The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-03-19
EVANS DESERVES
SOBRlQUET OF
FIGHTING BOB

aOo
ley d. Evans, Rear Admiral command
ing the Atlantic feet, stands at the
head of the Rear Admiral list, and II
outranked in the active list only by
| Admiral Dewey, He has been in com
mand of the Atlantic feet since jun
81, 1905.
Evans has been possessed of a fight
ing spirit since the time he was a ho5
Of 10; he had the chance coveted by
so many boys of fighting Indians, am
was wounded with a read arrow that
drew real blood The interest of his
career has continued down to the pres
ent. 1t was Captain Bob's ship that
fred the first shot at Cervera' s feet
as it made It's mad rush from the har-
Dor at Santiago for safety.
lie is y~irglnian by birth, and his
blood is q mixtureof English and
Welsh. Sixty years ago he saw the
light of dawn among the mountains ut
Floyd county. He had a black NANNY
for a nurse and at the age of six ne
owned a gun, a dog, a pony and a ne
gro boy. To complete his boyish bliss
he learned to chew tobacco and smoke
with all the vim OF a "Little Bree-
ehes.'
His father, a country doctor, dying
Bob went to Washington and lived
with his uncle Three years later ne
attracted the attention of one of the
territorial delegates from Utah, who
offered to send him to Annapolis #
he would first so to Utah and become
a resident there. That was in 1859.
Thus at the age of IL lie travelled to
st. Joseph, Missouri, alone, and from
that point with a party of five he
er, ssed the plains. Mounted on a large
gray mule the future senior admiral
of the American navy went into the
wilderness He helped to hunt but
falo and was IN several exciting fights.
In 1860 he was on the frigate Con
stitution as a midshipman. Then came
the Civil war. Bob's mother was pas
sionately devoted to the southern
cause. Bop's brother put on the Con,
federate gray and went to the front.
But Bob, only Is years Of age, had a
mind of his own, and rejected his
mother S entreaties. In desperation,
his mother wrote cut his resignation
herself and sent it without his knowl-
edge to the Secretary of the Navy. It
was accepted, but Bob, when he heard
Or it, sent a telegram to Washington
that secured his reinstatement, and he
and his brother fought on opposing
sides to the end of the war and both
succeeding in getting badly wounded.
1t was in the attack on Fort Fisher
that Midshipman Evans was shot. He
was hit three times before he fell. He
was sho. again as he lay in the sand
and saw the sharpshooter getting his
gun ready for a fifth. He addressed
4 few emphatic remarks TO the sharp
Finding that this had no eff
feet, he tried sharpshooting himself,
md this ended the matter.
While in the hospital he heard a sur
instruct tine assistant ia take
IN both his legs in the morning. Bob
a loaded revolver under his
,illo wand waited with set teeth for
he morning. He was only IS and he
cit that he had use for those legs.
When the assistant came to make the
for the eperation, Bob
'ulied the revolver from under hisd
pulled the revolver from under his pill
low and told the doctor that he had
tx cartridges and that if anyone en-
cred the room with a set of instrn
someone would be killed before
he operation began Pie leDs wee
aved.
The sobriquet of "'Fighting Bob
bus seemed to have been merited early
a his career. But il did not come TO
i'm until 1891. when, az commander
t the giant gunboat Yorktown. he
as sent to Valparaiso to assist Can
ain Schley of the Baltimore in =
racus which the latter's man had got
ITO with the natives Of hill. Evans
t one time, during the absence OF the
baltimore. faced with his sinole gun
cat the ten forts and the wrote
hilean squadron. and twice cowed the
with the threat To opea FIRE
fith0rt further parley, thus prevent.
AZ the flag from further insui. ana
the forcIbie seizure Of the
.merican refugees, who had taken ref.
&c under MS flag.
Bob Evans is grafr and abrupt
nd is gifted witha vocabulary of bill
.Ngsgate that would shrtxy, YOU M
al lie make you the objoct of one If
IS verbal eastigations The Admiral
. 40 parleY warFior. lie would much
ather lead q fleet INTO trouble than
. stay 1T home and lead a cotillion.
n. II there IS anything in the charac-
~ of men. Bob Evans is following
he liue To which he "a hest suited 10.
md. ike a chin of the old block his
son. Lieutenant frank Taylor Evaas.
$ following these very same lines