Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-28
No Double Stumps For liim.

No Double Stumps For Him.
Some days afterward young Evans
got into the naval hospital at Nor
folk, and there he came very near hav-
ing another fight to save his legs.
When they put him to bed he slipped
his loaded revolver under his pillow.
The surgeons came in and examined
his wounds. Take both legs OF In the
morning. he heard the chief surgeon
order. That night the eighteen-year-olfl
boy did some serious thinking. He
was too young to spend the rest of his
life-he might live a long while on
double stumps. He resolved that he
wouldn't do 1t; he would die first.
When the doctors entered the ward
next morning. and gently explained to
him how serious knee wounds were he
Informed them that he had overheard
the order to cut of both his legs.
"And won't permit 1t, z declared the
young ensign
But You know said the doctor to
whom the instructions had been given,
I'VE must obey orders 3 u
Evans reached under his pillow and
brought forth his big navy
There are just six bullets in that
he said. s'The moment see you fell
lows entering that door with anything
that looks like surgical instruments I'll
begin firing. and Til kill SIX of you as
sure as shooting. 2
This created an uproar, but Evans
saved his legs On account Of his
spunkiness it appears that the doctors
neglected him for the time being, and
he almost died of fever. II owe my
life, |" he gratefully acknowledged. ITO
the wife and little daughter OF the
very doctor whom l made so, mad;
they attended me and brought me
through
But his troubles In connection with
the Fort. Fisher episode were by no
means ended. After Evans was able
to walk about on crutches his name
went up for promotion, and the med
tcal board examined him and recon-
mended his retirement for disability.
Accordingly he was retired. Only
nineteen and his fighting career closed!
No; that was not Fighting Bob's"
way. His right leg was SO stiff that
he could not walk without crutches,
and man on clutches, to be sure, is
not Of much use aboard q warship.
Evans induced distinguished surgeon
to break his leg over again and let 1t
grow at an angle that would permit
him to walk. The operation was sue
cessful, and the youth threw away his
crutches for the lifelong limp which
distinguishes him from every other Of
ficer In the navy. Then he made a
Night for reinstatement, congress pass
ed special bill restoring him to the
navy, and he was promoted thirty
numbers.
Bluffed Bashaw Of Tripoll.
Nearly everybody IS familiar with
the spunky attitude OF Evans in the
harbor of Valparaiso, Chile, SIN 1891.
when, as commander Of the gunboat
Yorktown, surrounded by Chilean war
vessels, he cleared his ship for action
and threatened to fight unless the Chill
cans quit throwing rocks at his sail
ors. "A somewhat similar incident ear
I lier in his career is not SO well known
In 1876 Evans was one Of the officers
on an American cruiser in eastern wa
ters, when the bashaw Of Tripoli In
suited the United States consul. Ev-
ans was sent ashore to request the
bashaW to make amends. The latter re-
fused. Then the characteristic Fight
Ing Bob's" spunk arose to the surface
and emitted fire, smoke and lava In a
linguistic sense. The American officer
told his dignity, the bashaw Of Tripoli.
that lie he didn't fire q salute OF hum
dred guns to the American flag at once
there wouldn't be enough left Of his
city to make q respectable mosque.
This was what poker players would
call bluff, for Evans was not In COM
mand Of the ship. However, the ba-
shaw wilted and kowtowed. He re-
GREETED that he did not have powder
enough to fire the required salute, but
he had plenty OF food and drink and a
chef who knew how to tickle the epicu-
rean palate, and he invited the United
States naval officers to be his guests at
dinner, where he apologized to the
consul and drank to the health Of Pres
ident Grant.
Shortly after the Valparaiso episode
the Yorktown was sent to the Bering
sea to protect American interests
against Canadian seal poachers IA
sloop commanded by a husky Canadian
skipper hove alongside. Commander
Evans was amazed at seeing the skip
per standing on deck, a British flag
wrapped about his body, wildly gestic-
ulating and loudly articulating, as he
pointed to the American flag flying on
the Yorktown. Evans boarded the
sloop and discovered that the Canadian
was cursing the American flag and de-
flying anybody who fought under tt.
Polite remonstrance availed not. Ey-
ans was more amused than angry. He
picked up big biubber fish, pasty
| thing like q Jellyfish, soft and slippery,
and, after swinging 1t around his head,
struck the skipper full IN the face. The
blow knocked the man overheard. At