The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-22

opponents OF reciprocity. and everybody
who had laugh left appreciated the
Presidents remark.
The Senator from Minnesota was the
most nonchahnt member in the Senat oria !
automobile. He was reading copy
" the Minneapolis Tribune. with his feet
cooked over the back Of the chauffeur =
seat while the water surgcd ncrrily
beneath him. Nothing could arouse his
attention until he heard the President 2
suggestion. The hope held out was too
much for even his determined insurgency
and he fell in with the Administration
as he price for his rescue from the torrent
A the Presidents automobile passed
over the crest Of the hill he looked back
to see Senator Brandegee consolin e
his collea CUES and guests Senators
Bacon and Overman. who were separated
by the goodly dimensions of SOLICITOR
General Lehman.
Only one automobile had halted before
entering the first ford. II contained FIVE
drenched and detected newspaper cor
respondents who thought they had for
ever lost track of their charge, the Presi-
dent. From n native of Virginia they
learned OF roundabout way which would
lead them to IA bridge over Little Rocky
Run. They hurried on. little thinking
that they would ever catch up with the
President. u happened. however, that
this was the very bridge route that the
President was looking for and the cor
respondents. much to their astoniShnent,
soon found themselves again following
on his heels.
What Of the OF her members of the party
in the =, ream? Three Senators, "A Solici-
tor-General. three doughty sleIths of the
secret service, the Presidential st.noC-
rapher and "a newspaper correspondent
were impatiently hiding their time in
the middles of the two streams which
the party had passed.
One member Of this party, Gus j karger.
correspondent for Charles L. Taft's Gin
cinnati paper. proved his resourcefulness
in the test A farmer torded the stream
in buggy near him. He hailed him and
asked to be takeh on to Manassas The
farmer hesitated He wanted to go to
the Bull Run celebration. hut his wife was
on the other side of the stream and he
was afraid to leave her
, Take me to her" said Mr. karger.
And with great enthusiasm he persuaded
both the farmer and his wife To JOIN him
in a junket to the Bull Run celebration.
Mr.. karger was the first to arrive AZ Bull
Run. The people had been waiting for
q long time. Many Of them had already
left. Gov. Mann of Virginia insisted that
Mr.. karger make an apology to the wait
ing crowd for the President. Mudstained
and embarrassed. the Cincinnati Corre-
'spondent made his maiden speech
In the meantime. however President
Taft with Senator Nelson and his needed
vote for reciprocity secure in the rear seat
was speeding on To Manassas.
, There is a law in Virginia which re-
Quires persons in automobiles to get out
and hold the heads of frightened horses
when they pass teams on the road. As the
President neared Bull Run battlefield il
was evident that the retreat from the
famous battlefield had begun. By scores
the bugeies phaetons and farm wagons
drove by and each farmer seemed this
day TO have htched his youngest colt
to his trap.
! Representative Colin Of Virginia was
one of the President guests. IA the
representative Of these people in Congress
he considered his duty to hold the horses
heads while thePresident's car PASSED 10y,
but he had an assistant in this work
Major Archibald Butt. U. s. A.. military
aid to the President, drenched and bare
footed; with his toes tenderly turned up
ward from the sharp flint stones of the
Virginia road. played groom to half the
farmers teams passing from Washing
ton to Manassas
In the meantime Senator Brandegee
and his colleagues had been rescued
from their predicament in Little Rocky
run and brought to dry land by a good
samaritan with buggy.
Communicating an automobile which
passed by they pursued the tracks of the
Presidents machine in the soft mud
Everybody who was stalled in the creek
insisted in getting into this machine
The Senators argued their dignity. the
secret service men the necessity Of Mr.
Tafts safety and the newspaper corre-
spondents the urgency of publicity
Eleven people we're finally loaded into the
machine. The President stenographer
and one correspondents We're excluded
When they were last seen the t.; enog-
rapher was squeezing q bucketful of water
out Of his left pants leg and the corre-
spondent was hooting II through the mud
in the direction of Washington
The President finally reached Bull Run
two hours late but the experience of the
trip to Manassas was too much Tor him
to try. to return in his automobile \
special train was made up and in this he
returned TO Washington. arriving at
o'clock this evening