The Globe-republican., 1903-05-21
|capt. Emery et
the INDIANA
Two Sides Of the Popular officers
Character.

The peculIarlties Of Capt. "Bill" Emery,
now commanding the Indiana, are fruit
full source Of gossip in the navy. A
pluckier, more determined, more positive
man never lived, vet he appears to man
kind as languid swell. He lives In q
handsome house In the most aristocratic
quarter Of Washington. On shipboard he
always wears white gloves, generally kid,
and 1t Is a noble sight to see the Captain.
spick and span with one white hand
thrust in his breast, surveying operations
while every one around him Is as grimy
as a sweep.
1t Is recorded Of Capt. Emery that one
day he walked into the bureau of nayl-
cation in search of an officer there. The
young officer in charge said that Capt.
Blank had just gone out
"Oh, dear me! | am very sorry Tor
that said Capt Emery, placing one be-
ringed hand on his breast and speaking
in the slightly affected manner peculiar
to him. do you think he has gone to
the club?" ~.
Eyes, SIR said the lieutenant, Il know
he has. Just as he was going out ne
said he was going there" :,
"Oh. indeed Do you think ! could
catch him II 7 walked up in the direction
of the club?'
IT think so, SIR" -.
"You are sure he went there?' said
Capt. Emery, turning to 60.
There's no mistake possible, sir. He
told ma Just as he went out that he was
going up to the Army and Navy club"
Capt. Emery was in the act Of going
out As he heard these words he paused.
turned around, and said In a perplexed
manner.
"Oh I must have misunderstood you
l thought YOU said he had gone to tine
club"
For Capt Emery there was only one
club, and that was the swell Metro
politan club, which has Just refused to
admit famous army officer who was
Endorsed by President Roosevelt.
So much for one side Of the character
Of the captain Of the Indiana, Lest any
over-hasty reader should misjudge the
captain, here is another story, equally
well authenticated:
When the Petrol, Capt. Emery com
manding, was In Asiatic waters, the
American officers foregathered on an O.
casion with the officers Of the flagship
of Russian fleet which was also In those
parts. The Russians amiably endeavored
to fill the Americans as full of things to
eat and drink as possible, and in due
course 1t fell to the Americans to return
the compliment, The Russians came to
the Petrol, and the Americans outdidl
their former hosts In fact, so plentiful
was the good cheer that when the Rus
slams started to leave one or two OF them
were not quite sure whether they were
going or coming.
A young Russian officer, In hazy but
happy condition, stumbled and came near
going over the side head first. A young
American paymaster, Bowen by name,
reached out and caught him. The over
stimulated Russian. too far gone to I'M
derstand the motive for the kindly action,
construed 1t as an assault, drew knife,
and slit the paymaster's uniform from
breast to waist But for backward step
something else besides the uniform would
have been slit.
The American sprang forward, but their
friends separated the two men, and the
Russian was hurried aboard his ship. The
friends of the young American officer be-
gan to give him bad advice. They told
him that as he had been lnsulted In the
presence of all the Russian officers, those
officers would certainly regard him as a
coward unless he sent challenge.
The paymaster was good deal
troubled. He knew it was against the
regulations to fight duel and he might
be dismissed from the navy. At the same
time he did not want to be regarded as
a coward, and the Russians might think
that pleading the regulations was a mere
excuse. In the morning, still undecided,
he determined to take the captains adj
vice.
He went to the cabin and found the
captain spick and span as ever. He told
the whole story, and asked fer Emery's
advice. The captain heard him through
without interruption, and then said, In
the same precise and genteel manner in
which he had asked about "the club"
"You did very well to come to me- Mr..
Bowen. Please do nothing further in the
case until | send for you"
! Capt. Emery then sent letter to the
captain of the Russian ship, in which he
recounted the circumstances, and request
ed in courteous language that the young
Russian officer be sent aboard his ship
with instruction to apologize to the pay
master.
Back came letter from the Russian
captain expressing his regret at being un-
able to oblige Capt Emery in this mat
ter. But the fact was that the young
officer was nephew of the Russian ad-
miral and Under the circumstances
Capt. Emery could see how difficult, etc.
Capt. Emery sent another note. In it
he said that while the Russian captain
undoubtedly did not intend 1t as such,
his action wa san affront to him, Capt.
Emery. Unless the offending officer
came aboard the Petrol and apologized to
the paymaster for the insult given, he,
Capt, Emery, would be forced to hold the
Russian officer personally responsible,
and would have to ask him for satlsfac-
tion.
The Russian captain sent back note
of apology written by the admirals
nephew in which that young man ex-
pressed regret for the occurrence.
Capt. Emery promptly returned the
note, With t he sent another, saying
that the apology was not satisfactory,
The insult had been given on board the
Petrol, and reparation should be made
on board the Petrol Mr.. Bowens honor
would not be satisfied unless the adj
miral's nephew came aboard the Petrol
and apollgized, that all the paymaster's
brother officers might know that the
apology had been made. In conclusion,
II the admiraps nephew did not do this
Capt. Emery would consider that the
Russian captain intended 1t as an affront
to him. and friend of his would wait
upon the Russian captain at once.
As soon as this letter was delivered
on the Russian ship a boat was sent
over to the Petrol, In It was the adj
miral's nephew, and he apologized to the
paymaster on board the Petrol After
no had gone Capt, Emery sent for the
paymaster and informed him that 1t was
unnecessary for him to do anything more
in the matter.
Of course when this story got around,
the captain was idolized. He had un-
questionably placed himself in grave
danger Of being eolrt-nartialed What
ever moralists might thing of his act,
he had relieved his young subordinate
of the responsibility and the danger
taken it off the boys shoulders" as
his officers said, and put 1t on his own.
lie had come near to violating the regu-
lations himself, and would unquestion-
ably have violated them had the Rus
SLAMS last Communication been Of a DIFF
ferent sort but he had saved "the boy"
from the hard choice Of dishonor on the
one side and dismissal on the other
Washington correspondence New York
Times,