Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-28
COLONEL ROOSEVELT TELLS HIS
STORY IN HIS OWN WAY.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

I1tpl Oi adNICc VI HIS physician vi 81
tier great exposure. He said he die
not smoke nor touch beer
The leading points in his testimony
may be quoted AS follows
Il am not a total abstainer.
81 have never drunk a high ball oil
a cocktail in my life.
| 81 do not smoke and / do not drink
beer, and ! don't drink red wine.
II have never drunk whiskey oil
!randy except when the doctor pre-
seribed it, or possibly on some occa-
sion after great exposure when l wac
chilled through.
''rhe only wines / have drunk have
been white wines, MADEIRA cham
payne or very occasionally q glass OF
sherry.
"At home at dinner / often drink a
glass or two of white wine and Poland
water.
'At the public dinners / some times
drink a glass of champagne or per-
haps two. On an average / may drink
one glass of champagne month.
There wasSa fine mint bed at the
White House-an / drunk half dozen
mint juleps there in year.
| "On the African trip the expedition
took along case of champagne, a
case of ,whiskey and a bottle of BRAN
dy. The brandy was for me because
do not drink whiskey. In the II
months of the trip the doctor admins
tered just seven ounces of it to me
for medical purposes. | never touched
lit except. on his advice. The cham
payne Was used for three of our party
who wefeill of dysentry and for some
sick strangers, whom we met.
ON Speaking tours, by direction of
Surgeon General Rixey, l sometimes
took a goblet or two Of milk before re-
firing and in each there was a meas
ured teaspoonful of brandy.
Since leaving the White House ]
think | have tasted mint juleps twice
part of glass at st. Louis and a
sip from a loving cup at Little Rock.
Ark"
After reviewing his career, Col.
Roosevelt testified under the question
ing Of his attorneys in substance as
follows:
II have never drunk cocktail or a
high bah in my life, with the excep-
tons hereafter noted:
Il never drank whiskey or brandy
t5NNNi't ahdtl tiie idNttt VI IL Pi -
|cian. / don't care for the taste of
|eitler | don't smoke and l don't drink
beer, because | dislike smoking and
dislike the taste of beer. / never
have drunk whiskey or brandy ex-
Icept when the doctor prescribed. or
possibly on some occasion after great
Exposure when / was chilled through.
But it has been certainly L or 10
years since l have drunk because of
being chilled through. / never have
trunk beer nor do / drink red wine.
The only wines that / have drunk
champagne or very occasionally a
glass of sherry. At home l often at
dinner will drink a wine glass or two
of Madeira. In summer instead of the
Madeira, / will often drink tall glass
Of champagne or perhaps two. l think
on the average this means that will
drink champagne about once month
The only exceptions to what j have
stated about drinking whiskey and
brandy are as follows.
Mint Juleps, very rarely drink. At
the White House we had a mint bed
and / should think that on the aver
age | may have drunk half n dozen
mint julepS year. Since left the
White House. four years ago, To the
best 81 my memory / have drunk mint
juleps twice, on one occasion at the
Country Club at st. Louis. where /
drank part of a glass of mint Julep
and on another occasion at hig
luncheon given me at Little Rock, Ark,
where they passed round the table a
loving cup with the mint julep in it
and ! crank when the cup was passed
to me. The only other occasions when
/ have drunk whiskey have been when
il has been prescribed by the doctor.
During the last IA years | do not be-
lieve / have drunk whiskey straight
or with water more than half dozen
times.
On the African Trip.
ION the African trip the expedition
took along a case of champagne, a
case of whiskey and one bottle of
brandy was taken for me because l
don't drink whiskey. Some of the 9TH
err members of the party drank whis-
key. The champagne was used medi-
cinally for three members of the par
ty who were down with fever and dys-
eEtcry and for two or three travel
ers, hunters and missionaries We met
VINO were SICK. l. never lpuCHtu tiliiei
the vhiskey or the champagne. Out of
the brandy bottle | drank exactly sew
en- ounces. this being given me by DR..
Mearns on two occasions when l had
fever The last time | told HIM | dis
liked it SO that / did not think II dld
me any good and unless he objected
would take tea. Accordingly l took
tea and turned bottle and the rest of
the brandy over to Mr.. r. j. Cunning
ham, vino was managing the eXpedl-
| ton. Eight months later. when We
reached Kartoum he asked me what
he should do with it, saying That from
curiosity he had measured it and that
| / had drunk seven ounces in ii months.
.As for brandy | never drink 1t any
moro than l do whiskey when ] am
alone or at home or on hunting
| trip or in q friends house. But on very
hard trips, on the advice of Surgeon
General Rixey, and recently of DIR.
Holbrook Curtis, who attends to my
throat in connection with these cam
paign trips | have frequently Just be-
| 70 ot niplt drunk eth