The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-03-03
LEONAR w GOD
Enter ROOSeUeH
An Intimate Tale of a Real
American

For a ew years, as far as spec
lacular progress was concerned
Leonard Wood rather marked time
after Geronimo had been placed be
hind the bars Of old Fort sill, In
Oklahoma.
TO the causal reader Of the his
tory ot the times, Woods existence
during that period was placid, com
pared with the vivid, flaming days
In bordcr1and. But to the stud 'nts
OF the man ana his contemporaries,
he was simply continuing his early
education, broadening IL in every
way by constant contact with men
Of brains ana administrative aOil-
ity throughout the nation
Af,ed the Apache campaign, wood
put in several years under General
Miles surveying Ar.zoua's barren
tracts.
Then he was transferred to Los
Angeles as one OF the s.1ff surgeons
at headquarters there, What prom
iscd to bc "a dun, uncVcntful period,
became one of the livcst In his ca
rcor lie plunged into his work got
as much practical experience and
knowledge Of men out of 1t as pos
siblc. and also, Incidentally. estab-
llshcd himself IN his spare time as
one Of the best football players OF
the day. II was here too that he
wooed and married Louise a. Condit
Smith. loyal partner since Of his
JOYS and sorrows.
one human incident OF the confi-
dcnce he inspired in his follows and
his superiors, stands out over all. y
horse fell and injured one OF Gen
eral Miles legs. The surgeon attend
ing him ordered that the leg be am
putated.
General Miles protested vocirer-
ously. send for Captain Wood no
ordered.
ITS up to you to save me and
my leg was the greeting OF the
suffering general when Wood re
ported. wood did both In few
weeks time
Wood got a little more border ser
vico when he was returned To the
border with the Tenth cavalry i'm
the Apache Kid outbreak. Within
few months he was transferred to
Fort Mcdowell and in 1889 he was
in California again.
Like all army men, his movements
We're under complete control Of the
government and from California he
was again moved, this time to Fort
Mcpherson, Georgia. There again he
distinguished himself a. "A football
player. training the first team of the
Georgia Institute OF Technology, le-
came its captain and during his two
years in that position lost but one
game for his outfit.
Woods fine courage was demon
strated during this football career.
In one game he received deep
slash over an eye, bat ne played on.
After the game he went TO his quar-
ters, stood before "A mirror and
took four stitches to close the wound.
Then opened the avenue TO the
biggest work of woods life-the big
gest work, perhaps, that any man
now living in America has done. In
! sos he was transferred to Washing
ton as assistant surgeon, 10 care Tor
the president, army officials and
the secretary of war.
To the big. brouzcd, eager "boy"
from the southwest this work was
too prosaic to be enthusiastically
loved but he soon found that IT
opened new vistas to him, and with
characteristic ambition and energy
he dived into it head over heels.
In Washington he met aud be
came intimately acquainted with the
biggest men In two administrations.
Cleveland and Mckinley, democrat
and republican, learned to love and
respect him. Their families did the
same Cleveland made him his com
panion on Journeys, on hunting tr.ps,
in his outdoor life. put him in con
tact with men of big brains and
large capacity Uncons sciously, young
Wood was absorbing detail to be in
valuable to him late" in life.
II was the same story when
Mckinley came into the White
House. Under both these presidents
Wood had splendid opportunities
TO study their administrative quail
| ities-aud their defects. He learned