Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-10-09
From Washington.
correspondence Of the Alexandria Gazette. ]
Washington. Oct. 3.

From washington.
Correspondence Of the Alexandria Gazette
Washington. Oct. 3.
Secretary Root has cancelled bis cam
paien speaking dates With the except'ou
Of one address 10 be delivered in New
York on the night of the 3lst. The
reason given at the republicans is that
MIR. Roots duties as Secretary Of stste
owing to the Bulgaria Turkey situation
have become too pressing TO allow him
to eli his othtr ngfgsmeDt'.
james n. WilkersOu, stsched to the
Office Of District Attorney Sims, at Obi
c 20, has been rendered and has de-
clined the position of Ass slant Attorney
General Of the Department of Justice 10
which Cooley resigned.
TestifyiDg 10 his own behalf before
the army retiring board today, Col. W.
F. Stewart asserted the very next day
after the surgeons st Fort Huachuca
had pronounced him unable to undergo
the 90 mile riding test he went out on
horseback in company with Maj. Foster,
Lieut.. Parker and Chaplain Chase Of
The Fifth cavalry. He added that foI
some time after that he rode every after
noon in company with Chaplain Chase
from s to IA miles. On one occasion
they went 5 IL miles from the post,
aud covered the return trip in 20 min
utes, walking their horses the last mile
10 order to let them cool of. TIE
Colonel stated that he had been In the
service Al years, ten months and nine
DAYS. So far IS be knew, only four
officers now on the active list have ex-
ceeded this record. Speaking OF his
health, Col. Stewart said: SIN 1868 |
was examined for insurance, was found
t. be in good condition, and was al
lowed to take ont policy for $40, 600.
first Iesrned of an affection of my heart
in 1874, when, sOfftring from a cold,
nv lungs were examined. l was then
told that / bad mitrsl trouble.
was treated for this at the preside, San
Francisco, until April, 1875.
Mn 81 have never felt any inca
pacity, however, and have always per-
formed the duties assigned to me with
out complaint Of any kind from my su-
perior officers" Attorney Lstimer,
counsel for Col. Stewart, asked him as to
the circumstances of his transfer from
Fort Barnecas, Fla, to Fort Grant, Arr.
This was obi scted to by Capt. Nowland,
recorder of the board, 10 being irrelevant.
Mr.. Latimtr insisted that the colonePs
answer might throw important light upon
the questions at issue, and the board
then went into secret session to decide
whether to permit the Colonel to testify
along this line. The question as to
whether Dol. Stewart shall be allowed to
testify a. TO the reasons for his transfer
fr)m Fort Barsncas, Fla, to Fort
Grant, Arr, was decided in the mega
tive by the board. Continuing his testi-
mony, Col. Stewsrs said that he had
been in the habit of riding anyWhtre
from 20 to 35 miles day both In Maine
and in Florida and never had felt any
i'll eff cts. DR.. William M. 5prigg, the
local physician who examined Col. Stew
at a few days ago, was not called for
the defense, because Of the boards re-
fusal to pay a portion of his fee as sn
expert witness. Col. Stewart explained
thst he was unable financially to assume
the entire amount. The case OF Col.
Stewart was closed this afternoon with
a briet address by Recorder Rowland.
1t is expected that the board will rec
ommend retirement.
G,n Ira q. Abbott, 81 years old, Of
the Pension Bureau, died today.
Assistant Secretary Pierce of the To-
terror Department and Judge Woodruff.
his assistant attorney general, conferred
with he president this eft rnoOn relative
to the departments st itude towards pipe
line leases for oil aud gas 10 Indian ter
ri DRY. They went over the correspond
euce of the department with particular
reference to the contr versy which has
arisen over the alleged granting of spe-
cial concessions TO the Prairie Oil and
Gas Company, Standard Oil subsidiary
concern.