Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1899 — Page 2

DEWEY

IQ HE demonstration aeeorded Ad||BMrml George Dewey in New York gt-was one of the grandest, most gorXytis cad spontaneously enthusiastic in ■ whole history of human pageantry. Hnm an outpouring of the popular heart ■ affection for the nation’s hero and W world's greatest naval captain, and Hhtgfaont the broad domain of the Unit■pßtates, from his own native rock-rib-Jj| JJew England to tlie sands of the Bpfen Gate, from semi-tropical Gulf to ■lost arctic snows, the people of every m and color joined in the spirit of BW York’s reception to the victor of Mfia bay. Bpmiral George Dewey is worthy of He proved himself a ■ter when fighting was to be done U carved his name by the side of Far-

DEWEY IN FULL DRESS.

ijHtgat. Barry anil Jones iu fame’s eterIKa temple. He proved himself a states Hhan. discreet, diplomatic, dignified, dur■|fcg the crucial days following the battle ■dz Cavite, when indiscretion might je .pHnJiie what had been won and lead to HSMlmown dangers. And at all times and Bixßder all circumstances he has proved an American gentleman. ■ joFrom that May day, iu 1808, when 'he Hpn of his superb victory over the Sp'inHB|| fleet in Manila harbor electrified the Hpation, causing many people at first to Bmtion its accuracy so astonishingly BflMiplete was it. Dewey’s name has been Bfiftenest on American lips and his fame ■lias been enshrined in the national heart. Kile became the hero, the idol of more ■gjtail 70,000,000 people, and from that Hppment to the present he has not omitted Bir committed one act, the omission or ■PShttmlssiuii of which dimmed one ray of glory. He has maintained his mod composure even while the world unit Hm to swell his praises. The greetings him at the various visiting ports Bon his return voyage wrought no chJingo i Ka the fine fabric of the man and he back to an almost worshipful people Hp same in gentlemanly character as lie away, free from the inflation of §B|Mnp and pride. ■ B}t la no wonder that the American should take and carefully uote in whatever is illustrative of his And thus the writer turns the pomp of the great reception in York to the antecedents of Dewey, 'trace along the lines of his developthe infitteuces and the ehnracterisHBtcs that combined to make the victor of and the idol of America. fl: | COMES OP FIGHTING Bl.OOlt. Bmrly Career and Characteristics of ■ By* America's Popular Idol. BWfeAdmiral George Dewey comes from a stock There have been Dewey IBfighters in every American war since |KThoinas Dewey, the founder of the fnmBb in this country, built his cottage in |Hporcester. Mass., in ltili.". This pioneer

gj|iM.D DKWET HOUSE AT HRItI.IV, VT. IpWhere Dewey’s grandfather lived and Hpere- his father was born. Hbewey of the New World was born in jßkftdwich. England. In the revolution ■tty war we read of a Dewey parson in northern Vermont who adjourned church jHlivfce to fight with the gallant Stark Shainst the Hessians at the battle of Mpewaineton. and who then returned and Kapleted his sermon. There was a Jlwrporal Dewey who took part in the “i. ft* Bk ‘ rm > B h at Lexington. All told, |Hp Deweys furnished twenty-four solmii in the revolutionary war. In the ■prof 1812 there were thirteen Deweys Ko aided in defense of the flag. ■fig the time the civil war broke out the H&ewey name was widely extended. Two iHpii Deweys fought among the boys in I |e* from Old Vermont. One Massachuwon hi eh honors under Farraeut and

his brother Edward entered the war a private and came out a captain. In Illinois seventy men bearing the Dewey name entered the Union ranks. On the maternal side Admiral Dewey is related to the Porter family, which gave two naval captains to the nation. In the war with Spain one of the admiral’s brothers sent his two sons to the front and the son of the other volunteered, but got no opportunity, to serve, as Vermont’s quota was already filled. And the Vermont regiment, by the way, was commanded by a cousin of the family. Dewey's Father. Admiral Dewey is in the ninth generation from that Thomas Dewey who carried his household goods to Dorchester in 1633. The admiral grandfaother, Simeon Dewey, was born in Hanover, N. H. considerably over a century ago and bought a farm near Berlin, four miles from Hanover. Here, in 1801, the admiral’s father, Dr. Julius Yemans Dewey, was born. In 1822 Dr. Dewey settled in Montpelier, marrying, in 1825, Miss Mary Perrin. Four children were the result of this union, Charles, Edward, George and Mary, all of whom are living. Dr. Dewey, father of the admiral, was a deeply religious man. He was a man of culture and of force of character, yet he had a heart that was full of the milk of human kindness. He was a poor lad when he struck out into the world for himself. By teaching school in Montpelier he earned enough money to enable him to study medicine and take out his degree. In Montpelier and the surrounding region Dr. Dewey was greatly beloved. He was a pioneer in life insurance and founded a company of which his son, Charles, is president, and another son, Edward, director. He founded Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier, and here it wns that the future admiral was baptized, attended the Sunday school and wns confirmed. Here, too, when the future admiral was 5 years old took place the first funeral from the church, that of his mother, Mary Perrin. Many years afterward Dr. Dewey was carried from the same church to Green Mount Cemetery, where he now rests near the scene of his life's labors. An Early Anecdote. There are many anecdotes told of George Dewey in those far-off days in Vermont, long ere the future admiral dreamed of the stern realities of life. He had a temper that had a habit of asserting itself aud that caused good Dr. Dewey considerable worry. He was a leader among bis companions in nil kinds of childish pranks and was a fighter. In fact his combativeness was always pronounced. Once in his father’s buggy he set out

MRS. SUSIE GOODWIN DEWEY.

Wife of the admiral, whose death in 1872 is the great sorrow of his life.

with a companion to bring home the cows. They found the ford over the Dog river, which enters the Winooski near Montpelier, impassable. Against the advice of his companion, George drove into the rushing stream. The top of the buggy was carried away and the lads only saved themselves by gettiug on the horse’s back. When George returned home his father was away and the youngster’s innate sense of tactics prompted him to go to bod. The father soon afterward made his appearance in George’s chamber and began chiding him for his rashness. From the depths of the bedclothes came this childish appeal: "You ought to be thankful that my life was spared.” The gopd doctor turned away without auother word. Hia t-'choolboy Days. George Dewey was sent first, when a little chap, to the Washington County grammar school in Montpelier. The scholars there did not have the reputation of being untenable to discipline, and it is to be feared that George was no exception to the rule. To this school ia due

DEWEY'S CHARACTER MIRRORED BY WORDS.

Characteristic utterances from the lips of Admiral Dewey give accurate glimpses of the character of the man. Some of his most notable sayings are these? "You may fire when you are ready, Grld°TliU sentence opened the battle of Manila Bay. "Open with all guns.” This command waa given in the height of the Manila battle. • You must keep cr wholly give up the Philippine Islands.” This was his message to the peace commission at Paris. "The deck of my vessel Is United States territory, and I’ll parade my men for no foreigner that ever drew breath.” This be said to the complaining captain of* repovedbyanae^ ° TWs wariwH «fter a Shstfc bad the appendages. "American sailors, like the American people, have confidence In themselves." This decla ration was made to Capt. Chichester of the English nary at Manila.

time came Z. K. Pangborn, now Maj. Z. K. Pangborn of the Jersey City Journal. The boys, quite exhilarated by the success they had had with former masters, made a bold stand, with young George Dewey to the front and center. George was at once called upon for examination, but the spirit of mutiny being rife within him, he declined to go. The teacher thereupon seized the collar of young Dewey with one hand and his whip with the other; no quarter being cried, none was given, and the lad got a whipping the like of which had never been served out in that district. He was then told to go home, and Mr. Pangborn went along, the rest of the school trooping at his heels. Dr. Dewey stood at hi# door, and sizing up the situation dismissed the boys and took George and the schoolmaster to his study. "What is it, my son?" he asked. In answer, George stripped off his coat nnd shirt and showed a back covered with red stripes. The fntber perceiving that George was still rebellions, asserted that he would add to the punishment if Mr. Pangborn had not given enough. The hint was sufficient and George became dutiful. George came to be an admirer of Mr. Pangborn, and when afterward the latter established a private academy at Johnson, Vt., George followed him thilher by his own request. A Fighter at Annapolis. At 15 young Dewey went to the Norwich Military Academy, and it was while there he conceived a taste for military life and expressed a desire to go to Annapolis. At the age of 17 he entered that institution in the class of ’54. At that time Dewey was a strong, active boy of medium height, with flashing black eyes and shoulders beginning to broaden. He could swim as one born to the water and excelled in all outdoor exercises. At Annapolis he found the line sharply drawn between the Northern and Southern boys and he proceeded promptly to get into trouble. He had a spirit that would bear no insult nnd he was singled out by the leader of the Southern lads as the most promising of the Northern faction for a little excitement. The Southerner was not disappointed. George was far from resenting the term "Yankee”; he thought that of "doughface" more opprobrious, and as the quarrel grew his enemy did not stop there. So one day coming out of the mess hall George Waited for him and calmly knocked him down, getting the better of the mix-up that followed. Some time afterward he had.an inkstand hurled at nis head in the reading room, which resulted

DR. JULIUS Y. DEWEY, Father of the Admiral.

.in another personal cncopatar, with Dewey. Again victorious. But thA matter did ■not epd eveh here, t<moKr Southerner wrote;* challenge to mjfrtal ‘pi&Mfc aneflUe tW§. Thmer w# accepted with alacritH the seconds chosen and even the ground paced off, when the classmates, seriously alarmed, informed Sine of the officers stationed at Annapoi. The duel was not fought. 1 It is pleasant to narrate that the

breach was eventually healed and that George Dewey grew to be one of the most popular members of the class. Young Dewey was graduated in 1858. As a midshipman he was sent to the European station, cruising for two years in the Mediterranean on the Wabash, with Captain Barron of Virginia, who after ward joined the Confederate navy. In 1800 lie returned to Annapolis to be examined for his commission, and showed his ability by leading his fellows.

IN THE CIVIL WAR.

Dewey’s Brilliant Service Under the Great Farragut. Dewey was at home in Montpelier when Sumter was fired upon. One week afterward he secured his commission as a lieutenant and was ordered to the steam sloop Mississippi of the West Gulf squadron. It will be remembered that Farra-

THE DEWEY LOVING CUP.

gut raised his ling over this fleet in February, 1862. The Mississippi was the only side-wheeler of the lot. Commander Melancthon Smith was her captain and Dewey was her first lieutenant. Early in April the larger ships, the Mississippi among them, were unloaded and hauled over the bar, and by the night of the 23d the squadron was ready for the business of running past the formidable batteries of St. Philip and Jackson, ready to conquer the Confederate fleet beyond and to press Y>n to New Orleans. Amid Smoke and Flame. Farragut divided his ships into two divisions. Captain Theodorus Bailey had commaud of that going first, and the Mississippi was the third in his line. Decks were whitewashed, no lights were showing.* and the night was inky black save for the lurid red of an occasional Confederate fire. The big ship, having a speed of only eight knots, hugged the shore to avoid the swift current. On, on they steamed, a slow, stately procession that knew no check, until the flames of the broadside guns leaped into the very port* of the batteries aud the shot struck in midair. So close were they that tb# gunner* hurled curses at each other across the harrow space of black water. On the high bridge of the side-wheeler, in the midst of belching smoke and flame, stood Dewey, guiding the Mississippi as calmly as though he were going up New York bay on a still afternoon in Indian summer. He was a perfect master of himself. , \ " “Do yotr know the channel. Dewey?” Captain Smith asked anxiously and more, than once a* he paced from port to starboard. The lieutenant was very youngs only 34* an® th# situation would hav<t tried a veteran. “Yes, sir,” replied Dewey with confiS 3 £* ftg moment. This ia how Chief Engineer Baird, U.

S. N., who was there, remembers him: “I can see him now in the red and yellow glare flung from the cannon-mouths. It was like some terrible thunder storm with almost incessant lightning. For an instant all would be dark and Dewey unseen. Then the forts would belch forth, and there he was away up in the midst of it, the flames from the guns almost touching him and the big shot and shell passing near enough to him to blow him over with their breath, while he held firmly to the bridge rail. Every time the dark came back I felt sure that we would never see Dewey again. But at the next flash there he stood. His hat was blown off and his eyes were aflame. But he gave his orders with the air of a man in thorough command of himself. He took in everything. He saw a point of advantage and seized it at once. And when from around the hull of the Pensacola the ram darted, Dewey like a flash saw what was best to be done, and as the ram came up alongside the entire starboard broadside plunged a mass of iron shot and shell through her armor and she began to sink. Her crew ran her ashore and escaped. A boat’s crew from onr ship went on board, thinking to extinguish the flames which our broadside had started and capture her. But she was too far gone. Dewey took us all through the fight, and in a manner which won the warmest praise, not only of all on board, but of Farragut himself. He was cool from first to last, and after we had passed the fort and reached safety and he came down from the bridge his face was black with smoke, but there wasn't a drop of perspiration on his brow.” Had His Coat Tail Shot Away. Things began to go wrong on the river a year later and Faragut once more ran up from the gulf to adjust them. Port Hudson shoals and currents are ampng the most dangerous in the stream, and it was while running the forts here that the Mississippi was lost. The Hartford and Alabama led, then came the Monongahela and Kineo, the Richmond, and Genesee, followed by the Mississippi alone. The Monongahela and her consort both grounded, though they both managed to get off. But directly opposite the center of Port Hudson battery the Mississippi stuck hard aud fast. Shot after shot was poured into her until her hull was riddled and she had to be abandoned. She was hit 250 times in half an hour. The officers who took the first boats never returned, and so the task of getting the men to safety devolved upon Lieut. Dewey. Twice he went to the Richmond and twice came back until he and Captain Smith stood alone on the deck. The ship was afire in five places. Together the two left the ship amid splashing shot, Dewey without his coat tails, which had been shot away.

At Fort Fisher. If getting into the thick of the fight be deemed good fortune Dewey was one of the luckiest officers of the war. He was Commodore Thatcher's first lieutenant on the Colorado at Fort Fisher in December and January, ISU4-'<>s. Toward the end of the second engagement at that place Admiral Porter signaled Thatcher to close in and silence a certain part of the works. As the ship had already received no inconsiderable damage her officers remonstrated. But Dewey, who. in addition to dash and bravery, had now acquired marked tactical ability, was qnick to see the advantage to be gaiued by the move. "We shall be safer there,” he said, quietly, “and the works can be taken in fifteen minutes." He had his way and won. After the War. After the war Dewey served for two years on the European squadron. In 1867, while on duty at Portsmouth, he became engage-] to Miss Susie Goodwiu, daughter of Ichahod Goodwin, knowu as the “fighting Governor” of New Hampshire. In 1870 he received his first command, that of the Narragansett. Two years later came the great sorrow of his life, the death of his beloved wife. He was left with one son, George Goodwin Dewey, who is engaged in business in New York. In 1875 Dewey was advanced to- be commander and was assigned to the lighthouse board. Next he wqs commander of the Juniata in Arctic waters, anil in 1884 was made captain of the Dolphin. His next promotion was to be commodore and in this capacity he went to the Asiatic station in the fall of ISSJ7, to win his way to undying fame by the victory at Manila.

DEWEY AT MANILY. Marvelous Victory Which Made Him the Idol of Hia Country. When war broke out between this country and Spain Dewey, then at Hong Kong, found himself in a trying position. He was forced to leave British waters, and with no coaling station nearer than Honolulu there was but one thing to «lo—take Manila. But the taking of the

REMARKABLE MODESTY IN DEWEY’S REPORTS. Admiral Dewey's modesty of nature was never better illustrated tnan In bis two official dispatches io Washington announcing his great victory. On May 1 he cabled: "The squadron arrived at daybreak this morning. Immediately engaged the enemy. and destroyed the following Spanish war vessels: Uelna Cristina. Castilla, Ulloa, Isla de Cuba, General Lezo, Isla de Luzon, Duero, Correo, Velasco, Mindanao, one transport and the water battery at Cavite. The Squadron Is uninjured and only a few men were slightly wounded. The only means of telegraphing is to the American consul at Hongkong. J shall communicate with him.” - . His second dispatch was on May 4, and reads: i . . . “1 have taken possession of naval station at Cavite, on Philippine Islands. Have destroyed the fortifications at bay entrance, parolllnK garrlssn. I control bay completely and can take city at any time. The sqnadron is In excellent Health and spirits. Spanish loss not fully known, but very heavy; 150 hilled. Including captain of Reina CrfastS'a^!^wdund l ed! W *TWo P hniffired*an§ a ftfty ElafeM 4 *

capital of the Philippine Islands Involved the defeat of the Spanish fleet. The location of that fleet was unknown, and with thousands of islands to hide among it could not be considered an easy task to corner it. It ia familiar history hoar* Dewey with hia squadron arrived on Saturday evening, April 90, at Corregidor Island, which guards the entrance to the harbor. The moon was np, but no lights showed from the vessels until a spark from the funnel of the dispatch boat McCullough attracted the attention of the forts and drew their fire. The fire was returned and the squadron passed on, whQe a few torpedoes harmlessly exploded in front of flagship. Steaming at slow speed all night, with the men at full length beside their guns, the squadron saw as gray dawn broke the sleeping city of Manila and Cavite, with its white houses and battlements and its great arsenal, dose at hand. But a gladder sight to Dewey’s eyea was the Spanish fleet, its officers and men dreaming the national dream of “manana”—to-morrow. How Dewey, leading the line in the

EPISCOPAL CHURCH, MONTPELIER.

It was founded by Admiral Dewey’s father and in it the admiral was baptized and confirmed.

flagship Olympia, steamed past the Spanish vessels five times with a gradually decreasing range; how he issued the order to fire, “You may fire when you’re ready, Gridley;’’ how he smashed the Spanish vessels and forts with a ceaseless rain of shot and shell; how he retired to rest his men and give them time for breakfast, and how he returned to complete the work of destruction and did. complete it, sinking eleven Spanish ships, without losing a ship himself or a mam —all this is familiar to every American. And then his modest account of the battle, and the giving the credit of the achievement to his officers, caps the climax of one of the most brilliant and complete naval battles in tbe history of the world. Victory Brings New Labors. But with the sinking of the Spanish, fleet Dewey’s work was not done. His victory had opened up new fields for his energy. He had to deal with natives, Spaniards and other foreigners. Under the jealous eyes of foreign men-of-war he had to keep watch and ward over the new acquisition and solve the confusing problems that arose daily. An indiscreet act might embroil the country with other nations, and too much leniency would be considered as temerity. But to every difficulty that arose he was equal. He was warrior, diplomat, interpreter of international law all in one. And for thirteen months he kept his vigil in Manila harbor, ready for any emergency that might come. Ouce, after the battle of Manila, when Spain was about dispatching a squadron under Camara to the Philippines, Dewey sent a cablegram to the uaval department suggesting that Camara would turn back if the United States were to make a demonstration on the coast of Spain. Thereupon it was announced that Commodore Watson would be sent across the Atlantic. The hint was sufficient and Camara turned back to Spain from the Suez canal. The strain of these eventful months in the tropics bore heavily on the admiral.

WHERE DEWEY WAS BORN. House in Montpelier, Vt., where the nation’s hero first saw the light of day.

and when he set out on his triumphal voyage home he was a sick man. Fortunately his health is restored and he is able to enjoy the demonstrationsthat everywhere await him in the land that he has ao signally served. ▲ recent find of a set of ivory pins, a little gateway, and three balls, indicates that the Egyptians played ninepins quite 5,000 years ago. ' —; In nearly every street in Japanese cities is a public oven, where, for a small fee. housewives may hatfe the