.
Dental possibility.
: That afternoon q message from the
president of the United States reached
: congress recommending that $500, 00O
instead of paltry 100000 be appro.
priated. OF course Fairbanks 100000
was enough, but
When the American naval and ma.
rine officers of the Chicago were ar,
rested in Italy, there was queer
I apathy on the part of the government
: The secretary of the navy was waiting
: for the secretary of state, and the sec
y rotary of state did not see where he
: came in anyhow. The American EN-
bassador to Italy was not particularly
active either.
u Things had gone along this way fol
+ 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 dip
> lomatic correspondence that rests IL
) the archives of the state department.:
Dear Hay-What is Meyer doing? 1t seen,
e T.R.
e Secretary Hay "sat up in his chail
n when he got that note. Meyer wa.
+ jolted by cable, and the officers wer,
a out of Jail in a mighty short time.
The other day at the Rochambeal
r unwilling the president stood in tn,
r gmelight during the entire programme
h He sent cavalryman Gathering up tn,
4 avenue to hurry up the parade. Whel
l. | 10 To II I,n .l,~
l. Bingham, "Hey, Bingham, don't lie