Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-10-05
Scar CapttUated President

"You will have to excuse me now,
Camp. 1 have an appointment with
President Garfield this morning, and
l just have time to reach the White
House."
you go to see your PRESIDENT" ex-
claimed the world-famous singer.
Then 1 go with you, if you will let
me- And you will say to him that
Campanini will feel greatly honored If
he can go back to Italy next month
and say to his friends there: I have
shaken hands with the great President
Garfield
"All right, Camp, said the friend,
and little later, after he had met the
president, the friend volunteered the
information to General Garfield that
Campanini, the singer, was outside
and would like to meet him.
"Campanini?" said the president
Bring him in. l shall be glad to see
him for a moment"
Capanini, all Difference, was shown
in. Garfield took him by the hand.
"Sit right down, Mr.. Campanint.
am very glad-where did you get that
scar across your face?"
THAT, sir" replied the tenor, as he
threw back his shoulders, II received
while fighting with Garibaldi's Thous-
and at Marsha"
"You were one of Garibaldi's Thous-
andi" cried the president. you must
tell me all about it. 1t is the first
time l have had an opportunity to
meet any one who fought with Carl
baldi"
Campanini's martial spirit was in
stantly rekindled. He recognized In
the president a man who, like him
self, had been a soldier and he began
to tell the story of the Thousand with
picturesque vividness. In the midst
of the narration, Garfield's secretary
entered the room. "Mr. President, the
cabinet is in the cabinet room waiting
for you," he admonished
"Yes, yes" replied the president
impatiently. 81 will be there in a
moment" He turned to Campanini
''You wait here till 1 am through with
my cabinet I want to hear more"
That proved to be a suspiciously
short session of the cabinet; Garfield
was not absent fifteen minutes. He
re-entered the room with an eager
step, and, taking a seat besides the
great tenor, put many questions to
him. He got Campanini to describe
Garibaldi in battle and in camp He
had Campanini lead him through some
of Garibaldi's campaigns. He went
back to the story of the scar. And
through it all, the two men, each SUI
preme in his own vocation, apparent
ly forgot their relations to the world.
and appeared before each other mere
ly as veterans of the battle line.
For upwards of an hour the head of
the nation lets its business go hang
while he listened to the story that
Campanini unfolded to him. Then he
extended his hand In gratefulness,
when Campanini. seeming to realize
for the first time that he had been in
close conversation with the president
of the United States, pointed to his
heart. "The memory will always re-
main here" he said, fervently.
The friend. meditating on all that
! he had seen and heard while the two
old-time warriors were as comrades,
said to Campanini as they were on
the way back to the hotel: II now I'M
derstand better than ever I did be-
fore where Garfield obtained his mar
velous fund of information. He goes
to original sources whenever possible,
and, Campanini, he has absorbed more
from you this morning than he could
have obtained by reading a complete
history of Garibaldi and his cam
paign."
Copyright 1910 by E. j. Edwards.)