The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-23
WOMEN INVOLVED
IN THE WOOD CASE,
social AntaSOnism Between Mrs.
Wood and Mrs. RathbOne in Havana.


By r. NJ. Larner.
Washington, Nov. 22.-Gen. Leonard
Wood, of the army, is again prom
inently before the official world of
washington by the struggle in pro-
eress to prevent his confirmation
There is an installment of this strug-
gle almost daily in the little room
of the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs, where the ceiling and upper
walls are beautifully frescoed with
scenes from Valley Forge, Lexington,
and other fields famous in the Rev
olution. Senator Hanna is arrayed
against Senator Foraker, the first OPP
posing Wood, the second championing
him. 1t is something of an Ohio fight
a. well as an army fight.
Cosby stories are numerous on the
inside, but 1t is almost the universal
opinion that Gen. Wood will be con-
f1rmed. 1t is almost as universally
agreed, except among Gen, Woods
intimate friends, that he has done
things during his army career, which
he had better have left undone. The
acceptance of costly presents, when
governor general of Cuba, was not dis
Greet and has furnished his enemies
with material for an aggressive cam
paign.
Pacing back and forth in the corri-
doris in the basement of the Senate wing
these days, one often sees a we'll
rounded form of a man in middle life
He has a big, round head and looks
a good. natured fellow. That is Maj
Estes G. Rathbone, who has been
given a hearing, through the interior
ence in his behalf of Senator Hanna.
Rathbone'S name is almost as we'll
known in the country as Hannas but
in a decidedly more unfavorable way.
He was postmaster at Havana and con-
victed of Incorporating funds while
in office. Rathbone has stuck here
so steadfastly for an opportunity to
vindicate himself that many people of
good judgment credit his story. He
asserts there were others far deeper
in than himself and that he was made
a scapegoat by Gen. Wood.
Gen. Wood did undoubtedly bear
down very hard on Rathbone, what
ever the shortcomings of the latter may
have been and the origin of it is said
to have been in a quarrel between
women. Mrs. Rathbone was very am
bilious socially and is woman of
considerable tact. She got on more
successfully in Havana than Mrs.
Wood, although the latter was sur
palace and should have benefited by
the official prominence of her husband.
Mrs. Wood did not bend very grace
fully to the old established families of
the Cuban Capitol; Mrs. Rathbone did
She mingled gracefully among the
Catholics, for be it remembered most
of the leading society people of that
city are of the Roman Catholic faith
Finally one day the archbishop of
Havana bic 20
Mrs Rathbone to the Cathedral-a
minor courtesy to be sure, but as things
go down there it meant a sure and
lasting social recognition The old
Spanish families forthwith took Mrs.
Rathbone into their most exclusive set.
Mrs. Wood was not so recognized, and
she undertook to retaliate in every pos
sible way that could suggest itself to
resourceful mind. The fem
mime feud proceeded merrily
and Maj. Rathbone finally fell
still another story. which may be
equally authentic or apochripal, is told
here about how Wood received his
promotion to brigadier general a
promotion quite as wonderful in army
circles as the sudden promotion of
Theodore Roosevelt from Assistant
Secretary of the Navy to President of
the United States. 1t is claimed this
promotion was brought about by
clever coup before Mckinley. While
at Havana, Gen Wood, it was alleged
received an offer to become president
OF the Washington Traction Company
In this city at a fancy salary-some-
thing exceeding $4,000 a year. Wood
came to Washington and represented to
Mr.. Mckinley that he regretted ex-
ceedlngly to leave the army, but this
was brilliant offer such as he could
not afford, for the sake of his fam
lily to reject. President Mckinley re-
monstrated with him and asked him
to wait. Then the President talked
with Secretary of War Root. who stout
~ advised the President not to be NOV
ed by any such appeals. Wood had
gone INTO the army, knowing we'll what
was ahead of him. He had no raeson
to complain.
But in the meantime a delegation
from the Washington Traction Com
pany, which happened to include some
very warm PERSONAL friends of Gen.
WOOD, called on the President. They
eXhorted him not to persuade Gen
wood to remain in the army. His
services and executive ability were in
dlspensfble to this big corporation,
which owns some 200 miles of street
railway tracks in and around Wash
ington
If it was a trick, or a coup. it work.
ca successfully. Mr.. Mckinley was
IN way an impressionable man and he
decided to retain Gen. Wood in the
army by promising him a permanent
rank as brigadier. The fact is that
me railway company at the time the
offer was made to Gen. Wood to be-
come its president stood on the verge
OF bankruptcy. A few weeks after the
oner was made, the road had passed
Ihto the hands of a receiver and if
wood had accepted the presidency he
would have soon found himself out in
me cold world. The bankrupt COM
pany never could have afforded TO nav
the salary it offered to the Governor
General of Cuba.