The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-18

100000 $4,000"
He joined Captain Henry v. Lawton's
command, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, the
night of July 4, 1885. At daybreak the
next morning he went with Lawton's
expedition to capture Geronimo's
Apaches. Returned nineteen months
later, Geronimo prisoner. Lawton and
Wood were the only officers who stayed
from start to finish.
Congress gave Wood a medal of
honor
General Nelson Miles report said of
Wood: Assistant Surgeon Wood who
accompanied LaWton's command from
the beginning to the end not only full
filled the duties of his profession in his
skillful attention to disa bled officers and
soldiers, but at times satisfactorily per
formed the duties of a line officer. Dur
ing this whole extra ordinary march by
his example of physical endurance he
greatly encouraged the others, having
voluntarily made many of the longest
! and most difficult marches on foot"
Hardly a month later General Miles
gave Wood, the medical officer, COM
mand of eight picked men and told him
to go after Apaches escaped into Mex
leo. This expedition covered 1000 miles
in pursuit, over the widest country in
America.
Those were the first two years of
army life for young man who had
planned to practice medicine in Boston.
In the war with Spain he was ap-
pointed colonel of the First United
States volunteer cavalry ("Rough
Riders y This. at request of Theodore
Roosevelt, who took the lieutenant col
onelcy, believing himself not prepared to
take full command. Wood and Roose-
velt met for the first time the year
before.
For gallant conduct at Las Guasimas
and San Juan hill Wood was promoted
to be brigadier general of volunteers.
On July IT, 1898, he was appointed
military governor of Santiago; then
the city had $4,000 inha bitants with
$4,000 sick, 5000 of these with smallpox.
The death rate was 200 a day. The
streets and alleys had not been cleaned
for 300 years.
The province had always been the
center of the insurrection of Spain,
and bush fighting was the only exist
ence portion of the people knew.
Two months later Leonard Woods
administration had reduced the small
pox cases to 1,400; by the first of the
year, five months after he took COM
mand, the streets and alleys had been
ago, once a city of filth and disease,
had become fairly healthful. A school
system had been established and courts
organized; a people discontented and
| lawless had become orderly.
With the ordinary resources Woods S
provincial government paid all it's ex-
penses for that period and turned $22S,-
900 into the treasury for road improve
ments.
In 1897 Wood, who has no income
other than his pay, was offered the
presidency of the street railways of
! Washington, at a salary of $685. a
year. President Mckinley and Secre-
tary Root asked him to decline it and
to be military governor of Cuba, to
succeed General Brooke.
General Brooke was in command of
the volunteers concentration camp at
Chickamauga park, in the summer of
1898.
In 1901 Wood was appointed brigadier
general, regular army, by President
| Mckinley, and the nomination was
confirmed by the senate. He was mill
tary governor of Cuba until May. 1902.
In Woods administration Rathbone,
Neeley and others, American civil Off
/ GERS in Havana, were convicted of rob
| bing the Cuban government. Rathbone
was director of posts and came from
! Ohio. These men were found guilty OF
| violating one of the very first trusts
American officials had been placed over
in Cuba. Rathbone and Neeley we're
each sentenced to ten years ilnpris-
onment and fine. They were pardoned
through the Cuban congress which
passed a general amnesty act Hberat-
! ing all Americans imprisoned in Cuba
When Wood returned to the United
! States he left all Cuba as clean and as
contented as he had made Santiago.
| There were as many school houses OF
| the island. it has been said, as there
were school children before the Amer
leans came.
Through the promotion of men above
| him Wood became ranking brigldiec
! general of the army last July. Presi-
| dent Roosevelt nominated him to be j
major general, the next natural step
| in promotion. His confirmation was
| opposed 8 the senate His principal
| opponent-on the surface-was Eath-
| bone, the Ohio man who was convicted
and pardoned- Another was Major