Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-28
COLONEL ROOSEVELT Tells HIS
OWN STORY IN HIS OWN WAY.
Drank Seven Ounces Of Brandy in II Months in Afr-
ca Takes Little Light Wine and Champagne
AS Conyentonalities Require but Makes
Drunkenness Charge Look Childish

! Marquette. Mich, May 27.@Theo-
| dore Roosevelt, a picture of rudy
| vigor and perfect health, turned :
square jaw in the direction of II farm
! ers, teamstcf3, miners and woodsmen
| in Court today, AMI gave his character
for sobricty as Not a total ahstainer .
but never intoxicated in his life. lis
testimonytand that Of others who fol
lowed, .eorre0ofated sHei Il description
of atstemiousnesaa.slaea
II the sturdy booking man, who
spent seven years OF his life in per
forming the duties of President Of the
United States saw anything curious in
his position of explaining to tic +
simple toilers of the woods and the
mines that he was not really 4 drunk
ard, as charged in an allegedly libel
GUS editorial by the defendant, Georgs
A. Newett, his countenance did not
betray it nor did his manner.
When Mr.. Pound his counsel, aft.
er a brief outline of the plaintiff s case
to the jury, called the Colonel 10 the
witness stand, the latter. Who had
been inconspicuous among a number
of prospective witnesses and visitors
stepped brisIlly forward.
Now tell the jury" instructed the
lawyer, and the client who had beer
President twisted his chair to face
the jurors i'll their boz and proceeded
to Tell them as directed
AT public dinners | sometimes
dlanl; a glass of champagne. perhaps
two; en- an average, | may say enc
glass of champagne MONTH
The witness snapped out the words
in his peculiar, distinct choppy enua-
citation and added, after inonentarr
pause, with emphasis, And | do thu.
in public"
At this, Judge Richard Flanagan
presiding over the court, rebuked ar
outhurst of laughter.
There was fine bed of mint at tae
White House. continued .rxiLuess
who was left pretty much to tell hi.
own story. Then his eyes sparkle
and he said:
81 may have drunk half dosar
mint juleps i'll year"
A light supply of wine and liquor
was taken on the African expedition
anu VI tliiS Il boiltt vi DidIQS Nds
taken along for the Colonel. The ply
sician of the outfit measured it out te
| him from time to time for chills OF
ether reasons.
| II touched nothing else in the 4
months" continued the witness, "anf
the doctor. apparently out of within
at the end of the trip, measured wha
was left and found that l had con,
sumed just seven ounces
| Attorney Horace Andrews of the de,
fence devoted little time to cross-ex.
animation. Mr. Andrews manner i,
isuavty itself. He treads and speaks
softly Only when a witness tries II
enter into further explanations thar
| his questions require does his voice
rise. At such times his tones seem t.
have claws.
Col. Roosevelt, however, was a
tractable witness, and Mr.. Andrews
made no great attempt to change his
Testimony. He interposed several OBJ
jections of minor nature, but the
witness. deeply interested and stirred
as he seemed to be at refutng whai
his suit alleges always stopped short
and waited for the ruling of the couri
| AS for whiskey, he got it mostly un
der protest upon prescription of hi
| doctors. who put teaspoonfdl in gob
lets of milk which they sometimes
pressed upon him on occasions of ex
! IRENE fatigue i'll the midst of politiea
| campaigns.
in epitome, the former President
testimony showed that he drank liquo
or wine when compelled to for indls
of public occasions required, exeep
that he takes a glass of light wine
rarely two glasses, with his meals.
Much of the succeeding testimon
was introduced to indicate that tn
plaintiffs physical vigor, his func
tional perfection, his violence of exer
else and his immense capacity for wor
could rot exist in the person of on
who got drunk and that not infre
uuently, as the alleged libelous edit1
rial in the Iron Ore, charged
Important witnesses on this phas
of the examination were DIR. Ale
Lambert, Roosevelt's family physical
and intimate friend of 50 years, an
DR. o. NJ. Rixey, surgeon general.
). N. retired, whose official duties dul
ing the Mckinley and Roosevelt tern
of office, included little else than
guard the Presidential physical wei
being other witnesses We're; JacC
Reis and Col. Gardner, the former
sociloloeist and writer, and the latter
newspaperman, whose duty for MAJ
years compelled him to take close no
Of everything pertaining to Col. Roos
welt
DR.. Lambert. aside from his I'M
! mate social and professional relation
with the plaintiff, testified that he III
made a special study of the heart ~
? lungs and of the effect of alcohol. t
bacco, opiates and drugs on the hum;
system.
When Mr.. Andrews on cross-exam
| nation suggested that witness know
edge of what the colonel drank at me
time did rot extend to breakfasts t
doctor. who talked very rapid
sparkled back:
oh, yes, indeed, many breakfasts.
have frequently stayed at the Roos