Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-30
ROUGH RIDER ESCORT
The Presidents Personal
Guard on Inauguration Day.
REMEMBERS COMRADES
WILL GO OUT TO THEIR REUNION
NEXT MAY.
Receives Many Letters and Appeals
From His Former Associates
Their Odd Nicknames.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
AS soon as the newspapers announced
that the escort of the President of the
United States upon Inauguration day would
consist OF Rough Riders in the panoply of
war nearly all the members of that famous
regiment Who are not in Office or in Jail
Immediately started for Neutrality-suspicious.
on first class tickets. some OH freight trains
some on the trucks of passengers cars
and some on foot The remainder, who are
located mostly in the arid regions, began to
telegraph and write for money and partic-
ulars. 1t is, therefore, considered neces-
sary, well as expedient to advise them
that the inauguration does not take place
until the 4th of March; that there is no
need for rehearsals; that the President is
very busy and cannot devote any time to
the reception of his comrades, and that he
has intrusted the entire matter to Major
Llewellyn of Las Cruces, New Mexico to
whom all correspondence on the subject
should be addressed. 1t is also desired that
every person interested should understand
that full regiment is not expected. The
body guard will be limited to fifty or sixty
picked men, and Major Llewelyn will do
the picking. 1t is not necessary for any
member of the regiment to apply to the
colonel 1t will be considered violation
of military discipline if he does. These an
nouncements are semi-official but the
lighting men of the LIST Regiment of United
States Volunteers are not going to be bluff
ca off in that way. They consider the in
auguration of their colonel a personal
matter, and intend to participate to the ex-
tent of their ability.
Several Rough Riders have already ar
rived in Washington in order to be here in
time for the procession. But they have been
warned from the White HOnSe
eral impostors have also appeared, but they
will not call upon the President a second
time. He has warm affection for the men
of his regiment. He knows them all by
name and by sight, and has kept track of
most of them since the close of the war
He is going out west next May especially
to attend the regimental reunion and renew
his acquaintance. A roster is still kept and
captains of companies make reports con-
corning the whereabouts and circumstances
of their men at each reunion. At the last
meeting one of the captains reported that
curing the year so many or his company
had died with their boots on and two had
been killed by the caving in of a well. There
had been no deaths from natural causes
That is about the way the records run.
Appeals From Old Comrades.
The President also receives good deal of
information direct. Scarcely mail arrives
at the white House without bringing at
least one letter from a comrade in some Sc
James, "Hell-Roaring Bill" "Sheeny Solo
mon," "Tarantula Hank" Starvation
Jim,'' "Beefsteak JOHN Sister Jane"
'Gumshoe Andy" "Beanpole,' Jumbo"
''Moonshine Jim," 1.-The Preacher" Pop
eye Johnnie and other gentlemen commu-
nicate with him frequently, and most of
their letters begin in the same way:
Dear Colonel: I'm in trouble and appeal
to YOU"
And the colonel helps them every time he
although he limits his 10
their military prowess instead of their
morals Not long ago he received a letter
from one of the best fighters in the regi-
ment which was written in quite a differ
ent tone from those he is in the habit of
reading. 1t began:
Dear Colonel: You will be pleased to
learn that l have made a good strike and
have settled down and gone into business
have rented one of the finest places in
town, have fixed it up in a way you'd be
proud of. and the big sign over the door
reads:
'' The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider
Saloonr'
eff any of your friends are coming out
this way l will be glad to see Them
Another of the boys for whom the Presi-
dent has a particular attachment wrote him
last summer for loan of $3.50 to pay a
lawyer to defend him from a charge of vol
untary homicide in the first degree. The
money was promptly forwarded A few
days ago further information of a crafty
ing character was received. The late de-
PENDANT wrote that he had been discharged
from jail and was now cow-punching. His
Indictment had been dismissed because of
the accidental death of the principal wit
ness in scrap in the Dry Gulch Saloon
The money had been received in due time
and he was very grateful He would send
1t back at the earliest opportunity 1t had
not been required to pay the lawyer, but it
mad come very handy in squaring a horse
transaction that had threatened to make
him good deal of trouble
thnr chnryo 1fa-
Dear Colonel: 1 am in serious trouble
and hope you can help me out. Last week
l accidentally killed a. lady. 1 was shoot
ing at my wife and the other lady got in
range" etc, etc.
Remembers Old Days.
The President loves to talk about his
Riders and hasn't forgotten a single incl
dent of his association with them. He saws
that under rough exterior some of those
Irontlersmen were the finest characters in
the land. The regiment was composed of
men or every race and religion, although 90
per cent of them were native born The
last promotions from the ranks to the
grade or second lieutenant before the reei-
ment was mustered out included five nneT,
One was Jew one a Catholic two prof
estants and the last a half-breed Indian
There We're Indian traders ex-sheriffs and
deputy sheriffs, former United States mar
shals and deputy marshals, four New York
policemen and two ordained clergymen of
evangelical denominations in the ranks.
One OF these clergymen, he says, was the
coolest man in the regiment under fire
One day the President remembers to have
seen him sitting behind bomb-proof.
where the shrapnel and the bullets Of the
enemy could touch his hat and frequently
went through 1t, but could not reach him.
He sat there perfectly placid. pounding up
beans for his coffee with the butt Of bis
revolver and every time piece of lead
went through the crown or brim of his
hat he would take it off and eva,,,;na tho
hole.
Best Disciplined Regiment.
Although many of the men were des-
peradoes and most of them had lived in
the open, free from restraint, the disci-
pline of the regiment surpassed that of
any other in the army. and it was aston
ishing how promptly the men would obey
orders and how careful they were in poIic-
ing the camp and keeping guard.
Most of them had nicknames, which were
usually bestowed by their comrades be-
cause of some eccentricity Of character or