The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-15
CARRIED MESSAGE TO GARCIA.
Mai. Rowan Soon to Retire from Unit
ed States Army,

Mai. Rowan Soon to Retire from Unit
ed States Army.
Chicago Inter Ocean: Mai. Andrew
8. Rowan. u. S. A., is about to retire
voluntarily from the service The
news will be received with regret by
the army, where Major Rowan is
Justly popular, and also by all who
wish the army well. In Maj. Rowan
the army loses the kind of officer of
which an army can never have too
many-the modest, capable man, who
does his work and makes no fuss
about IT,
Born in Virginia, graduated from
West Point In 1881, Andrew S. Rowan
entered the service as second lieuten-
ant in the Fifteenth infantry, was
promoted first lieutenant in 1890,
serving few months in the Ninth in
fantry, and then transferred to the
Nineteenth. He had not been content
merely to go through the routine Of
garrison duties in time of peace. He
had acquired facility in the Spanish
language and studied the geography of
various regions where he thought the
army might be called to active service.
Because he knew Spanish, because
he knew the topography of Cuba, and
because he had shown himself on var
ious occasions a brave and prudent
soldier, Lieutenant Rowan was selected
in the spring OF 1898 to go on a haz-
ardous mission. He was to get into
the interior Of Cuba and into com
munication with the insurgent leader.
Calixto Garcia, to find out to what
extent Garcia and his followers could
be depended on to cooperate with
an American expeditionary force in the
was then imminent.
He crossed from Jamaica in a sail
boat with single companion, a Gu
ban. He made his way inland to Gar
cia's camp in the hills, delivered his
message and observed the situation.
He went on across the island to the
north coast, and made his way In an
other sailboat $50 miles to Nassau.
He did what he was sent to do, and
refused absolutely to pose or be posed
as a hero. OF course. he risked his
life. He would have been hanged or
shot If the Spanish troops. had caught
him. That, however, was just part
Of the days work for Andrew S. Row
an, and from his viewpoint.
The incident appealed to the imagi-
nation Of a writer Of talents. He wrote
short prose poem about ia kind
Of sermon, in fact. showing why the
man had done an admirable thing and
how. 1t was a timely bit of eulogy
of the man who does the days work
in the day, without complaining or
N q f1HeN ah
The writing was we'll done, like the
deed it celebrated. 1t struck the pop
ular fancy. and the idea 1t set forth
has stuck in the public consciousness.
It will probably live longest OF all it's
authors somewhat voluminous work.
No anthology OF American prose would
De complete without IL.
That a writer of talent should have
been thus moved to celebrate a deed
worth doing Is a threefold advantage.
First to the writer, who by taking
really worthy theme and treating it
well has secured for himself a remem-
brance that nothing else he has done
would have obtained. Second to Row
an, whose well-doing thus became inn
pressed upon the public consciousness
as well as becoming a matter of Of
cial record. And most of all, to Amer
lean youth, who by the conjunction
were given a new and vivid impression
Of the merits and value and worthi-
ness for emulation of the man who
goes right ahead and does his plain
duty, without shrinking or strutting,
without a moments hesitation, and
without a thought OF the reward.