Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-03
CHAPTER III.
Enter--ItOOSCVclt.

time, after Geronimo had been
placed behind the bars of old For
Sill, in Oklahoma.
To the casual reader of the his
tory of the times, Woods exist
ence during that period was placid
compared with the vivid, flaming
days in borderIand. But to the stu
dent of the man and his contempor-
aries, he was simply continuing his
early education, broadening it in
every way by constant contact with
men of brains and administrative
ability throughout the nation.
After the Apache campaign,
Wood put in several years under
General Miles surveying Arizona
barren tracts.
Then he was transferred to Los
Angeles as one OF the staff sur
geons at headquarters there. What
promised to be 4 duh, uneventfu
period, became one of the livest in
his career. He plunged into his
work, got as much practical eX-
lperence and knowledge of men out
Of it as was possible, and also, in
Icidantally, established himself in his
spare times as one Of the best foot
ball players Of the day. 1t was
here too that he Wooed and married
Louise A. COndit smith, loyal part
ner since Of his joys and sorrows.
One human incident of the conf
dence he inspired in his fellows and
his superiors, stands out over all.
| A horse fell and injured one of
! General Miles legs, The surgeon
attending him ordered that the les
be amputated.
General Miles protested vocifer-
ously. Send for Captain Wood!'
he ordered.
IT'S up to you to save me and my
leg, was the greeting of the suf-
fering general when Wood report
cd. Wood did both in few weeks
time.
Wood got a little more border
service wnen he was returned to
the border with the Tenth cavalry
in the Apache Kid outbreak. Within
a few months he was transferred
TO Fort Mcdowell and in 1889 he
was in California again.
Like all army men, his move
ments were under the complete
control of the government and from
California he was again moved, this
time to Fort Mcpherson, Ga. There
again he distinguished himself as 9
football player, training the first
team Of Georgia Institute of Tech
nology, Became its captain and dur
| ing his two years in that position
| lost but one game for his outfit.
/ WooG's fine courage was demon
| srated during this football career
| In one game he received a deep
slash over an eye, but he played on.
| After the game he went to his
quarters. stood before mirror and
coolly took four stitches to close the
wound.
Then opened the avenue to the
| biggest work Of Woods life--the
| biggest work, perhaps, that any
man now living in America has
done. In 1885 he was transferred
to Washington as assistant attend
ing surgeon, TO care for the presi.
dent, army officials and the secre-
tary of war
To the big, bronzed, eager boy"
from the southwest, this work was
too prosaic to be enthusiasticaH
loved, but he soon found that it
opened new Vistas to him, and with
characteristic ambition and energy
he dlved into it head over heels.
In Washington he met and be-
came Intimately acquainted with
the biggest men in two admins
trations. Cleveland and Mckinley,
democrat and republican, learned
to love and respect him. Their
families did the same. Cleveland
made him his companion on Jour
neys, on hunting trips, in his out.
door life, put him in contact with
men of big brains and large capac~
ity. Unconsciously young Wood was
absorbing detail which proved to
be invaluable to him later III life.
1t was the same story when Me-
Kinley came into the White House.
Under both these presidents Wood
had splendid opportunities to study
their administrative qualities-anl |
their defects. He learned to dis
tinguish the good from the bad. 10
find the Joker in life's problems
as applied TO the government Of a |
nation, to study and apply the BEST
way to handle men from the high |
est to the lowest.
Then began the great friendship, |
the most modern application of the |
old story of Damon and Pythias.
One night, in 1896, at dinner in |
the Lowndes house, Theodore
Roosevelt, then assistant secretary
of the navy, walked into a room
where Wood was talking with sew
eral other men. Out OF the crowd |
each singled out the other, their |
eyes met and measured, minds and
capabilities, in a flash, 1t seemed. |
Shortly they were introduced--an |
their friendship never ended until
Roosevelt died
So interested did they become in
each other, that they walked home
that night, trying each other out,
arguing, agreeing, eisagreeing. The
next day they rode, and each ad-
mired the fine horsemanship Of
the other. the hardness the SIM
ilarity Of brains and interests and
abilities.
Wood found, however, that
Roosevelt was an indlvidualist Of the
most pronounced type. He cid
things himself, rather than to trust
them to capable and highly trained
suboIdiuates. Roosevelt learned
soon that Wood is first OF all an
administrator and an organizs,'
that his chief value Is In finding
tho right man for the right ,plaee,
putting, him to work, trusting IN
aho At,A N.&