Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-12-13
Copyright, 1917 by The Mcclure Newspaper
SYndicate)

OF my life.
was born in the eighties, closer to
the bottom than the top. When | first
opened my eyes / breathed the air of
the 'Rockies" To be exact, | was
horn in Ogden, Utah, on the 18th of
December, 1883. My rowing started
at the early age of four. This was in
Cheyenne, Wyo. used to play on the
front porch Ny mother must have
suspected that I was of a rowing ma
ture, because she took the precautiOn
to put q gate across the steps of the
porch with some kind of newfangled
lock ON it, which I was unable to
negotiate. / used to work for half all
nour at time trying to get the gate
open, but without success; in fact,
this got to be a habit with me until
my father applied the slipper" sew
eral times.
From Cheyenne my family went to
Richmond, Vac At this place [ went
to school and was brought up on Me-
Guffy's Reader. This gave me great
idea of an Englishman. All | could
see was a big grenadier in red coat
chopping Americans into mincemeat.
From Virginia we migrated to Can
ada. Two years later we left for
New York.
In New York I went through public
school, and twice just escaped being
expelled. From public school l went
to manual training high school. The
most notable thing I did there was to
make left half back ON the football
team. My great Ia9ro was Richard
Henry Dana, who wrote 1.-TWO Years
Before the Mast" i devoured this
book several times and then decided
to run away and make the same trip,
and did so.
After little less than a years alb
sence I again returned to New York.
Once again I was the hero, minus the
slipper" After being worshiped for
about two weeks I joined the Forty
seventh regiment of Brooklyn, and
soon became sergeant. The militia, in
my eyes, seemed tame, so | ran away
and enlisted in the navy. In two
months became q third-class yeOman,
having passed the yeoman course in
the Brooklyn navy yard. Then | went
TO sea on the "rOokie" battleship Mis-
souri,. We nicknamed her the "Mis-
cry" / was lucky enough to be on
her when she rammed the Illinois and
nearly foundered her in Guantanamo
bay, Cuba. After going into drydock
for two weeks at Newport News, Va,
we left for the target range off Pen
sacola, in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 49, 1894, while on target
practice. we had an explosion in the
after turret, which killed "a men. i
barely escaped with my life; in fact,
/ was smashed up a little and was
sent to the naval hospital at Ports
mouth, Va.
My folks concluded that they had,
had about enough of my foOlishness,
and got me out Of the navy. I wa.
highly incensed at this action, so en-
listed in the Twelfth United States
cavalry and. inside of a year was pro-
NOTED to the rank of squadron ser
geant major.
l happened to be fairly good al
was sent with the Second squadron to
the jamestown exposition to give ex-
hibitions in rough riding.
After three years / was discharged
from the Twelfth cavalry, and came
home, but soon enlisted in the Elev-
enth United States cavalry and did
duty on the Mexican border during the
rCt krnI 10 In n oh era6
at San Antonio, Tex, returned to New
York, and went into business for my
self. This was q distinct failure.
could not settle down, so / applied for
o position with q well-knOWn detective
agency, and after pounding my heels
in the anteroom for several weeks;
now and then being given a shadow
case" finally had the luck to go before
the "chief," and with four other men
was sent down south on moon
shine" case. l got in with family Of
'moonshiners" and liked them very
well; in fact, I thought so much Of
them that when the time came to show
them up it sort of went against the
grain, and [ couldn't do it. 1t seemed
like stealing candy from baby. OF
course this severed my connection with
the detective agency, and I shed no
tears.
1 then applied for position with
the New York Telephone company.
While with them I joined the mounted
scouts of the Fourth regiment of New
Jersey, and went through three ma
newer camps.
Upon the expiration of my term of
service, which was three years,
joined the mounted scouts of the Sew
enty-frst regiment, New York.
Then the war broke out and / was
all eagerness to get into the fight. I
had been playing at soldering, and
here / was in the United States while
a real war was going on across the
wafer What was / to do? / did not