The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-28


dominican republic by an envoy ex-
ira ordinary aud minister plenipotenti.
airy OF long and tried experience,
William w. Russell. ....-
Now, this introduction is written be-
cause one wants to tell some stories
about this servant of Uncle Sam, who
is grave diplomat, but with light
i'm his eye that neither gravity nor
place can extinguish. He was not al
ways a grave one burdened with the
affairs of state. Once upon a time he
was Pete" Russell, midshiplnan at
the United. States Naval academy.
William was changed into pete" the
minute he reported at Annapolis in
the years long gone by. but truth com.
peIs the statement that neither the
official archives nor the cadets rec
ords disclose the reason for turning
William into Pete. Suffice it to know
that the middies would have 1t that
way and thar way it went.
William w. Russell's memory is
cherished at the Naval academy. His
name Is held in remembrance so
strongly that no midshipman named
Russell who has entered the academy
IN the nearly forty years that have
elapsed since our Dominican envoy
left there, has escaped the nickname
of "Pete."
Not long ago 1 had dinner with
graduate of Annapolis who had known
William w. Russell in his "Pete" days
at the academy. Russell had way
with him and the middies and the au-
thorities were not long in finding 1t
out Pete had difficulty in restraining
himself on occasion, as witness:
TOO Much Sermon and Solo for Pete.
| One Sunday at Annapolis the chap
lain preached long and droningly. The
listening middies were tired out with
the heat of the day and the burden of
the sermon, which lasted an hour. The
sermon over. a soloist in the choir. un-
deferred and !undismayed by the length
of the chaplain's discourse, started in
ito sing "Sun of My Soul" He went
through the first line untrippingly and
then struck into the second. 1T is not
night" he sang. Then he repeated. 1T
is not night" and repeated it again
after the manner Of sOloists who don't
know when the listeners have had
enough, and. having hold, are loath
to let 20. =. ....'
Under the strain Of the thing Pete
stood up, whistled melodiously but
very loudly the tune accompanying
the third and fourth lines Of the first
stanza Of "Sun of My Soul" and then
before the bewildered and shocked Of
Ulcers could put in an interference, he
calmly commanded the soloist to get
"a move on him.
| They grabbed Pete cut from the
middle pew seat and marched him
down the aisle under guard. When
the corps was dismissed and was
marching back to barracks Pete was
going in the opposite direction headed
for the prison "hipH Santee, with his
books and his blanket swung over his
shoulder. ,}eT,.r
AS he passed, the marching middies
and the officers in command he was
heard loudly, soliloquizing, with head
well down In counterfeit abjectness:
+ "Poor@ Pete, poor Pete, breakers
right under noor Pete's bow"
i His Boxing Skeleton.
L Once upon time Pete set to work
during his idle hours and constructed
skeleton more fearfully and wonder
fully made than any man. Pete knew
the peculiarities Of a certain inspect
ing officer whose habit it was on en-
tering a midshipman's room to see if
all WAS well and orderly, to pull the
door back with "a sudden jerk and to
look behind it for traces of sweepings.
Pete finished his skeleton and by the
exercise of nothing less than devilish
ingenuity he succeeded in so adjust
ing it that when the door was given q
sharp, quick jerk. the thing would
drive it's fist straight into the eye of
the man who did the jerking. He went
to recitation the morning that the
skeleton had been put up, and left his
roommate. who didn't know that the
skeleton behind the door was in exist
ence, to suffer any consequence that
might come.
The inspecting officer came and gave
the door jerk and was promptly
poked in the eye by the bony hand of
Pete's skeleton.
The officer instantly marched Pete's
roommate to the Santee, where he
was locked up. In three hours the
roommate heard some shutting steps
outside his prison door. Looking out
he saw Pete with his books and his
blanket coming to share his durance
whats the matter, Pete?" he
asked. J.. ~
Nothing" said Pete, 'only forgot
to take that Internal skeleton down"
The roommate was released.