Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-07

Pershing, as I lave written, left
Mindanao for the United States in
June-June 20, to be exact
In the same month, almost on the
same day, Miss Helen Frances
Warren, daughter of United States
Senator Francis Emory Warren of
Cheyenne, Wyo., left Wellesley,
Mass, where she was attending
Wellesley college, for her home.
The width of an ocean and of a
ontinent-more than 5000 miles
separate Mindanao and Wellesley.
Yet, so fate had decreed, this young
college girl of Wyoming and this
middle aged cavalry captain were
soon to meet in Washington and
become the principals in the pref
test romance the army ever knew.
Two Can Tell Story.
There are living today two per-
sons who can tell of it, one the
father of Helen Frances Warren,
the other-but | promised ] would
not reveal his name. | can say this,
though-he is one of THE Three
Musketeers." And those three. as
will be remembered, are Pershing,
former United States Senator Elmer
]. Burkett of Lincoln, Neb., and
Charles E. Magoon, one-time gov
.ernor of Cuba and of the Canal
Zone. Further, | cannot identity
this other" .....,
Between thenl-the father and
the "Musketeer'-they told me all.
First visit Senator Warren with
me. l called upon him at his suite
in the senate office building in
Washington. 1t was just before the
1918 election. Since then, to the
honor of his state, he has been re-
elected. A rare, kindly old man is
the senator-Tthis whitehaired veter-
an of the senate, first elected to its
ranks in 1890-and seemingly years
younger than the "a which are his.
Warren a Veteran.
incidentally, it is interesting to
record that the senator is veteran
in more than senatorial ways. He
is a veteran of the Civil war-a
medal of honor veteran, too. Born
in Hinsdale. Mass, he enlisted i'll
1862 in the 10th Massachusetts, vol
unteers, serving as private and as
a non-commissioned officer. He re-
ceived the congressional medal OF
honor "for gallantry on battlefield at
siege of Port Hundson." A soldier,
officer or enlisted man, can win no
higher honor.
His wife was Helen M. Smith of
Mass.
He listened patiently while l ex-
planned my mission.
"Tell you Of my daughters ro-
mance--her romance and JacKs?" he
when l had finished. why
I will" he said.
And, sitting there in his Office, he
recounled the whole story-that is,
the most of it. There we're parts,
first confession of his
love for Frances Warren, for in
stance, which only the "Musketeer"
could tell. But that comes later.
Tears often filmed the senator's
eyes as he talked. Often, too, his
voice choked with emotion. Never,
it seemed, could he forget, not even
for a moment, the tragedy which
ended the romance-ended it almost
in its springtime. More than once the
senator closed his eyes, then raised
his hands to cover them. One knew,
as he did this, the tragedy was visit
allied by Tim once more-the fire at
the Preside, which the daughter of
whom he spoke and three of her four
children we're suffocated.
First Read of Her Hero.
Perhaps" the senator said to me,
Il had better start with my daugh-
ter's graduation from Wellesley.
went there to get her. | took her
back home with me to Cheyenne.
That was June, 1908. Soon after
wards we left Cheyenne for Wash
ington. The romance of my daugh-
ter and Jack must have started on
the tram. And they'd never seen each
other-Jack, indeed, had never
heard of Frances. But she had
heard IF him.
"You will remember that this was
in 1903. Everyone was talking of
Jack and of his exploits in Min
danao. The papers were filled with
accounts Of him and of his subjuga-
ton of the Moros of Lake Lanao.
Frances ut was just before we
reached Chicago) CHANGED to pick up
paper which had in it long story
of Jack. She became interested in
him from that moment. A girl, only
girk just out of college, Jack was
hero to her-a man who had done
things worth while.
Wanted to Meet Him.
Then and there Frances wanted
to know all about Jack. 1t told
her, You see, could. | was chair