The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-16

Ny childhood to my fourteenth year
was spent at West Point. n. Y. where
my father. the late Professor Jacob
Whitman Bailey. q graduate of the
claas of 1897 of tho United States Mill
tary Academy. served from 1886 till
his death. in 1857. My mother was q
daughter of Samuel Slaughter. Esqa
of Culpeper Courthouse. Va. When il
became known in the early part of
1852 that Colonel Robert Il. Lee, then
OF tho engineers. would most probably
succeed to the office OF superintendent.
my mother, as q Nirginian, felt a deep
pride aud satisfaction which even TO
this day I remember her expressing.
1t was not till later that / was to learn
my fathers appreciation of Colonel
Lee. My mother, with my only sister
was drowned at the disastrous burning
of the Henry Clay at Yonkers July IS.
1852. I myself was saved from tho
calamity as by miracle, and received
so great q shock that for q year or
more 1t was believed that b. no pos
sibility could ! attain manhood / was
taken from school and given only the
lghtest lessons.
Colonel Lee arrived at West Point
time practically confined me TO the
house. where | saw no playmates, and
grew very shy, morbid and SELF
tired. Playing much myself and liVins
a life OF comparative solitude, can
we'll recall the day my father RTought
in and Introduced Colonel Lee IND his
son, Robert H., Jr. From that day
10 this. during tho long period Of
ttfty-fiye years, Rob and myseit nave
the unhappy Civil War. ~ least occa-
sional correspondents. After the con-
test i was naturally the first to break
silence. felt 1t was my part TO make
the oyertures. we each declared 10y
atty to our own side of the question
which had separated us, pronounced
that we had nothing In our personal
conduct to regret or repent, and buried
the Ratchet then and there forever.
Colonel Lees Fine Appearance.
can still recall. though OF course.
dimly, the tall. erect, manly figure Of
Colonel Lee as first saw him. His
face. with the exception of mus
tache, was shapen. or course. he was
in undreSs uniform as an officer OF
engineers, and surely there have been zen
few more heroic figures He was my
boyhood's ideal Of the perfect knight,
of Washington, Bruce, Wallace. era
cious in countenance, superb IN nsure
and urbane i'll manner. he was Always
peculiarly tender and gentle with chill
dren. and to me, from my sad bereaye7.
1nent, particularly so. We boys all
felt mt once, however, that he was
ono. to command as well as TO per-
suade.
ness and reserve, although about Q
year younger than myself. constituted
liimself my champion and defender,
and plneky little IT,. eha as n nser was had !,
quarrel, though once became the VIC.
tim OF foolish ostracisnl which we
boys had borrowed from the cadets;
Every now and then for no S 7, ;,a
some fellow under tho ban. and for
few weeks cut him dead. Once when
Il was thus u pariah, recall ovcr-
hearing some boys dlscnssRRg now stN,,e 70
In. and said lie could carry this on
in most cases, hut. SO far as he was
concerned, ut had got to stop with
Whit Bailcy!" Next day ] was again
recognized and probably some other
poor lad banned.
The Supcrintendcnt's Family.
Colonel Lee had lately returned from
the Mexican War. where no commended
himself SO highly to General Scott. He
brought With him y white IT, mus anna'
after tho elusive Mexican general.
rather ana son could often be seen
riding about the post tog ether, mems
orable tignres to me. as I look back
over halt II century. Robert lad sew
cral sisters, the youngest, Miss Mildred,
! ~ junior to us. thtnll she was the
first little glrl + ever knew, but my
constitutional bashfulness made me al
ways rather alarmed at her. petite and
gentle though sre ever was.
Robert ana attended the little
nscllool for Officers Children" then
conducted By Rev. Nathan T. Whiting,
living at. Cape Vincent, N. Y, This was
tol, boys only; girls III those days stu
MED at holne--it at ALL. This little
school had Bnallgl hi To "a q with the acnd-
snly, but was maintained by he pr
n tlcers, Arnoilg 3llisr sch olmasters W.
hides Bob Lee were 4, Mallell, the
" ram ua naYal yeir, now