The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-07-31
MRS. AYRES
HITS HARD At
ROOSEVELT


Fairfax Ayres. wife OF Lieut.. Col Ayres.
recently retired by an army board against
his will. has written n letter Ito local
paper, In which. after referring to the
vicious treatment" that he has received
at the hands OF his brother officers"
and even by the president. whose com
mand he saved on the night of July 9,
1898. on San Juan hill" she says:
Capt Ayres. Tenth Cavalry laid out
his rife pits-armed many OF his guns.
The president has said to three different
men since he was made president: If
ever fight again ! hope II will be Under
Major Ayres. lie Is the most splendldly
magnificent man on the battlefield ever
saw. He sits by now silent after all
his professions and promises Those pri-
vate letters were published without my
sanction, but they are true and OF a
most remarkable series OF letters from
Roosevelt which / have and which. for
tunately. l kept. He cannot deny them.
as he did Marie Storer's letter.
THE overcoat incident was the result
OF years OF persecutlon--in fact. II has
been ever since he was so 'conspicuously
gallant on San Juan Hill He then COM
manded the brigade firing line for II days
and nights. composed OF the First and
Tenth United States cavalry and the
Rough Riders.
PREVENTED RETREAT.
1T was the stand Capt Ayres took and
him which prevented our retreat there
after conference OF general officers,
who decided TO retreat, and after the
wagons were run up on top of the hill to
carry off the ammunition. Gen. Joe
Wheeler heard the men cheering Capt.
Ayres. and sent up word, We will hold
these trenches
This gallant officer was the only one
there who did see and say: The town
of Santiago and the Island OF Cuba lie
I'm the bottom of these rifle pits. They
carried off IN a blanket. Men won't you
stay here with me?" They cheered him
wildly. and Sergt. MCGOWAN, OF l. troop.
Tenth cavalry stepped up and said:
Captain, we will stay here with you un-
hell freezes over
Five different officers told me that.
That is the man they have kicked out
and published to the world as having
n deadly malady. There is not a man
in the army today of his age that has
his physique. his perfect health and
energy. Col. Ayres has copies-official
of his orders TO go to the Philippine
Islands to discipline a mob OF officers
mutinous officers-some carousing and
drinking and lighting with officers,
pulling clothing off each other.
Major Charles Newton investigated
charges put against them by Col.
Ayres' predecessors and recommended
they be tried. But Col. Weston did
not wish 10 expose matters and kept
the matter hidden. as he hopes TO COM
mand the division in Woods place. One
of those mutinous officers was Lieut..
William Mccain, Eighth cavalry. who
is the nephew OF Adjt. Gen. Mccain.
who sent Col Ayres a telegram saying
he was retired. collect forty-five cents
-2S words.
TO THE COURTS.
"Col. Ayres was on his way to sec
me when he read In the papers OF his
arbitrary and high handed dealings
with the Officers under him, and that
they had been acquitted, etc. When
they gave IL out at the war depart
ment they did not have the evidence,
and nothing could have induced them
TO open the question.
"The officers who wrote these sour
rilous letters from West Point. which
Supt. Scott sent up under the guise OF
'conidentiar to My dear Gen. Aims
worth never supposing we would see
them. will have to prove before the
courts the truthfulness of their state
ments.
II appealed for protection TO the presi-
dent, and the world knows how he treat
ed me. We are only too glad to be out of
the army, Dut the Sndint " hlCh iihi
out I'm the way they did on $3.50 month.
''Col Ayres went to the adjutant gem
eral and asked him for copies of the In
dorsements OF Gems. Wood and Bliss on
his application a year ago for retirement
with the rank and pay of Brisadier gen
eral They put very handsome indorse-
ment on that paper. Gen. Wood told Col
Ayres so-in effect he should be pro-
NOTED but was too valuable an officer TO
be. retired, especially when he would be
needed II our troops went to China. They
wrote back and declined to give him cop
les OF those Endorsements.
THE point OF the whole West Point con-
troversy was that Lieut.. Col. Howe pri-
vately and publicly accused me or giving
TO the press the 'overcoat Incident; ac-
cused me OF the whole thing, which was
false. | told him his statement was ma
lIcious falsehood and made With the IN
tent to injure me and mine when my
husband was 10000 miles away.
'I wrote the president and Gen. Bell
every word I told him, and asked them
fer protection against his false accusa-
ton They sent Lieut.. Col. Mills, ana ne
whitewashed the whole affair.
VERY sincerely,
"EIIZABETH FAIRFAX AYRES,
'The Grenville Arms. Bay Head N D.