Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-05-30

ports on their way to Cuba, a wild tele-
gram was received I'm Washington say
ing the report that Cervera was bottled
mp In Santiago harbor was not true,
only a few old ships had gone In there
as a ruse to deceive the American fleet.
while the four first-class Spanish cruiS-
FRS were hidden In some bay tof which
.here are any urnbc on the coast of
Euba) and was now en- route westward
20 intercept the transport fleet and blow
VI out of the water. The heaviest ships
Df SIMPSONS fleet were in front of
Santiago and only "A few of the lighter
vessels were doing blockade duty off
Havana. The naval convoy to the army
transport fleet was small. pitifuiiy so.
and when the reported movement of
The Spanish feet reached Washington.
the civilian branch of the war and
navy departments were IN u great state
IF turmoil and tribulation. The report
specifically stated two large Spanish
cruisers presumably the Niscaya M
Almirante Oqucido, were seen the
night before running without lights
westward through the Nicholas chan
mel. Tie United States cruiser Eagle,
l believe II WAS. came INTO Key West
post haste with his news. ii was
quickly t~elegrapiled to Washington and
chen came the order to stop the trans
port fleet and prepare to resist the at
lack of the Spaniards.
All tIt army IlCH Knew tNlS spanish
Hcet was Il myth and probably the re-
suit of an imaginative brain of some
bverworkcd blue Jacket. colonel Cheney
mad received information ON the morn
Ing of juno 3 from one of his men who
was operating in the eastern end of
cuba that Cervera was in Santiago har-
Dor. This mar (an army oiIicer) had
had
counted the four big cruisers ut anchor,
mad sailed around them. read their
names-Niscaya. Oquendo. Colon, and
Maria Teresa. he had seen Admiral
Cervera land. had seen General Toray
receive the admiral and drive up to the
palace. Sampson. alert and vigilant.
with II feet of mighty ships, was out
side the narrow harhor mouth. and
Servera never Gould have run that
blockade without n disastrous light. Be
fore Sampson assumed active nina
Mt Santiago. Cervera could have es-
capped amy hight he chose. but the fact
remains he did not: he was there when
his doom was sealed.
These facts were fully reported to
Washington. but civilian Washington
looked with supreme contempt on Mill
tary and naval Tampa, and the army
fleet came back. and for eight DAYS
more they backed and illei like Il lot
OF sheep. Gradually /; dawned on the
civilian war department that the
threatening ilect was only a phantom.
n on June IA they gave the word ard
the army sailed away.
II is not the purpose or intention oe
this article To 6cal with tire operations
arOund Santiago. although volumes
could be written telling of the ereat
courage and daring OF the American
regular line officer and soldier. of the
hopeless ineiiiciency of army hen,quar-
ters at Santiago until the arrival of
General Miles. 1t might be noted that
the physically veal commander OF the
Santiago army contemplated retreatins
from San Juan hill on Ju.y 4, and being
physically incapacitated from further
active sent fer tie next rank
Ing general and outlined the proposed
retreat. telling the general to assume
That general quietly but
torctbly informed the commander that
IAN American army under his command
would never retreat on tho Fourth of
July. That was the wrong day to be-
gin such n movement" Then the great
president in Washington took hold of
affairs. Reinforcements were hurried
forward; the thin line speeding Owe.
fourteen miles hung on an? Spain was
beaten. II is safe To say, had n retreat
beer ordered the army would have dis
regarded the order. American men and
blood We're spent in taking that Hill:
American men and blood would hold 1t.
Without an order from anyone the
army stormed San Juan hill and. as
n civil war veteran remarked,
They'd hold 1t until hell freezes" And
they would.
Colonel Cheney's part In this cam
paign was conspicuous. He was UNI
der no ones command but was after
information of all kinds. Over at Cnnev
ne saw Chaifee n Lawton lock horns
with Vafa del Rey. and right here
was the hardest fighting of the cam
paign. in the afternoon he was hack
at San Juan and saw the rush up the
NIL. He was In 1t as much as any
soldier. "'
After Miles came and brought oraer
u of chaos. Cheney went with him
Ia Porto Rico. and at the close OF that
campaign &c flowers Colonel Cheney re-
turned to the United States. The pres
iueh, was appreciative OF the work
this quiet man had done and offered
NE. ~ oppoihtiient as a captain and
quartermaster In the then reorganized
United States army; but Cheney de-
clined 1t and. after settling his ac-
counts with the government, babe
soo1ey to red taped o%ficialdom and
tWo days aIferward he walked in his
..a Once IN Chicago and quietly said:
Hello. Jcf.' to his asionished colored
servant.
Good Cawd, kunnel. whah yo' KUN
fr,im" Use shore glad to see yuh."
Cheney took the proffered black
hand: he. too. was glad to see Jeff.
faithful old JEFF.
Lonergan and Guthrie were over
ioycd to see their chief again. Seated
In ~Cheney's old office the three men
had a tchg' visit.
Now. boys. ! told sou when 1 went
10 Washington my active work in
This company was at an end. You fell
lows caa run II and I'll just hang
%4EE
20 got a mental photograph of
20. .,caSfus. a.at.f.u. i.rniled Eoner-
Lrr. "Ycu nes. were much OF a
.ks- r-yJ:. i. :
"T.nt's true. Ed. hut I'm going ia
fin,. a While nOus Ahi.i. M -