The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-02-28
No Double Stumps For Him.

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 off in the
morning" he heard the chief surgeon
order. That night the eighteen-year-old
boy did some serious thinking. He
was too young to spend the rest of his
Hfe-he might live long while-on
double stumps. He resolved that he
wouldn't do it; he would die first.
When the doctors entered the ward
next morning and gently explained to
him how serious knee wounds We're he
Informed them that he had overheard
the order to cut off both his legs.
"And I won't permit it," declared the
young ensign. -: !
"But you know" said the doctor to
whom the instructions had been given,
I'VE must obey orders"
Evans reached under his pillow and
brought forth his big "navy."
There are just six bullets in that"
he said. ''The moment see you fel.
lows entering that door with anything
that looks like surgical instruments I'll
begin firing, and I'll kill six of you as
sure as shooting"
In1s 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
hfe," he gratefully acknowledged, ito
the wife and little daughter Of the
very doctor whom 1 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
zeal 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
ne could not walk without crutches,
and a man on clutches, to be sure, is
not OF much use aboard warship.
Evans induced distinguished surgeon
to break his leg over again and let it
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
ncer in the navy. Then he made a
light for reinstatement, congress pass
ed special bill restoring him to the
navy, and he was promoted thirty
| numbers.
Bluffed Bashaw of Tripoli.
Nearly everybody is familiar with
the spunky attitude Of Evans in the
harbor of Valparaiso, Chile, In 1891,
when, as commander Of the gunbpat
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
ller IN his career is not so we'll known.
In 1915 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. Ey-
ans was sent ashore to request the
bashaw to make amends. The latter re-
FUSED. Then the characteristic flight
~
and emitted fire, smoke and lava in a
linguistic sense. The American officer
told his dignity, the bashaw of Tripoli,
that If he didn't fire a salute of a hun
dred guns to the American flag at once
there wouldn't be enough left Of his
city TO make respectable mosque.
This was what poker players would
call blutf, for Evans was not in COM
mand of the ship. However, the ba-
shaw Wllted 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
chet VINO knew how to tickle the eplcu-
rean palate, and he invited the United
States naval officers to be his guests at
a 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. Al
sloop commanded by 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 be
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 it.
Polite remonstrance availed not. Ey.
ans was more amused than angry. He
picked up a big blubber fish, pasty |
thing like jellyfish, soft and slippery, |
and, after swinging it around his head
struck the skipper full in the face. The