The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-05-02
CURRY, THE FEARLESS
A Veterans Tribute to New Mex
co.'s Governor.
HIS EXPLOITS III PHILIPPINES.

the ippinea-Fow Ho DID Some
Accommodating For Himself.
."That's n characteristic Roosevelt
trick" remarked II veteran Of the Pull
ippine insurrcction when he heard or
the appointment of Captain George
Curry, governor of Samar province, to-
be governor of the territory of New
Mexico, writes Washington corre-
spondent of the New York Post. The
announcement of Curry's elevation to
the governorship Of territory came
without any warning, and 1t was sald
at the White House that probably no
one would be more surprised than Cap
tain Curry, to whom news of his ap-
pointment was eabl sl recently.
1.-The new governor of Mexico does
not know the meaning of the word
fear" continued the veteran. Things
that would frighten even brave man
merely make Curry's little blue eyes
twinkle the faster Some people wear
their years we'll; some badly. Curry
does not wear his at all. You never
think how old he is. You often wonder
how young he may be. l have known
him long time, but l never thought
of his age until you asked. He has
lived probably forty-dye years.
"Curry was at one time sheriff OF
county In Arizona. He Is western
born and brought up, and there Is no
better type of that section of country.
He was q captain in the rough riders.
but he had the hard luck to belong to
that battalion which was left behind
and did not get to the front. He did
not get to Cuba, and it was about the
hardest lick Curry ever had. When
In the rough riders he had the promise
of his colonel's assistance and was
thereby enabled to get second lieu
tenancy In the Eleventh cavalry. He
rated captaincy, but that was not to
be had, so Curry he took the Job at
hand. He went to the Philippines
with that regiment, expecting to see
some fun. He received another dis
appointment when he was placed In
charge of the regimental pack train,
but it was always Curry's way to do
the days work, whether the work was
to his liking or not
"The Eleventh cavalry was attached
to General Bates division, which was
at that time engaged In the occupation
Of Cavite and Batangas provinces.
Jack Hayes was lieutenant colonel
of the Fourth cavalry. The volunteers
and the regulars set out from two
a;,,tc mil vi tn n
across the island and stretch line into
which General Wheaton was to drive
| the enemy Curry was In charge of
one pack train, and the other was
made up of regulars. The line of
| march taken by the volunteers was as
rough a bit OF hiking as ever fell to q
soldiers lot in the islands. 1t took
them over six streams and through
many gorges from 300 to 500 feet high
The volunteers got ahead. Every even
| ing the head of the column halted, for
after q little brush with the Filipinos
| and before the march was taken up
again the tinkle Of the bell mare of
distance, and he was right with us
ready for the start the next day.
1.-THE race was kept up with the vol
unteers In the lead until In crossing the
last gorge one Of the mules Of Curry's
pack train slipped and broke its neck.
Instead of abandoning that pack Cap
tain Curry unpacked the mule and man
handled the pack out to the top Of the
gorge, but he could not overtake the
regiment for night had come. He or
dered his mules unpacked and made n
breastworks of the packs outside the
mules, and Curry and his men, armed
only with six shooters-there was not a
carbine In the bunch-sat there the
night through before big blazing
| fire shouting and yelling themselves
hoarse, hourly expecting to be rushed
by the natives any moment, but en-
deavoring to frighten them away by
making enough noise for regiment.
The pack train overlook the regiment
in the town the next day. Hayes got
In with his men about 0 O'Clock, but
| the pack train in charge of the regu-
lars did not arrive for two days.
characteristic of the man was his
comment TO his commanding officer
when he arrived: i would be obliged
sir, If you would issue some carbinea
to me and my men the next time we
start on hike. We might have lit
| tie trouble in handling the situation II
we were attacked and had only six
shooters"
Since then Curry has been In the
| thick Of many fight, and when peace
came he was In the customs service IN
| Manila for a time and later was ap
pointed governor of Samar. He was
| lost for awhile last year when he went
out with some schoolteachers to con
duct negotiations with the natives, and
| the party was attacked by insurrectors
When the party returned Governor
Curry was missing. He turned NJ
some time later. When the attack
| came he had jumped into the river and
| ducked out of sight on the other side
and set about accommodating for him
| self to find out who the trouble makers
were Later he turned up and went
down with the troops to restore order.
| The president has never forgotten