The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-25
WOOD WRITES "YALE MAN"
DIR. HORACE FLETCHER GIVES
 OUT 4 LETTER.

The General Discusses the BsIIairs Matt ter-DecIares He Was a Reliable Man
 as He Knew HIm-FIetcher Not con- to Professor ChIttenden for Time. New York. Dec. 24.-The Commercial Advertiser to-day prints the following:
 The following letter from General Leonard Wood. as it's date line shows, was written to Dr. Horace Fletcher of Yale university from Cairo last sum- mer. when General Wood was on his way to the Philippines. Dr. Fletcher was at the time in Venice, and had been for several weeks previously in inti- mate daily intercourse with the general. When the newspaper charges against the latter in connection with the Bel lairs matter came to Dr. Fletcher's at- tention, he sent them to General Wood and received in reply the letter herewith printed: @...t s> Cairo, May 12, 1903. Dear Mir. Fletcher: I received your enclosure about the Bellairs matter I have not given the newspaper people anything on the subject, as it was such an outrageous lie that it could not prop erly receive from me the attention indi- cated by denial. You can use the fol- lowing as ill your judgment seems best when you reach the United States It should, believe, be used in such a way as to kill any effect which the lies cir culated may have created. BelIairs presented himself to me in Santiago in the fall of '98 with the usual letter of in troduction, etc. etc, which the Asso- ciated Press gives it's duly accredited agents. He became an intimate friend of the British consul, MT. Robert Mason, and was we'll received everywhere. In the spring of '99 he was promoted to Havana, not at my request or sugges- tion. direct or indirect, as I remember 1t. His conduct in Santiago was thor. ougfily creditable. and he was trust worthy and reliable as newspaper
 
 me, or as far as I know, from any one. While in Havana he made many warm friends among the army officers, including so far as know, nearly all of them. After my transfer to Havana as governor of the whole island, in De- cember, 1899, Bellairs continued on duty, should say. about five months. and was then sent to China and the Philip- pines, not at my suggestion or request, directly or indirectly. I was sorry to have him go. as we all liked him, and found him reliable In the Phillipines ! Bellairs was believer in military gov- ernment instead of civil, and apparently l wrote accordingly, and, if course,trouble with the civil government in the way of loss of friendly relations followed. Af- ter Bellai.s left Havana ugly rumors about him began to be circulated. They came almost entirely from number of men who did not like him, and on in- vestigation nothing definite was found. heard from him very seldom, and he said little or nothing about conditions 1 there.
 The long and short of the whole thing | is that in Cuban and the East (China, etc.) Bellairs' conduct was such as to win for him the confidence and good will of almost all our officers. He never mixed much in society, but saw more of men. If he had a bad past he was cer- tainly trying to bury it. Finally some one published what Durports to be a story of Bellairs' past and points out that he was my particular friend, and l that sent him to China, and that his attitude toward the civil government was at my suggestion, and that was working to relieve Taft, etc, etc-con- clusions as false as they are childish and silly. Who started the thing no one knows. bu. doubtless some of the peo- pie had to handle without gloves dur ing my stay in Cuba. It was far-fetch- ed and dishonest, and intended to create trouble. This is the whole story. Bellairs was in no way especially inti- mate with me or my family-that is to say, don't think that in all his Cuban service he WAS at my table more than three. or at most. four times.
 saw him daily, as did the Sun man, and gave them such news as could. They were treated exactly alike. Bel lairs was president of the Jockey club, gave small dinners, etc., but went little into the families of officers. He could, had he wished. but did not. General i Chaffee and General Humphrey and others thought we'll of him in the East, and he was 8 guest of the officers mess i in China, and was the house guest of St. Clarke, son-in-law of Bishop Potter, when he visited Washington last win- ter. So you can see how he stood. None knew anything of his past, and can hardly credit it as it it, and believe there must be some mistake. These facts will, think, make it possible for you to state the matter clearly. I en- close letter to MT. Root, which hope you will use. Drop me line at Singa- pore. T shall get it on my way to or from Batavia (Java).
 My best regards to Mrs. Fletcher and your daughter and her husband. Sim cerely yours, ...- .-.; .~1' (Signed) Leonard Wood. i P. S.-In Havana Bellairs was well come at the home of the British consul general (the present minister to Great 1 Britain and Cuba). Again it seems odd 1 that a man who is charged with seven years in the Florida prison should have selected Havana. which is always full of Florida people, as a place of business. Is he has bad past it will be sur- 1 tn oJ1 of rxyI,n 1yy, nrxy hiy,, D,,4