The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-20
BENNEr BURLEEGH.
some incidents IN the Career Of the Dsr.
Ing War Correspondent.

tnH war Correspondent.
To THE EprroR or THE suN--str' The
| editorial article In TIVE SUN OF June Is
upon that redoubtable war correspondent
Bennett Burleigh has interested me
greatly. To one or two of the statements
| contained In that entertaining article there
| Is reason to enter a degree of objection.
| and there arc n few incidents In the career
of the famous special OF the Daily Teic-
graph which are of unusual interest to
Americans.
Bennett Burieigh came to America when
he was n mere boy with his pockets full
| OF drawings and models for destructive
| engines OF war, most OF them the inven-
lions OF his father, and with these he
proceeded to Richmond and introduced
himself to the leaders OF the Confederacy
| us volunteer from Scotland. One of
his torpedoes was actually affixed to the
! hull OF Northern boat, but for some rea-
son failed to explode. The young adven-
turer became the companion OF John
Young Beall, who was hanged few years
later. ] believe. on Governors Island In
New York harbor In consequence of the
! piratical conspirac y, upon which with Bur-
| leigh he embarked on Lake Erie.
Burleigh was captured when on a guer-
rilla expedition and imprisoned In an old
| fort on the banks OF the Delaware. With
| several others he escaped by prying up
the planks which made the floor OF his
room. dropping into the sewer underneath
| and making his way through the sewer
to the river. The others were taken. but
| Burleigh was rescued by fishing vessel
after he had been several hours In the
| water And. by the way. when he was
taken he was the last man OF his detail
who was able to keep his feet. and un-
derstand that II was to colored soldiers
that he was obliged to surrender
Making his way TO Canada, Burleigh
| Joined Beali In the scheme to rescue
large number OF Confederate prisoners OF
war who were under guard on Johnsons
| Island IN Sandusky Bay. With their fell
| low piotters they took possession of
| steamboat on the lake. and were actually
! within a few hours OF their destination
when they discovered that the Federal
| gunboats were on the alert; they had
been betrayed by one OF their own num-
| Der. They escaped to Canada, but both
Beall and Burlcgh were captured. and
| Beall had q trial aud was executed. Bur-
| leigh was In serious danger for his life.
but he was British citizen and the Eng
| lish Ambassador intervening the case be-
came one OF international law. Burleigh
was kept for many weeks In small Jail
at Port Clinton, Ohio. where he made
| friends with tho Sheriff and the citizens.
| After time his mail was not watched
very closely. and sometimes II came to
him by way OF the window. Through the
window also there arrived pie IN which
| f1lc was concealed. and finally, to the
| satisfaction Of many OF his Ohio friends.
| Burlelgh made his escape His case be-
came one of considerable Importance In
| international law, and was still unsettled
| when the war ended.
The curious will find many details Of
| the story In an article printed n few years
ago In an historical magazine by an emil
nent United States jurist. who began his
article by saying that he was watching
the papers closely day after day for the
| news from the Russo-Japanese war and
| expecting any time to hear OF some dare
| devil exploit by Burleigh. whom he had
! known as youth In civil war times
| There are Confederate soldiers now sur
viving who recall with pleasure Captain
| Burnley"
Burlegh should be credited with several
| remarkable scoops. two or three scored in
| the Sudan in 1882 and 1883. and two in
the Bosr war. His adventures make a
volume OF picturesque and exciting Incl
dents.
l have talked at great length with a
| former member OF the Forty-second Royal
! Highlanders. the Black Watch. now
Boston lawyer. who says that IN the opin-
! ION OF many OF the officers ard men OF the
regiment Rennet Burleigh did as much as
| any man, IL not more than others. to save
the broken square Mt Tamai, In the bat
| tie OF which kipling wrote his familiar
| Fuzzy Wuzzy' verses. Bennett with n
| tremendous voice and commanding per-
| sonalltv became on the instant volun-
teer aid, and helped nightly TO rally and
| steady the men who had left one cor cr
| open slightly. giving access TO the inside
of tho square. an opportunity which "the
I big, black, boundin' beggars'' were swift
| to seize
/ think you are In error when you refer
| to Archibald Forbes as the friend OF
skobeler. The American Januarius A.
MacGahaD was the chum Of that Rus
| sian commander, the hero OF the Russo
| Turkish war OF 1S77-7S MacGahan be-
| came intimate with Skobelcff at the time
OF his daring ride to Khiva. In the Bal
kan war they were comrades and some
times tent mates. MacGahan wrote the
description OF the Russian General which
| Forbes declared the most vivid picture OF
war OF which he had any knowledge and
when MacGahan went to Constantinople
| TO nurse Lieutenant (now GenersD Fran
els Vnton Greene through typhoid fever.
to contract typhus himself and die, Freder-
| lex Nilliers brought the news TO Skobeleff.
| When the funeral party stood about the
| grave at Pera Skobeleft wept like n child.
according to Villlers, and they had great
difficulty getting him away from the GEM
etery.
Nor IL It quite correct TO call Burlegh
! the last Of the professional war report
ers In England. the sole survivor OF the
old school," for Villiers survives. To be
sure. he Is primarily an artist, but many
times he has served In a double bar
relied" capacity. Nilliers began In the
Servian war in 1876 he was the friend of
every correspondent OF note and amaz-
ingly popular as Mortimer Menpes de-
clares. Villiers is still Jauntily promenad-
ing about the world In his knickerbockers.
one OF the best craftsmen of them all.
Assuredly every newspaper man who
informs himself about the careers of these
war scribes exclaims to himself, Them
was the happy days"
+. LAuRisToS BuLLARp.
Boston, June is.
There is no doubt that MacGahan
was an older friend Of Skobeleff than
Archibald Forbes was for the American