The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-01-11

Obituaries of the late Rear Admiral
Ro5ley D. Evans necessarily skele-
tonize the main features of his career.
1 The details would fill newspaper.
/ They do fill several books. some OF
/ them written by the admiral. A few
of the incidents overlooked in the &C
count of his lamentably sudden death
bring into view from new angles the
courage and determination which
teresting in the annals of two wars
and forty years of lIeace.
On the Western Border.
Young Evans appointment to An
napolis from Utah came about through
chance acquaintance with William
Hooper, the delegate from the then
territory in Washington. To secure
the appointment the youngster had to
establish legal residence in Utah, and
thither he went by stage and on horse
back, living in Salt Lake City with
Delegate Hooper's family for year.
While hunting one day the future adj
miral observed a black object in the
woods, which might have been bear
or almost anything else. Il gave it
load of No. shot TO see what would
happen he said. The object proved
to be an Indian wearing large hat
and digging roots. The Indian, resent
ing this form of salutation, gave chase,
launching arrows after the fleeing
youngster. At Eooper's ranch the
hoy procured rife and the situation
was exactly reversed.
On another occasion, when Evans
was sitting on Hoopers porch. a Dig
ger Indian, in spirit of innocent
fun, released an arrow at him which
fixed itself in his shin. A moment
later the Indians carcass was as full
of birdshot as a pudding is of plums,
and he looked ever tafterward as il
he had suffered from case of small
pox.
Before | left Salt Lake City saw
that Indian again. said the admiral
once, in recalling the incident. Il gave
him five pounds of brown sugar and
was amazed to see him sit down on the
pavement and eat the whole Of it,
Brothers on Opposite Sides.
The civil war began just as Cadet
Evans was finishing his first year at
Annapolis. Being Virginian, his
mother urged him to cast his lot with
the south. This he declined to do, so
| 1t fell out that he and his brother
fought on opposite sides during the
civil war. On one occasion Robley
Evans entered restaurant in Wash
iington and observed his brother eat
| ing.
| AN exchange of glances between
ius was quite enough, said Evans
iafterward. Not word was spoken
by either of US. He paid his bill and
hastily left the place, knowing very
well that would report mis- presence
/ in the city. ! ordered more oysters
than I wanted and took plenty OF
time to eat them. He had come across
the Potomac in skiff, was sure, and
had tied it to an old sycamore tree
near the spot where we used to swim.
wanted to give him brotherly
chance to get back to Virginia soil.
He gained his boat and escaped,
though a soldier fired at him in the
darkness. On leaving the restaurant
| met an officer of the provost guard
and informed him that there was a
confederate soldier in Washington
How do you know he asked.
| That I replied. is none of your
business
Il was arrested and taken to the
provost marshal, who, on hearing my
story, let me CO.
Saved His Leg.
Evans was severely injured in the
last attack on Fort Fisher. He was