Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-06-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent !

From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, June 10Th, 1907.
With the President out of town and
Che number of political visitors conse-
quently and increasingl y diminishing,
there is a dearth of political talk for
the time being at least. The announce
ment received this week that Secretary
Taft had been taken suddenly and seri
ously i'll at 81. Paul on his western trip,
created uneasiness at the War Depart
ment. There is intense interest taken
there very naturally in the Secretary
as a presidential possibility and the
news Of his collapse in st. Paul was a
great shock, especially as during the
whole of his term both in Washington
and the Philippines he has shown the
most rugged constitution and was the
last man in the Department who was
expected to give way physically. The
latest news is that accounts of his ill
ness have been exaggerated.
The Brownsville inquiry has been
dragging along at the Capital and it
cannot be said that there is much more
light on the mysterious events of last
August than there was when the in
quiry first opened. There has been
cloud of witnesses on both sides and
they have fatty contradicted each
other, even the army officers being
divided as to the guilt or innocence of
the men, though there was more un-
animity of opinion among the civilian
witnesses that the soldiers of the 25th
were guilty of shooting up the town.
One of the most entertaining wit
nesses of the whole hearing was on this
week. He was Gen. Andrew S. Burt,
retired, who had been for ten years
colonel of the 25th. He came princi.
pally to testify to the general good
character of the soldiers as he had
known them and to say that Mingo
Sanders in particular was in his opin-
ion entirely innocent both in know
ledge and deed. Only those who are
familiar with the negro in his confiden-
5ial relations with his white officers in
whom he really trusts can know Just
what sort of weight must be given to
Mingo's private assurance to his old
Colonel that he knew absolutely moth
ing about the whole affair.
Gen. Burt is Andrew S. on the army
register, but he is known all over the
country and especially in the west as
Andy" and the bulk of his acquaint-
ances probably would hardly know
MIN by his longer and more dignified
name. lie has always been great ad-
vocate of athletics among the soldiers
and organized the first regular army
base ball team, He used to play on it
TOO when occasion arose and one of the
stories concerning him was when he
was the Colonel of the 25th and helped
20 fill gap on the enlisted mems team.
se batted with the best of them and
when he was coming home as fast as
his short legs could carry him for the
winning run Of the game, an old negro
sargeant coaching from the side lines
jumped up and down and yelled in
clarion tones, "Run, Andy, run, Come
on you Blankety blank, blank bow
legged son of gun, Runp'
lad "Andy'' did run and won out
On phenomenal slide for home. He
got tup and brushed the dirt off his ball
clothes and they said quietly to the SER
geant. 81 can scarcely blame you Ser
geant for your remarks in the excite
ment of the game. But kindly remem-
ber not to let them occur elsewhereu
That was all the notice he ever took
OF the incident and made no reference
TO it officially. And the enlisted men
Thought all the more ofhim for it, He
never had the least trouble with the
unruly 25th and it is only natural he
should speak good word for them.