Show DAD THE SOLDIERS SOLDIER'S WHEATON WHEATON WHEAT ON IDOL Gen Loyd Wheaton whose frankness s sin in n expressing his opinions has stirred up upa a number of Senatorial critics will trill wi not lack ack for defenders Practically without the men who have served un- un tier de e.- e. l Win him m. m whom they fondly fondy call can Dad Wheaton for him to the last itch ditch dich against any odds Even among the general officers of the United States army including so many men of dauntless courage and splendid character there are few who rank ranle with Wheaton in personal popularity among the ne enlisted men In appearance he is the he ideal soldier tall tal and straight as a aine apine apine pine ine tree His thick hair is jet black and nd the lower part of his face is covered with wih a black beard set off of by a pair pall of long ong and fiercely pointed black mus- mus aches On horseback especially he looks the part of a a pirate king and his voice is a deep bass of tremendous power that can be heard at great dis- dis ances It I is a favorite joke with wih the soldiers in n the Islands that Old Dad needs no staff taff because he can make himself heard icard half a mile mie without straining himself himsel Most endearing of all al from the he standpoint of the common soldier Gen Wheaton never r ne spares himself and many an outpost hard pressed by byan byan byan an overpowering force of the has ms been Inspired by the roaring command command com- com mand nand of Old Dad Dad Go Go In boys Go Gon In n n while he himself riding like a centaur led the charge far in advance of th the advancing colu column n. n Enlisted men returned from service Inthe in inthe the he islands tell tel all al sorts of little stories of pf Gen Wheaton For instance there was vas the night after the landing at San Fabian Six gunboats had gone down t he the e coast to cover the landing of a a. lot or of f men under Gen Wheaton who were loaded on a couple of army transports While the gunboats shelled the town Wheaton got his men Into launches and other small smal boats and waited for the chance to get et ashore Once or twice his eagerness led him to e erne hm push ahead within the range of the gunboats gunboat's fire fre and rand and each time he had to face about and retire much to the amusement of the men nen bobbing about aboul on ott the swell In thir little boats Finally Finaly the party l landed under a hot fire fre front from the Insurgents insurgents insurgents gents and rushed the town After pickets pickets pickets pick pick- ets had been thrown out and all al arrangements arrangements arrangements ar ar- ar- ar made for guarding against a night nigh attack Gen Wheaton stated started to turn urn In with with the the Idea of catching a few hours hours' sleep He and his orderly went Into nto a native house on the square and opened the door leading into nto the corner room As they did so a couple of privates privates vates yates who had already lain down to sleep on the floor foor rose sleepily came to attention saluted and started to leave the room Here you roared Old Dad in his terrifying vol voice e you boys need sleep just as much as I do Lie down again and go to sleep p. p So the commanding General and a couple of privates went to sleep side by side on the floor foor But early in the morning morn morn- ing before any anyone one else was awake wake Gen Wheaton got up and went out al all al alone on a reconnoitering tour He closed cosed the door and It locked behind him with wih a spring lock Several times during the night stragglers giers gers had come pounding on 01 the door and had been ordered away by the somewhat sulphuric orderly It I happened happened hap hap- that the orderly had Just got Into a a sound sleen sleep when the General returned re returned re- re turned and knocked for admission The orderly who had no Idea that Gen Wheaton had gone out woke voke up ho hot and angry With Wih all al the resources of his picturesque picturesque esque vocabulary he cursed the man who had disturbed him and ordered him to go away under awful penalties N Now w you clear cear out of here and le leus let Jet u us sleep or Ill I'll come ome out and kick your you head off he roared All Al right sergeant sounded the deep voice of pf Old Dad alt all al right Il Ill I'll clear out But wont won't Il cear won t you please let Jet m me have my field feld glasses first Another s story ory which the men are fond of telling concerns what happened on June 19 1899 at Perez Des Marinez r f-r Gen lV 1 nealon hn se Y-iA Y nn A were ere at Ismus had sent out MaJ Bobb with wih men of the First o othe othe of the he Fourth infantry to develop the strength of the enemy enem and if I no resist resists resist ance nee was found to raise the flag fag at arance arnce atance ar- ar ance nce was found to raise the flag fag at Perez MaJ Bobb took one gun from the he artillery artlery with wih him with wih him The detachment had come within a amile amile a mile mie or ol two of Des Marines Marinez when a big forc force orce of f Insurgents numbering more snore than han 2000 2010 mien men was discovered lying behind behind behind be be- hind cover on both sides of the road along which MaJ Bobbs Bobb's little column was vas wa advancing The single gun was vas brought Into action acton but the poured In a hot fire fre and MaJ Bobb or ordered ordered or- or dered tiered the men mento to fall fal back on the main bod body The firing frIng was incessant and Inside in inside inside In- In side of a few hours there were thirty thirty- five Ive casualties The men were retiring In n good order but vere were hard pushed and it seemed that they would never get back to their supports But Wheaton miles mies away at Ismus was not Idle Perhaps his lookouts had ha seen the rising smoke or perhaps the sound of the distant cannon firing fring had reached them At any rate Old Dad got out a fresh regiment and a battery batery of four guns and taking the command himself started to the relief of Bobbs Bobb's little party Behind the retiring men stretched a along along along long and wide district of rice paddles paddies flat fiat fat and arid swamp and affording no cover from the enemy's sharpshooters Just Justas as the retiring column reached the first of these paddles paddies Old Od Dad broke through the bushes and woods on the opposite side and came dashing out into the open He was riding his big bay horse on the run and behind him strained and struggled the horses of the gun battery batery While he was still far away the hard- hard pressed little Ite column could hear him roaring Turn the other way boys turn the other way As he dashed by byon byon byon on his way to the front of the fighting line lne a young Lieutenant cried out General our ammunitions ammunition's all al gone gone Then hit hi em cia with your fists boys roared Old Dad he as spurred to the fore Behind came a fresh regiment on the quick double double and by the time they were up and the battery had begun to shell shel the insurgents' insurgents lines the were in full ful retreat On one occasion a civilian got permission permission permission sion to accompany Gen Wheaton's column column column col col- col- col on a flying march into the interior The General once having given permission permission sion for him to go made It i a special point to look out for the comfort and arid welfare of the non Before the column matched he told the guest of the brigade that he should bunk at brigade headquarters whenever the column column col eel halted haled The guest not riot wisher to Impose on the Generals General's Generals good nature good nature did not go to the house where the Gen- Gen stopped one night but found quarters with wih a young in another part of the town On the second night thereafter when the civilian started to turn tur in he found that all al his traps had been removed from the house wh where re he had left lef them and an orderly from Wheaton's headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters was waiting to put him under arrest The The- The terrified non-combatant non was taken before Gen Wheaton who roared out Young man I r ordered you to bunk at my headquarters 1 I am accustomed accustomed accustomed ac ac- ac- ac to having my orders obeyed I have had your things moved down here and if you fail fal again to obey my orders Ill I'll Il have you hung drawn draw and quartered Now go to bed Next morning after the civilian had dressed Gen called cane him hm aldo aside and led him In a most mysterious way down a path at the rear of the hut The civilian was c certain that some great secret of state was about to be communicated communicated to him What the General really really really real real- ly said was this Dont say a word about It to any of or orthe the other fellows but Ive I've Ive got half a dozen fresh eggs in the room and Ill I'll Il give you yu a couple of or them them As the whole column had been living on the country for a week and as food of any kind was scarce the present of two eggs was a great one and the civilian civilian civil civil- ian accepted them with wih hearty thanks I Chicago Phi n ae-n Tribune |