The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-31
"FTGHrING BOB" EVANS
Iakcs Drink When He Feels Like II.
CusseS Some and Plays Poker.
rights and Hates Hypocrisy.

writer speaking of Admira
EVans. says in part: Evans earned
his title of Fighting Bob as a boy
whipping all the bullies in the schools
he attended. He wits appointed : 10
the Naval Academy from Utah, Sep
temher 20, 1860, and was promoted
| TO ensign on October ]. 1863. on the
sloop Powhatan. He was in both at
tacks on Fort Fisher. January Is,
1865, and in the land attack on the
fort received two severe rifle shot
wounds which left him lame for life.
He served on various ships at navy
on yards or on boarsd until 1892, when
he was commissioned captain and
took command of the cruiser New
York, with which he quieted hostile
Chile when it was in a belligerenr
mood ana considering making war on
the United States.
It was while he was in Chilean wa
ters that he perDetrated one OF those
fOrCefUi and prorane remarks for
which he is famous. The Chilean tor
pedo boats, by way of practice. cruis-
ed abo11t Evans cruiser, evidently see
ing how close they could go without
actually touching. These manOeuVers
were wearing on the sensitive nerves
of CAPTAIN Evans. who sent word to
the Chilean officer to keep his d-n
torpedo boats at a distance The
replied that the waters of Valparaiso
harl;or belonged to Chile and that he
would use them as he saw fit.
Very Well" the irate Evans fired
back. but | will have, you know,
sir, that this cruiser belongs to the
government of the United States, and
if the paint on it is scratched, hell
will smell Of garlic"
That ended the n1anoeuVres of the
hn n r0
deciding that it might be just as we'll
not % risk scratching the paint on
the cruiser of the angry "American
pig" who couldn't appreciate bit Of
harmless fun.
If ne had had his way the Span
lar1S would have been driven from
Cuba long before that act was finally
accomplished. During the admins
tration of President Cleveland, he ap-
piled to the secretary of the navy for
permission 90 make Cuba free. Just
turn me loose for a little while with
battleship or two and few cru1s-
ers," begged Evans. "and [ Will guar
antee that Spanish will be the only
language spoken in he'll for the next
six months" This offer was refused,
but later. when the Spanish-Amert-
can war broke out, he was afforded
an opportunity for aiding in the GUST
ing Of the Spaniards. He command
ed the Iowa during the war and he
was under fire five different times.
While there are few more strict
discjplinarians that "Fighting Bob,
few officers are able 20 inspire great
er love and respect Il, the hearts or
tho men under them. The Fighting
admiral drinks intoxicants in mod
Grafton and is not indisrosed to a So
cial game of draw uoker. He deteSts
bvrrocrisv and or several occasions,
when weIl-meaning churchmen at
tempted to regulate the morals or
himself and his men he expressed his
opinions in language more forceiul
than polite. When the GOdly men
and women of a Massachusetts sea-
port, where the Atlantic fleet was an
chOred. protested because the sailor
boys were allowed to play baseball
on Sunday, Evans politely told them
that their own town was not the OnIy
one on the map and that he could
take his ship elsewhere. That set
tied the Sunday crusade in that VII
lage.
II one of his men is insulted or
abused while on shore leave, and the
admiral is convinced that his COM
plaint is a just one, ne sees that two
or three score husky seamen are
given shore leave to adjudicate the
matter. If they return smiling, trl-
uInphant but slightly battered. the
admiral overlooks their condition
E,SphanCo