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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1898)
12 THE OMAHA DAILY 113ESP * THURSDAY , MARCH 10 , 1808. THE RESCUE OF DREYFUS. A Thrilling Tale of Up-To-Date Newspaper Enterprise , ' . ' . 1JY HECTOR I'l.'LLEK. Ik. ( Copyright , 1M ) , by Hector Fuller. ) CIIAPTRR I. The steamer glided swiftly , almost noise lessly , southwcrd. The sea nan a pale , Ickly green , Indicating that there wag no great depth , and a Bailer could have told , without seeing that long , low-lying blue streak to our right , that wo were near land. Thcro WAS not a ripple on the wntcr , save \vhcre the Iron bow of the steamer sliced It csldo and churned It Into angry bubbles , and t' ' : wake o 'ef Lch'nd her wa like churned up oil , greasy and heavy. Her name wan the Constitution. She WES owned by an American planter of Harbadaes. Junt an she was , provisioned , officered and manned , she had been placed at the service of my chief by her owner , who had not been required to say for what purpose she was needed , The head of our expedition , my chief , was Gerald 11. Hudson , special correspondent far a syndicate of three New York newspapers. I was the artist of the expedition. Hudson and I hnd worked together through the Gracco-Turklsh war ; wo had been through the Egyptian campaigns , had made a tour of India , and had served two months with the Insui gents in Cuba. Having obtained our steamer , ready-found , provl I r.nd and manr.el , there wai little for us to do , except In the way of special prepa- ratlins. We found that the governor gen eral of Harbndocs owned a remarkably fast American naphtha launch , and after much negotiation we purchased this outright. In Ita bow wo placed a gulling gun of the latest pattern and had our strainer fitted up with mnsslvc davlln , so that the launch could bo hoisted Inboard , or overheard with the mini mum of dlniciilty. We were careful to pro vide plenty of small arms , and a number of fine files and sawn of high temper that would cut any but the hardest deel. Wo had picked up our men with much difficulty , be- CPUOU wo were obliged to oh In them without telling Hum where wo were going. There were Juat six of them : Jamea liiwther , for- mcily boatswain of the Yankee clipper Swal low ; Henry Nordykc. an Oxford graduate , whom we found tending bar for a negro ealoon keeper , and who didn't carp whether ho was killed or not ; Washington Jones , a New Orleans negro , and three Frenchmen , Antolne Gnspard. Pierre Nanton and Emlle Fereaii. Alt of these men were men. Each VPS above the average In height and strength. The negro. Jones , was one of the strongest men I have ever met. He had been n stevedore along the Darlmdoee shore , and vas only too glad to take service with us , when we offered him more money for the trip than hn could have made rolling hogs heads In two years. "Doan care wha' you's goln" t' do , " he said. M > ou pajs mo the money you says I'll fight for you. " This was our expedition , with the addition of an old sailor , a Ilarbadoos pilot , a man who knew every Inch of the South American coast from the Orinoco river to .Montevideo. CHAl'THll II. Whew ! It was hot. Not n breath of wind stirring anywhere , nnd It had been thlj way far two days. At noon the raptaln summoned us to the rabln for a consultation. Then ho callol In the Usrbadoca irllot and said to him : "New , then. Jose , tell these gentlemen where we arcj' "Yes , sir , " said the pilot. "D'you not'ce ' that tall point dim and far away to our left at about 11 o'clock ? " "Yep , " we both replied. "Well , lhat Is Mana point ; right there Is the mouth of the Mnronl river ; that point marks the beginning of French Guiana. You told me to tell you when we were com ing to Cayenne. If we hold this course and speed for three hours longer wo shall be abreast of Caypnne. " Hudson looked at ha ! watch. It was 12:45 : To the captain he * said : "Kindly send orders down to slacken speed ; bring It down to two miles an hour or lower. ; Lct her have Just enough head to keep ( itcer- Bgo way on her. " "All right , plr , " said the captain , and soon wo felt the throbbing and trembling of the steamer cease , and , losing her speed , she began to'roll a little In the light swell. Thn pilot wns sent on deck to keep a vigilant tookout. Then wo sent for our men. One by one they filed Into the cabin. Wo sent the captain away and saw that the steward had gone forward , and to make sure that no one should overhear our plans wo asked the captain to sco that the crew was kept forward , all except the man at the wheel. Then Hudson made the men a speech. "Ixx > k here , men , " he said. "I have hired you for a special purpose. I have certain work to do end I want you to help me. I shall not attempt any longer to disguise from you that our work Is dangerous , needu courage and cool heads. I have promised you all goad pay. The sums I have prom- teed you will bo paid whether we succeed or not , F.O long as you do your duty. Should wo succeed the sums I have promised you ball bo doubled. " Then slowly and carefully , but with the utmost plainness , Hudson unfolded hla plan. Ho told them what lie Intended to do. He Insisted that what he wanted above all things was to do the work before him without bloodshed. "nut , " ho said , "If there Is lighting , If at the critical moment there arc men In our way , men who wish to Imprisor tifl , can I rely pn you men to light with mo ? " Hudson , though not an eloquent talker , suc ceeded In Impressing the men' with the earnestness , the Importance and the danger Df our work , and all of them eteppcd for ward , and. holding up their hands , swore to itand by him through thick and thin to the enel of the enterprise. Tills was well enough. Wo dismissed the men nnd went 'forward to look after our launch. Wo had It In perfect worklig cider In less than an hour , fuel on board , water nd provlslcwi and arms uadcr the teats Then wo called our six men to < u and polntci sut their illations on the * .unch. We sxunR our heavy davits , so the launch might be lowered , and then Huetaon made an nrringc- ment with the captain of the nteamor I'y Rlilch ho pledged himself to have hla crew ready to hoist the launch Inboard at a mo ment's notice. By this tlmo It was 3 o'clock , and there lust ahead or us , peeping up above the horl- ton , a shade of dark blue against the lighter blue of the ekles , we could see tha Isles dp Balut. "All steam ahead , captain ! " eald HucVon quietly , and soon the steamer was cutting her way through the water at six'can l.not in hour. "You know the Isle du Dlable , captain ? " "Yes , sic. " "I want you to approach It within Ueilf a mlle on the north , then lurti to the west ward , run around the west end of the IsVind turn sharp to the cast and r-m r.ipMly raM ( ho south end of the Inland , about n mile off ; go right fast the Island , clear out to nea Ind I'll tell you what to do next. " "Aye , aye , sir ! " eald the captain. As wo drew nearer end nearer ' .o the Itlam' ' our hearts beat faster and our pulses quick ened. On the bridge of Ihe steemer we had a targe camera , and when wo were within half a mile of the north end of the Island w rapidly took half a dozen photograrhs of It , I attended to thl , while Hudson examined the Island through a powerful glars. Tiilf course we followed all the way around the Island. As we got to the south side we could set through the glaag two or three soldiers running to a little hut on a rocky eminence nd presently a gun was fired with a louil report. We were startled at this evidence of watchfulness , but were not alarmed , foi the gun wan unnhotted. It was evidently ilgnal , for saou , from n Island to the west , came an answering report. A few minute : later wo saw A small sbop of war , flylnp tbo French flag , emerge and head In oui direction. A the came out eno fired i shotted gun , the ball being aimed to fall tcroes our bows , a signal to heave to. "Heave to. Is It. slrT" eald the skipper addressing Hudson. "Heavo to h I" Hudaon replied. "Full itMiu ahead , Kan , right out to sea. " And right out to e wo went. The Frencl lojp. seeing tba ( she could not match oui peed , § oc ( yruMl nbout. and wo eaw hci touch t the Devil's Island. Until eUrkoeM loll Hudson tad I rmalce < on de'ik. Then wo went below , and , calling our men Into the cabin , Hudson said : "Listen , everybody. That Island which we whipped around this afternoon Is the one on which wo have to land sud rescue a prisoner. H > w difficult the task will be you may ten- aglno from listening to what I have to tell you about It. The Dcvlt'e Island Is the smallest of the three Isles du Salut , which ore cltiintc.l about twelve leagues from Cayenne and eight from the mainland of Freich Qulana. Of these the Devil's Island ! n the most northern. Upon this Island Alfred Dreyfus Is confined , cloncly guarded by day and night , In a wooden house , composed of three rooms. The middle room Is occupied by the prisoner , the rooms on cither side "Thesp facts I knew before we started , " hidson went on , "but I have added other tiformiitlon by my observations ot this afternoon. Devil's Island Is a small one , as on saw. On the north elde I noticed tfoat t Is rocky 'with ' no signs of a 'beach. It seems to be Impossible for a 6o.it to land there. If the French think It Impossible our task will be so much easier , for that Is "WB IBEAllD A SHOT A-NT ) KNEW THAT WE HAD UND0nES.TJM.ATED. THRI TIME OF HELIBVIN'O GUAIID. " To the thin line he" had' ' eUrYfc'd ' hofc we tautened a utoutcr one , and Jome pulled It ashore. He fastened It around A point of rock , and to thli we pulled the launch , hand over hand. The wind from the south kept he > r off the rocks , and rtitf promised to rlilo Mfely In her narrow harborage. It was n task for us to got ashore , but' wo did It , one by one , hand over hand , up the line that Jones had pulled ashore. Every mm , with all his arms , waa landed safely on Devil's Island , and Hudson's watch to'.d him It was 11:30. : "We must hurry , " Jio whispered. Taking a moment for the men to regain their breath , we started cautiously over the rocky point , down behind the shrubs , and toward the beach. Wo left the men well hidden by a clump ot shrubs , and Hudson and I went forward on our hands and knees > to reconnolter. .Wo reached the largest of the buildings , but all was Mill , eave for the trtump , tramp , tramp of a sentry pacing up and down In front of It. We skirted this building , went around the next one , which we had taken for the quarters of the guard , and crept up to within 100 yards ot the prison , Inside of which Alfred Drcyfuu was confined. It was a strong Inclosurp , built of logs so bo'.tcd 'and Interlaced that a rabbit could hardly have squeezed throunh. In the center of this was a small hut , and outside the hut were four flambeaux or torches which lighted the whole Interior of the stockade. Peering through the cracks In the stockade , as well as at our distance we could , we made- out 1 the form of Dreyfus , the solitary prisoner , t I / where we shall land. On the south side , you noticed that he land runs sloplngly down to the water's edge ; there la a stretch of whlto sand , and Wat Is a good boat landing. Through the telescope I saw that there were only throe bulMlngs on the Island. As well as I could make out the one to the eastward la the prison cell of Captain Dreyfus ; the Hinall hut to the westward of this Is where , In all probability , the guard , or that part of It which Is not patrollng the prison , aleepa. Farttoor back , nearer the center of the Islaml , there Is a large 'building ' , a sort of barracks , and there probably Is the com pany of French soldiers which has been stationed on the Island ever since Dreyfus arrived. " Hudson found , by turning to the almanac , that there would not bo a moonless night for three days , and we could not do a thing ? \ccpt oo , a pitch , dark night. OII'A'PTBR ' III. On the third day luck seemed to favor u < 3. 'From ' the southwest blew up a storm , not much -wind In It , but heavy banks of rain clouds , pouring rain and stirring up enough of a sea to make It unpleasant. It was bad weather to.be ; near laud , but was good weather for our purpose , and tbo storm had haidly begun before the steamer's head was slowed round and we were heading against the storm , straight for Devil's Island , an fast as steam would take us. In the afternoon iwe changed our course and ran westward until wo got sight , through the haze and rain , of the coast of French Guiana. Our pilot was puzzled at tlib glimpse of the coast we gave him , so Wb had to run closer'than was really safe that IIP might get his ibearlngs. When ho was able to recognize the land he told us we were Just south of Slnnamarco , scarce sixty mllcn from Cayenne. Hero wo hove to , keeping enough -way 'en ' the vessel to hold her head to the seas ; so we waited for darkness. As darkness fell we gave orders to go a'hcad ' , and steering south by east half eaqt , we found ourselves at 9 o'clock two miles north of Devil's Island , and , as the wind was from the south , iwe were under Its lee. Our men were called away to supper. After they had eaten and had a glass of grog wo made them take off their shoes , and offered them moccasins for their feet , All accepted them but the negro , Jones , whoso feet were calloused , and who averred that he could iwalk the rockiest shore eure-footcd and 'without ' noise. Cy 9:30 : steam was up on the naphtha launch , she was hoisted overboard , and the men took their stations , Hudson was at the helm , I at the bow. The captain of the steamer had bsen ordered to lay to and wait for Us. showing no light anywhere , but keeping up a full head of steam. If we fired a rocket he was to show a light , steam In the direction of the rocket , pick us up and steam sea ward. If he got no sign from the shore by 3 o'clock In the mornta : ; , ho had orders' to put straight for sea , lay to till night , and at night to try and return , to the position oc cupied where wo left him. The latter order wo thought necessary , as It might be pos sible that we should bo compelled to bide among the rocks of the laland all next day. As we put away from the steamer thsro was a heavy sea running , a' pea that threat ened to eagulf and awump the small launch. Foot by foot against It we made our way up and then down the "JONES SPRANQ AND CAUGHT HIM DY TH'E ' THROAT. " north coast of Dsvll's island. PickIng - | Ing our course with the greatest core for fear of rocks , and yet kept a ( harp eye out for a place where It would be possible to land , but wq found none , , \Ve wasted an hour thus. At last we EIW one place , a small openlog In the rocky coist , and Inside of this the water wan slightly smoother , but the waves dashed madly agalnrt the coast , and there was no sign of a btoch. Hudson headed the launch for this. I saw the negro get up and crawl aft. I could ice him pointing to the black rock , and Dually I caw him take on his clothes , illp a rope around his shoulders and slip over the aide. It was the act of A volunteer. It wai hard for a man to swim In such a sea , but thejjiCKro ma < ! e Jt. In a ( ew moments we saw htm cllng'ng to tie rock , up which he ilowly mounted. walking rei'tlcssjy ' Inside his narrow hut. It was evident at once that we could not gel speech with him. The- hut where the watch slept wau scarcely fifty yards away , and as we lay watching we could ace two soldiers In full uniform , with bayonets fixed , pacing steadily and Watchfully around the outer edge of the stockade. It seemed a task so hopeless , now that wo were face to face with It , that I could not forbear putting my lips close to Hudson's ear and whispering , "It looks as If tile game wcro up. " "Hush-sh-sh ! " ho said. There was scarce need for so much caution , for the wind was howling at It swept across the bleak Island , and the heavy seas from the southward wcro pounding heavily on the bcabh. " " ' " " "Go back and bring up th'o men carefully , " said Hudson. "Leave "all but Gaspard , Nan- ton and Jones about fifty yards to the caw- ward'bring ; the others right here. " I did as I was Md wlthbuffurther speculation tionIn ten minutes I had the men all placed , and I and the three men named wcro at the side of .Hudson. "Is Jones there ? " ho whispered. "I'so here , boat' , " said Jones. "Nanton and Gaspard , you stay here until you get a message from me. Come on , Sharpe and Jones , careful now ! " Inch by Inch we crawled on our hands and Vnees nearer the stockade , and nearev to the marching sentry. We noticed that the sentinel did not walk clear around the stockade. Or.u man walked calf way around and met his fellow sentinel and then turned back and met him at the other end. Wo could see that there , were no other flentlne'a posted. I heard Hudson whisper to the negi'o tut could not catch what was slid , and we were so clcse to the path of the sentinel now that It was dangerous almost to breathe. The stockade was Ir > a blaze , ot light ; wo were In laky darkness ; there waa not much fear of our be'tng seen. , "night-left , right-left. " the flentlnel came on toward our hiding place. Hudecn reached out and gripped me by the shoulder ; hU other hand rested on the negro's arm. With his rille at the uhoulder. the bayonet glistening In the torchlight , th'e seD'Inel approached preached , was opposite and bad parsed us. Hudson's grip on my shoulder tightened as JcatM sprang noiselessly to hta feet , crouched efter the soldier , reached him great heavens ! Ho had him by the throat ! There was never a sound. As the soldier was forced back , back , choking , Insenstb'e , his rifle fell from his ban 3s. It wcs caught by Hudson. "Choke him Insensible ! Keep him still If you have to kill him ! " whispered Hud-ion. He seized the soldier's cap and forced It on my head , he tore offtlie'uoldler'o coat and forced It on me ; he strapped the sol dier's knapsack co my shoulders , and forced the soldier's rifle Into niy.Jiuad. . , "Shoulder arms , " he whispered , "March , march , Sharpe ! hurry i > ow meet the other man , turn quickly and come back ! If he recognizes you don't flre glveTJIm the butt ! " There was no tlmo former . I woa off. I ran to the corror and then marched steadily and In order around lt."The other soldier was Just turning his career . I walked to ward him , tuticd and marched back. He had seen nothing Vrongi > Vhen I marched back to the place where the sentry bad been' ' collarcdTCir trace of that Incident bad vanished. Tie.senary ) , Hudson , the negro all were gone , I looked sharply about , but could see nono-oj-tliem. I kept cu marching. At tbo cast end did In the west end I met the Kreufh'-ioliller. Ho did not notice any change. Every moment seemed en hour , and I held my rifle all th'a time ready to club and , to fell him If need be. be.In In vain I ! oolr < l for my comrades. I bad marched about thirty times around my hulf ot the stockade am ) ; b < r JtMt Rot to the emt end again , when thtnothpr French noldler tialutcd and paid ! "Jllit. " , "Here comes the trouble ! " thought Ii but , taking a firmer grip on my rifle , I walked toward him. I waa looking for a good place to land the butt of Jnr weapon , when to my Burprluc I heard Hudson's voice saying : "It'a all right so far ; wt'vc got both of 'era. " Hudeon himself wanitiurother sentinel ! He had given orders tjo the negro to go and bring up the rest ot'ouc men , and they came rapidly , btlt with cnutltsi. We selected the darkest spot In the atoekade and set the men to work to cut It loose , and so well , but withal silently , did they work that In lets than half an hour they had a bole cut large enough to admit a man. Hudson sent In Antolnc Gaspard and told him to explain to the prisoner what we weve there for , but first of all to find out from the prisoner how often the fltntrlea were changed and when they had been changed last. Antolne came back to tell us that the eentlnel.i did duty two hours each , and that the guard had been changed about an hour and three quarters ago. "Great Scott ! Wo must hurry ! " I eald. Hudson crawled through the stockade , and In less than a minute brought out Capta'n DreVfus. He WES weak and bewildered , and could 'scarce believe In his good fortune ; but we hauled him out unceremoniously and ntarted him off to the nccth end of the la- land In care of Emlle Fereau and James Lowther. While wo bad been doing this Jones had been visiting the fallen sentries , and he now came to us to say that he had hauled them about 100 yards back of the stockade and had gagged them both. He assured us they were not seriously hurt. We carried the rlftw and the uniforms with us atid hurried away after our men , but even as wo reached the summit of the racks we heard a shot fired , anl knew that we had underestimated the time of relieving guard , tnd that the soldiers had discovered something wrciig. Even If they had known what had hap pened they had no means of discovering In which direction we had gone , and we hurried as test as we could through the darkno.o , stumbling over flharp rocks which cut our hands aoJ knees. Fcveau was already In the boat , hav'og slid dovn the rope , but Captain Dreyfus was too weak to try this plan , BO wo had to yell to Kercau to bring us a rope and to haul the launch nearer the rocks. The French must have heard our shout , for even as I was tyUig the rope around the \\alst of Captain Dreyfus , the while he mur- niure'd : "O , Us me prendrez ! 0 , Us me preadrez ! " ( O , they will catch me ! O , they will catch mo ) the foremost soldiers c-amt clambering up the rocks toward u ? . Our nun were not behind In knowing what to do. As the Frenchmen came near they cpcned fire on them with revolvers , which caused them to drop down behind the rocks , fearful that we had a larg force behind us. Htidscn and I lowered Dreyfus to the launch , and as he got on beard we heard the peal of the big guu , the warning signal ! So , very soon we heard the signal answered from the neighboring Is'and , an.l we had no doubt that the French war sloop would sson be cttamlng toward us. Our men made no effort to retreat until we called them , and thcii they came bearing the body of Wash ington Jonrs , who had been shot. I stooped to examine him. He had a bullet through his foreh'ad. "Drop him , men ! " I cried ; "he'H dead ; the llvlug first. " One by one , In splendid order , wo got to the launch , and when we were on board , the rope was cut tnd. under the cover of the darkness , we steamed northward. Dy this time the whole company , 100 French soldlera , were on the rocks above us and flted volley after volley In our direction. Most of the bullctb wont wide of the mark for our small launch eouid r.ot be neen In the darkness , but IIuiUou was struck la the hand , and a bullet grazed Alfred Dreyfus I felt him wince , and asked him It ho were hit. He replied bravclv : "Uno petite blessure settlement , Co n'est rlen. " ( Only a little wcuntl. It is nothing. ) We run. half a mile straight away from the Islacid , and then sent up a rocket ; this waj answered almost Immediately from our steamer , which bore down ou ua , and , Ir splto of the still , heavy sea , we manage ; : to hook on to the divit ? , and were hoisted lapldly aboard. i As tho'-crew. of the stoamen oavv us haai the nick' ' prisoner over the side , nlthough they had no real Interest in the matter , they raised a cheer. A few o ! them prersed forward to take the prisoner's hand. Hud- sea pushed his way aft , met the captain and ordered him to steam ahead as fast as possible. "What course shall wo steer , sir ? " askec the skipper. "OUiR MIEJf OPEXIHD 'FIRE ' AS HUDSO.V AND I LOWBRED DREYFLU" "Direct to Demerara , " Hudeon replied. As we turned around wo saw the clumsy French sloop rounding the point of the Devil's Island , and It was evident that she got a glimpse of us , for she fired flvo or six shots. To these we made no reply , contin uing steadily on our course. Dy daylight we were out of sight of land , and no vessel but our own ws visible. That was how wo rescued Captain Drey fus ! From Demerara wo cabled to New York the news of our success , and when , five days later , we steamed Into a New York dock and Captain Dreyfus , Hudson and 1 were seen standing on the bridge , we wcro Kieeted with roars of triumph. The rent Is well known ; the monster re ception that was tendered Captain Dreyfus and his rescuers at the Astoria , the numer- "D'UOP ' HIM. MEN , H'E 18 DEAD ; THE LIVIXO FIRST. " ous offers that Captain Dreyfus received for a lecturing tour of the United States , the endless banquets , the blaze of notoriety. The news of the rescue was known In France al- meet EB soon as It was lu America , and the French minister made an official demand for the return of the prisoner. Ot course thle demand was refused. Dreyfus sent for his wife and children and Hudson and I were anxious to repialn In New York until they ar rived ; but before La Touralne was due we received a summons from a London paper , urging us to take the soring campaign In Afghanistan , and so , leaving Captain Drey fus eate and happy , and In the "land of the free , " we set out tor new adventure * . C A ITU IX OK TIIK MAIXK. ikrteh 'of < lir > Onrorr of Cnittnlit ChnrlvH llrrlKht MirNtirr , Colonel William Coiiant Church , editor of ho Army and Nvy Journal , contributes to ho Independent the following sketch ot Captain Slgsbee ot the Maine : The 'disaster to the United States battle- hip "Maine" In the harbor ot Havana thro\M ome light on the question so long dtacimsod n naval circles , as to whether devotion to he scientific sldo ot a naval officer's duties orecns his capacity fir command. Captain Charles Dwlght Blgsbep , who has won the hanks of the country by his conduct In connection with the loss of the Maine has luretofore be'jrj known beyond the navy tilefly by his Important contribution to thn work ot deep sea sounding. Amid the wreck age of the Malno He the gold medal be stowed upcxi him by congress and the order of the Keel Eagle glvcti him by Emperor iVIIIlam I of Germany for his Improvements n deep sn apparatus. Ho commanded the cop t survey steamer Hake during thoac thalassographlc surveys of 1875-78 , which threw such a flcod ot light ipon the coiulltlms of animal life In the 'deep , unfathomcd caves" of ocean , and wo lave the authority of 1'rof. Alexander Agas- slz for saying that the sticce s of the scien tific party In the "lllake" was largely due not only to Captain Slgsbce's capacity as a commander and to hU atlve Intercut In scien tific Investigation , but to the numerous Im- provomenfi In the apparatus for deep-sea diedging and sounding originating with him. The decpeat'vallcy In the Gulf of Mexico Is named "Slgsbee's Deep , " after Its discoverer , and the scientific name of Slgsbela Murr- hlna Is given to one of the rarest species of deep-sea fauna. It was Slgflbee , too. who discovered near the Morro Light , not far from the spot where the Malno now lies , many beautiful specimens of the I'cnlacrlnl , or sea-llllcs , and who , while In command of the Hlake , placed at the disposal of scientific Imtdtlgators the flrat extensive collection ot i this ancient genus. Thus has Captain Slgs- tce associated his name with the harbor of Havana both by scientific investigations and by cxhlbtlon of the highest tiualltlM of com mand. Title , bis present fame Is duo to his con nection with a disaster having few parallels In naval histcry In a time of peace , but no suggestion comes from any quarter that blame rcots upon him. Under trying clr- cutratancea he has certainly displayed the noblest qualities of manhood and given to the country the comfortlins assurance that the national defense and the national honor are In the safekeeping ot men of the old heroic type. When the commander of the 'Maine visited Mrs maimed and suffering sail ors at the hospital at Havana and , with tcan < filling his eyes , exclaimed : "You chc your captain badly thU lime , my men. " from every trembling lip came the reply , to which all will respond : "No , no , captain- no , no ! " Captain Slgsbeo Is one of the most popular of offjcra , not only with his men , but with all who know him , and this Inci dent shows the confldejioc tho.se he com mands have In him. The circumstance that Captain Slgshcc soon after his arrival In the harbor of Ha vana received the news that he had been m.'ide a grandfather shows that he Is a man mature In years and experience. He wcu born In the state' of New York , January 1C , 1843 , and entered the service during the civil war , having been graduated from tliu Naval academy In 18G3 , In seaton to take part as ensign Ln the attack on Mobile bay under Farragut , and In. the two attacks on Fort Fluhev under Porter , where he was at tached to the naval column joining In the final assault. As an ensign master and lieutenant Slgs- bee served after the war In the United States steamers Wyoming and Ashuclot , at tached to the Asiatic , pquadron ; as a lieu tenant commander he was on duty In the Severn and Worcester , flag ships of the North Atlantic station. He has also served In tlui Canandalgua and was In command of the Dlake , the little steamer of 350 tons , built aud equipped expressly for the work of deep sea sounding and credited with far moro rapid and accurate work than any ac complished with the old methods and appli ances by the large men-of-war usually de tailed for such duty by 'European govern ments. He- was on duty at the Naval acad emy , 1869-71 , nnd again In 1882-85 , com manding , with the rank of commander , the cadet practice ship Dale during the summer cruises of 18G3 and 1861 , returning to duty at the Naval academy from 1887-90 , and com manding the practice ship Constellation dur ing the summer of 1889. He also commanded the Kcarsago on the European elation , 1885-92. Ho served two terms ot duty In the Hydrographlcoffice ; once In 1878-82 and again as hydrographer of the Navy depart ment from 1893 'Upta Uic date of his trans fer to the command of the Maine , April 10 , 1897. " - * ' In all of these several commands Captain Slgsbeo * has shown a skill , energy and Intel ligence which secured the confidence of the department and led to his selection for the Important command of a battleship wtilch so many of bin rank were coveting. How well ho has acquitted himself the country knows ; but. ho , beforo.all otheis , would disclaim any other credit 'than that of having exhibited under trying circumstances those qualities of fidelity ' ' ' to duly , coolness In emergency , eelf-f'o'rg'etfulness and aelf-coiitrol , which are the.distinguishing characteristics of the noble body of men who form the personnel of our nivy. He has answered , In a way that should never be forgotten , the cruel slander that our military men are tlie promoters of war. When a siuglo word from him , which might well have been excused under such exciting circumstances , would have jet the country in a blaze , he counseled moderation ; and In all ot his Intercourse with these against whom Atieplclon of bad faith hna licon di rected ho ha * shown the dignity of the Belt' contained aiul RclNretpcctlng officer , thn skill of the trained diplomat. If-i\ar hmild lol- low the present strained relntlti a with Spain It will not result from any act ot hlj or of his fellows In tUo , navalnnpdjjlltnr-tserv- ( ) } Ices. ALASKA HAM MIW KIKt.D. " .Soii | . > " Slit I Hi lllniiiiiH ( lilt UN llu- Slinli nl SkiidMnj. "Soapy" Smith , one time known as Jeff , gambler , politician , "sure-thing" man , has added to hta other titles that ot "Shah of Skagway. " He also longs to bo called "chief. " In the boom town at the entrance of White pass "Soapy" U a power and a prominent citizen. The sporting fraternity own allegiance to his cause , and when the place Is Incorporated will further his ambltl- lion to be chief of police. The story of the career ot the would-be policeman teems with tales of adventure. , He Is known all alone the Pacific coast as a ' most desperate gambler. It was , however , In Colorado that he first achieved promi nence. It was In the good old times. Every nmn had money unless he had met "Soapy. " In the midst of the throng of people then In Denver stood "Soapy" on a box. Ho had soap to sell. U was very remarkable roap. "Soapy" touched It ciiil lo ! there wao an Inner wrapping of crisp bank notes around every bar. What was the use of huutltiR over the hills for deceptive silver mines ? Here was a fortune close at hand. "Soapy" had just a few Ic.t for sale. Under hlk magic touch a bar waa sera to be enfolded In mcney. With eager eye fixed uprn the tempting treasure the spectator paused his hard-earned rash to the magician and grasped the potent bar. Upon opunlng the1 outer wrapper , breathing short and quick the while , he found Juat soap ; but It was a very good soap. "Soapy" became very proficient In the-flHell game cod In all the various schemes of the high-class bunko man. Year after > car he flourished , bunkoed vlaltois , conducted a gambling house nnd made his name a by word nd a synonym. He made fortune after fortune and spent It all In riotous HvV.g. He left Denver In 1SOG , driven out at last by the women empowcied with the suffrage. Ho went to New Orleans , was Imprisoned there for vagrancy and finally drifted to the Pacific coast. IT ciruun init. : Hut ( lie Ciiloiu-l 11 ml lo Tliriisli Her In Mrlf-l > ffViiMi > . Colonel Jake Haager Is one of the most gallant a. ? well as one of the handsomest men who over sat In the chair of the chief of police and bossed the bobbies In blue , re lates the Louisville Commercial. He Is a na tive Kentucklan , full of reaped for the fair sex , gentle as u summer zephyr and as full of sympathy aj a can of cove oyatcrs. Yet upon one occasion he drew back hl.j fist and gave a woman a blow In the face that uhoolt her from the tip of her velvet toiiue to the end of her gummed overshoes. In days gone by the notorious Carrie Mc- Ilrlde , who Is anw dead , waa noted as the woist woman In Louisville. She was a rawboned - boned , powerful creature , with a (1st ( ou l.er like a battering ram , and at least once a week for twenty years It was necessary to arrest her. Policemen shivered when they saw her drinking , for they know they were In for a fight before the day waa over. She knocked them down and tore their unlfonrs , battered their faces and made them objects of ridicule on their bents , Out of their meager wages they had to replace the uni forms she destroyed and their families suffered In coii'sequence. ' Of course It would . not do to strike a woman and thus place a I blot oa the fair name of Kentucky. Yeara went by and Catrlo became worse than ever with age. Colonel Haager was keeper of the Central pallce station one day when she was brought in fighting dcuperately. Afi soon as she caw him she said : "Since when did all you boys git on the police force ? Well , I'll JiMt take a fall out of you. " Then she drew back her fist and prepared to give him a beating. Like a flash the fint of the young man shot .out aad Carrie dropped with a dull thud against the Ircn door of the station. With a dazed look on her bloated face she arose and staggered toward him. Down she went again as sud- Some soaps do but little harm. Some do much harm. There Is one soap that does no harm. It won't shrink wool won't harm fine laces won't injure the skin. Make any test you will. There is absolute ly no harm- MY MAMA IWI8HMINC fulnecq in uio HAD ilcnly . < before. ItnlaliiR herself on one ri- tow ! . ( contemplated him for A moment and laid "Say , > uu'ro all rliht. I'll Rlvo up nn.l you'll never have nay more trouble with mo. " The pplrlt ot the i otnl virago was broken and cvev afterward ho waa gentle as a lamb. See That Stamp I It Is the Government Internal Revenue Stamp over the Cork and Cap. sulc of every bottle of OLDCROWAid BMnV .WHISKIES y Certlfylnjj to the Age and Purity of the Whisky. NOTE. It ! thn Government's Guar- antce that ffoci with tlili bottling. See that the nnme W. A. GAIMS & CO. Is printed on the stamp. ALL DEALERS SELL IT HI UNIVERSAL REMEDY * * ; Inflammations ro qulcklf drawn to the eurfaro anil curcil by tbo Absorption of the powerful and highly efficient medications which Benson's RS , cent iln. They Into fminil tliclr w y Into etrry clvlhzfil couatrr on tli * gliilw , unit nnrop < l , . t'liMnsehos liiflUptn lilo I < T the quick rrllM of ' : ItliriiiiiiiilNiii , Hrlntlrii ! l.nmliiiKd , 4' jtiiclcurlir. Plcurl y , I'liriimonm , < > lildllf.v Airi-rtlniih , clu. Hnte thorn In tlm Inniviri. itiy foriMuerjioupy , ill delnTinitpalntftit 4 > ludincernus. Iln eurn tn get a DCN8ON 8 4 ft ] ! efii'OBib. : tlntos. rlreS cent > . . boabunr & JuhusoD , Al'l'g C'hoinirtB , New York. fcffEM E DY O. BLOOD POISON A SPECIALTY. Primary , Secondary or Tertiary DLOOO POISON permanently Cured in 15 to 35 Days. Tou can be treated at homt for § am price undr same guaranty. If you prufer to come here we wilt contract to pay rail road fare and hotel bllla , and no chorea If we fall to cure. IP YOU HAVE taken mercury. Iodide potoah and atlll hnve achtn ami p ln , Mucoua Patches In mouth , Sere Throat , Winplea , Copper Col- ? red SpotUlctiK on any part ot the body. Hair or Eyebrows falling out. It It thla Becomlnry ii Wt Guarantee to Cure We Follclt the nicjt obitlnat * caaet and challenge the world for a cie we cannot cure. Thle aii'ttte has nlwaya baflled tSra kill of the tiott tmlnvnt physicians. KOO.OOO capital behind our unconditional guaranty. Absolute proofs wnt sealed on application. 100 tmge book lent fret. / - : Address COOIC nKMBDY CO. . 141)1 Hiiionlc Tcmiilf , Chicago , III. COOK REMEDY CO. Uw Blf O tor unn lon | dlicntrcM. Infltmmatloaa , Irrllktloni or olc rttloM of maoo aiembriDM. . . - P tlH , and not utrlB * lmE MlCHIMiCUOo.nt 1 m M.Ti.o or tit pal , .W. or l K.T * . fit ( CM ln lpa > Flr.1 Week. eek. WEAK MEN Jnntiint Relief. COTelntSdnri. Never returns. I will iclaillr unnil to any sutTrrcr In a plain scaled rnrelnno FRISK o prescription with full direc tions fur a fiiilck. prl\ ate euro fur I.nst Manhood , k Losses , Nervous Drhllltv. Small Weak WINE Of CARDUI "Oh I My Head I" ODETX , III. , May 20th. I have suffered two years from irregularity of menses. I had a dull , heavy headache all the time , with a very weak back. I also had womb disease. I am married , and have one child , and have not been well since the child was born. Our doctor attended me all the time , but my head got no better. My husband finally bought me a bottle of Wine of Cardui and a package of Thedford's Black- Draught. After taking them ac cording to your directions , I am . _ cured of all my troubles. I feel very grateful to Dr. McElree for his wonderful medicine. MRS. LIZZIE CUTTILL A woman's headache usually comes from some menstrual derangement or weakness. It is a symptom of a serious disorder that should have prompt attention. If she will take Wine of Cardui , and secure painless and regular periods , she won't have much headache. When will women learn that they need not suffer from headache ? That those monthly pains in the back , sides and abdomen can be avoided ? A few doses of Wine of Cardui every month will insure freedom from this trouble. Two thousand women buy Wine of Cardui every day. And they get relief from taking it. Don't you want relief from headache , backache , whites , falling of the womb , painful or irregu lar menstruation ? There is nothing like Wine such troubles. You are invited of Cardui for LADIES1 ADVISORY DEPARTMENT. to give it a trial , Druggists sell and recommend Far adTlco In cases requiring spe cial directions , address , eWne symp mend it. toms , LotUit' AdritoTV Department , The CtmltsmoogalivdtelBeCo. Chattanooga , Tenn. THE PRICK 18 f 1.00 PER BOTTLE. WlfSIt OF CARDUI
