The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-27
GEN. BELL FETED
BY SALT LAKERS.
Says Lack of Space initiates
Against Possible Brigade
Post Here.
REGIMENTAL POST ASSURED
TOASTED AT COMMERCIAL CLUB
AND AT RECEPTION.

| MAJOR General j. Franklin Bell. chief OF
staff of the United States army. spent
yesterday in Salt Lake and left the city
at midnight for Boise Ida in continual
ton Of his trip of inspection OF the army
posts of the country Before he left he
gave every assurance that not only would
Fort Douglas be enlarged to a regimentaf
post. but that it would be enlarged at
once.
After his hard day upon the train yes
terday, which the general at the hour of
his departure still claimed had failed To-
put nm IN bad humor he arose at an
hOur which would nave proven decidedly
! dangerous for him i'm the PHILIPPINES
Several gentlemen were waiting for him
when he got down to the knutsfOrd lobby
az clock Among them was Captain
bFOokeS from Fort Douglas. who had been
sent by Colonel Lockwood with an auto
mobile TO take the general to the post.
Brigade Post Idea Doomed.
He was. however. promptly taken in
hand by William J. HallOran. president IF
the Commercial club and the head of the
prlSade post movement. General Bell ami
Mr. HallOran had it hot and heavy in
the generals room. number sos, for about
TWO hours. At the end of the interview.
during which Captain Brookes had 10
telephone from time to time 10 Fort Doug
las not to keep the troops waiting in the
rain for the general, Mr.. HalIOran was
victorious and the general at last con-
scented TO listen to a select corps of dem
OnStrdterS Of Salt Lakes value as "A mill
tary center at the Commercial club i'm
the evening Mr. HallOran then left with
a triumphant smile on his face and Gen
eral Bell. with his aide, Captain Davis,
and Captain BrOOkes took the auto for
Fort Douglas
All three officers were dressed in the
new army undress uniform of olive dran
and wore their swords. A small crowd
of Interested spectators gathered in the
lobby of the hotel and on the sidewalk
Among them was an old Kentucky friend
of General Bell. Major Wilkes of this
city. with whom the general stopped u
chat for some few minutes.
Waiting at the Fort.
And in the meantime Fort Douglas vas
waiting pdtlenty-sOldiers always have TO
wait patiently. When Captain BroOkes
first entered the hotel he was quite wor-
ried, fearing ne was not on time, as he
was due at 9;l5 O'Clock. and one of the
clocks said 9:13 and the other 9:16 and his
watch g:l4 As the various DELAYS were
not over until about IL O'Clock. he had
lots of time to recover from mis- appre-
tensions
At the fort the general ceased to be
the chief Of staff of the army and turned
nlmSeh into combination Sherlock
Holmes and Seeing Fort Douglas Tour
list Between 1850 and l O'Clock, at
which hour he lunched with Colonel and
Mrs. Lockwood he asked, according to
actual count, 3i5 questions. Colonel Lock
q
Woodruff answered them as best they
could in the interest of the increased es-
adjustment for Fort Douglas for which
they are among most efficient and en-
thusastic boosters and the generals ideas
on the subject began to broaden. From
the moment he left his hotel in the morn
ing until he took the train at night there
was not a moment in which he was not
talked brigade post. At first II seemed to
strike him as a remarkable piece of nerve
on the part of Salt Lake and Fort Douglas
to appear on the scene at this hour as a
candidate for SO important a position on
the United States military map. but later
on he caught some of the enthusiasm
himself General Bell is a cautious man.
and does not wish to commit himself as
to what he viii recommend. but not only
at che fort during the morning and FORE
noon. but during the entire day and up To
could be construed into meaning that the
fort not n proper place for brigade
post except that it was deficient in land
for maneuver purposes.
Reviews the Troops.
II had not been the intention Of Cen
sral Bell to have a review of the trOODs
at Douglas in formal military style. but
Colonel Lockwood, whose last opportunity
L was to command a regiment in the ac-
i've service, had his Way and turned ont
his soldiers for his old cOmrade in arms.
An interesting feature of the review was
hat after the general parade, General
Bell called out the first Sergeauts Of the
companies and gave them a long talk. in
which he referred to their great impOr-
ance in the military scheme and told
hem of his efforts to obtain for them
rom congress adequate pay for their
ervices- This is a favOrite subject Of
General Bells, and was further brought
o prominence by the information he re-
eived from Colonel Lockwood that at
Continued on,Psue &