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The News and Observer.
VOL. LI. NO. 137.
Leads ail Month Carolina Dailiesin Mews and Circulation
THE PRESIDENT’S REPLY
TO THE APPEAL BY SCHLEY
As to tile Question of Who Was in Command He
Decides in Favor of Sampson.
THE CAPTAINS’ KEPORTS OF THE BATTLE
To These Roosevelt Refers*
as the Proof.
HE SAYS ir WAS A CAPTAINS' BATTLE
And Th&t Neither Sampson Nor Schley
Issued Any Order Daring the Fight
That Had Any Influence in Shaping
the Besult.
White House, February 18th, 1902.
I have received the appeal of Admiral
Schley and the answer thereto from the
Navy Department. I have examined both
with the utmost care, as "well as the pre
ceding appeal to the Secretary of the
Navy. I have read through all the tes
timony taken before the court and the
statements of the counsel for Admirals
Sampson and .Schley; have examined all
the official reports of every kind in ref
erence to the Santiago naval campaign,
copies of the logbooks and signal books,
and the testimony before the Court of
Claims, and have also personally had be
fore me the four surviving captains of
the five ships, aside from those of the
two admirals which were actively enga
ged at Santiago.
lc appears that the Court of Inquiry
was unanimous ir. its findings of fact
and unanimous in its expressions of op*n-
Jon on most of its findings of fact. No ap
i eal is made to me from the verdict, of
the court on these points where it was
unanimous. I have, however, gone care
fully over the evidence od< these points
alsd. I am satisfied that on the whole
the court did substantial justice. It
should have specifically condemned the
failure to enforce an efficient night block
ade at Santiago while Admiral Schley was
in command. On the other hand, 1 feel
that there is a reasonable doubt whether
he did not move hit? squadron with suf
ficient expedition from port to port. The
°°urt. is a unit in condemning Admiral
Schley’s action on the point where it
seems to me he most gravely erred; his
“retrograde movement” when he aban
doned the blockade, and his disobedience
of orders and misstatement of facts in
relation thereto. It should be remem
bered, however, that the majority of these
actions which the court censures occurred
five weeks or more before the fight itself;
and it certainly seems that, if Admiral
Schley's actions were censurable ho
should not have been left as seeotud in
command under Admiral Sampson. His
offenses Vere in effect condoned when he
was not called to account for them. Ad
miral Sampson, after the fight, in an
official letter to the Department allulded
for the first time to Admiral Schley's
“reprehensible conduct” six weeks pre
viously. If Admiral Schley was guilty
of reprehensible conduct of a kind which
called for such notice from Admiral
Sampson, then Admiral Sampson ought
not to have left him as senior officer
of the blockading squadron on the 3rd
of July, whep he (Samppon) steamed away
on his proper errand of communication
with General Shatter.
We can therefore for our present pur
poses dismiss consideration of so much
of the appeal ns relates to anything ex
cept the battle. As regards this, the
point raised in the appeal is between Ad
miral Sampson and Admiral Schley, as to
which was in command, and as to which
was entitled to the credit, if either of
them was really entitled to any unusual
and pre-eminent credit by any special ex
hibition of genius, skill, and courage.
The court could have considered both of
these questions, but as a matter of fact
it unanimously excluded evidence of
fered upon them, and through its Presi
dent announced its refusal to hear Ad
miral Sampson’s side at all; and in view
of such exclusion the majority of the
court acted with entire propriety in not
expressing any opinion ou these points.
The matter has, however, beeu raised by
the president of the court. Moreover, It
is the point upon which Admiral Schley
In his appeal lays moat stress, and which
he especially asks me to consider. I have
therefore carefully investigated this mat
ter also, and have informed myself upon
it from tho best sources of information
at my command.
The appeal of Admiral Schley to me
' ' i not, as to this, the chief point he
raises, really an appeal from the decis
ion of the Court of Inquiry. Five-sixths
of the appeal is dfivoted to this question
of command and credit; that is, to mat
ter which the Court of Inquiry did not
consider. It ie in effect an appeal from
the action of President McKinley threo
years ago when he sent in tho recom
mendations for promotion for the various
officers connected with the Santiago
squadron, basing these recommendations
vpon Ins estimate of the credit to which
the officers were respectively entitled.
What I have to decide, therefore, is
whether or not Prsident McKinley did in
justice in t!ie matter. This necessarily
involves a comparison of the actions of
the different commander* engaged. The
exhaustive official reports of the action
leave little to be brought out anew; but
as the question of Admiral Sampson's
right to be considered in chief command,
wmch was determined in his favor by
President McKinley, and later by the
Court of Olaims, h*s never hitherto
been officially raised, I deemed it beat,
to secure statements of the commanders
of the five ships (other than tin* Brook
lyn and New York, the flagships of the
two admirals) which were actively en
gaged in the fight. Admiral Philip is
uead. I quote extracts rrom his maga- .
zino article on the fight, written imme- I
uiately after it occurred; closing with an
extract from his letter to the Secre
tary of the Navy of February 27, IVjO: I
“it was the blockade that made the
battle possible. The battle was a direct
consequence of the blockade, avid upon
the method and effectiveness of the block
ade was very ’argely dependent tho issue
of the battle. * ** Under the orders
of Admiral Sampson the blockade was
conducted with a success exemplified by
the result. * * * When the Spanish
Admiral at last made his dash to escape,
Wc were ready—ready with our men, with
our guns, and with our engines. * * *
It was only a few minutes after we had
seen the leader of the advancing squadron
that it became apparent that Cervora’s
plan was to lun his shins in columns
westward in an effort to escape. * * *
Before he had faiily found himself out
side the Morro the entire blockading
squadron—lndiana, Oregon, lowa, Brook
lyn, and Texas —was pumping shell into
him at such a rate as vii tunllyito decide
the issue of the battle in the first few
moments. All our ships had closed In
simultaneously. * * •» Then ocurred
the incident which caused me for a mo
ment more alarm than anyihing Cervera
did that day. * * * Suddenly a whiff
of breeze and a lull In the firing lifted
the pall, and there bearing toward us
and across our bows, turning on her port
helm, with big waves curling over her
bows and great clouds of black smoke
pouring from her funnels, was the Brook
lyn. Site looked as big as half a dozen
Great Easterns, and seemed so near that
it took our breath away. ‘Back both
engines hard!’ went down the tube to
the astonished engineers, and in a twink
ling the old ship was racing against her- i
self. The collision which seemed iimni- I
nent, even if it was not. was averted, and
as the big cruiser glided past, all of us
un the bridge gave a sigh of relief. Had ,
the Brooklyn struck us then it would
probably have been the end of the Texas
and her half thousand men. * * * At,
ten minutes to 10 (the Spanish ships had
appeared at about 9:30 * * * the lowa,
Oregon, and Texas wen* pretty well
bunched, holding a parallel coarse west
ward with the Spaniards. The Indiana
was also coming up, well inside of all
the,others of our squadron, but a little
in the rear, owing to her far eastward
position at starting. * * * About a
quarts-r past 10 the Teresa, which had
been in difficulties from the moment she
left the shelter of the Morro, turned to
seek a beaching place. She was on fire,
and we knew that, she was no longer a
quantity to lie reckoned with. Five min
utes later our special enemy, the Oquen
do, also turned in shore. * * * The |
Viscaya kept blazing away viciously, but
the pounding she got from our four ships,
more particularly the Oregon, was too
much for her, and in half an hour she too
headed for the beach. * * * I determ
ined to push on with the Texas. * * *
It gives me pleasure to be able to write
that, old ship as she is and not built for
speed, the Texas held her own and even
gained on the Colon in that chase. * * *” ,
•‘Admiral Sampson was Commander-in- I
Chief before, during, and after the ac
tion.” ,
Captain Clark’s statement is as fol
lows:
‘ The credit for tho blockade which led
jp to the light is of course Admiral
Sami sou’s The position of the ships on
the morning of the fight in a semicircle
head-on to the harbor, in consequence of
which we were able to close in at once,
was his. In closing in, that is, In making
the first movements, we were obeying his
instructions: though as a matter of fact I
we would all have closed in any way, in
structions or no instructions. When the I
Spanish ships came out of the harbor the
navigator of my ship saw the New York
to the eastward, but I received no sig
n'd of any kind from the New York dur
i’M the action, nor was she near enough
to sigual directly to me until after the
Colon surrendered.
“The engagement may be said to have
been divided into three ports: First, the
fight proper, while the Spanish squadron
was coming out of the harbor and until
it was clear of the Diamond Shoals and
definitely headed westward- second, the
running light with the already damaged
vessels as they fled westward, until the
Teresa. Oquendo, and Viscaya rau ashore: f,
and, third, the chase of the Colon, dur
ing which there was practically no fight
ing. During the first stage I did not see
te Brooklyn or receive any signals from
her. At the close of this stage the Ore- .
gen had passed the lowa and Texas, and i
vh*.n v.o burst out of the smoke I saw
tim •’our Spanish ships going west appar- '
ently uninjured, and followed hard after,
at tho same time observing the Brooklyn .
a little ahead and offshore. She vras broad- i
RALEIGH. NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 20. 1902.
side to the Spanish vessels ani was re
ceiving the weight of their fire, and was
returning it. The Brooklyn and the Ore
gon thereof ter occupied substantially
these positions as regards each other, be
ing about equidistant from the Spanish
ships as wo successively overtook them,
except when the Oregon attempted to
| close with the Oquendo. The heaviest
fighting was at the harbor mouth and while
the enemy was breaking through or pass
ing our line. Not long after tho running
fight began the Teresa and then the
Oquendo turned and went ashore, the
Viscaya continuing for some distance
farther before she also was beached.
Tnroughout this running fight the Brook
lyn and Oregon were both hotly engaged,
being ahead of any of our other ships,
and wo then constituted the western and
what I regard as the then fighting divis
ion of our fleet. I considered Commodore
Schley in responsible command during
this running fight and chase so far as
1 was concerned, and acknowledged and
repeated a signal h,e had flying, for close
action or something of the kind As,
however, the problem was perfectly sim
pde, namely, to pursue the Spanish ships
as I had been doing before I saw the
Brooklyn, he did not as a matter of fact
exercise any control over any movement
or action of the Oregon, nor did 1 per
form any action of any kind whatever in
obedience to any order from the Brook
lyn, neither as to my course nor as to my
speed, nor as to my gun file, during the
fight or chase.
) "The Oregon always had fires under all
boilers. In spite of the speed shown by
the. Oregon in this fight she had net been
I and is not classed as te fastest ship;
but during ali her service, in order that
no scale should fonn in them, not one of
our boilers was used for condensing,
though the resulting discomfort for all
hands was an additional hardship for her
commanding officer."
The following is Admiral Evans’s state
ment:
“The credit for the blockade, fer the
arrangement of the ships at the opening
of the fight, and for the first movements
forward into te fight must of course be
long to Admiral Sampson, whose orders
we were putting into effect. When the
fight began Admiral Sampson's ship, the
New York, was in plain sight. 1 saw her
turning to overtake us. Throughout the
fight I considered myself as under his
command, but 1 received no orders from
him until the Viscaya was aground. Nor
did I receive any orders whatever from
the Brooklyn, nor should I have heeded
them if I had received them, inasmuch
as I considered Admiral Sampson lb lie
present and tn command. '
Tiie heavy fighting was during the time
when the Spanish vessels were coming
out of the harbor and before they had
stretched fairly to the westward. When
th°y thus stretched to the westward we
all went after them withou orders—of
course we could do nothing else. Until
the Teresa and Oqucudc fan ashore the
lowa was close behind the Oregon and
ahead or the Texas, and all of us were
firing steadily at the Spanish ships. The
Texas then recovered her speed—for she
was dead in the water after having backed
to avoid the Brooklyn when the Brook
. lyn turned—and she vent ahead of the
j lowa. Dolly of us continued to fire at the
Viscaya until she went ashore. Then 1
stopped, but the Texas followed the
Brooklyn and the Oregon after the Colon.
I “When the battle began the New York
vyas not much farther to the eastward
of me than the Brooklyn was to the
westward. After the Viscaya had
grounded the New York overtook me
and signalled me to return to the mouth
of the harbor to prevent any other Span
ish ship from coming out aud attacking
the transports. I received no signals of
any kind from the Brooklyn. All we had
to do was to close in on the Spanish
squadron as it came out of the harbor,
in obedience to the orders of Admiral
Sampson, and then, when the heaviest
fighting was over and the Spanish ships
were trying to escape to the west, to
follow them—and of course there was
nc signal necessary to tell us to fullow
a fleeing enemy.
I “The machinery of the lowa was not
in condition to get the best speod, thotlgh
every effort had been made to make ,it
so. Her cylindr heads had not been off
for more than six months, owing to the
service she was performing. Her bot
tom was very foul, as she had uot been
docked for a period of seventeen months-
The Indiana was unavoidably in even
worse shape.
| “The New York had left the blockad
ing line flying the signal ‘Disregard the*
movements of the Commander-tn-Chief,'
a signal frequently made, aud well un
derstood by the entire fleet- It did not
transfer the command- No signal was
made for the second in command to as
sume command of the fleet, which was
usually done by the Commander-in-Chief
before reaching the limit of signal dis
tance when he proposed for any reason
temporarily to relinquish his command
to the next ranking offleer.”
The following is Amiral Taylor’s state
ment:
I “At the beginning of the fight the
New York was about as far to the east
ward of me as the Brooklyn was to the
westward. The only signal I received
from the New York was at the close of
the fight, when she signaled to me to
return and guard the mouth of the har
bor so that nothing could come out to
attack our transports. I received no
signal whatever from the Brooklyn, and
should not have heeded any if one had
boon made, as I considered Admiral
Sampson present and in conunaud. From
her position the Indiana took full part
iu the actual flght as the Spanish ships
came out of the harbor. Whet; they ran
to the westward the Indiana fell behind,
but continued firing at them and at the
torpedo boats uutij all but the Colon
were sunk or beached. I saw the Brook
lyn turn and run out seaward, seemingr
ly over a mile, about the time the rear
one of the Spanish ships turned to the
west; If instead of making this loop the
Brooklyn bad stood straight in towards ,
(Continued on page five.)
THE AMERICAN LION i
AND FILIPINO LAMB
Benevoljnt Assimilation Will
Give Leo a Dinner.
SODtCLARES MR.TILLMAN
The Debate Continues on the Philip
pine Tariff Bill.
BURROWS SPEAKS FOR, MONEY AGAIMST
Tillman Points Out the Difference Between De
mocratic Expansion and Republican
Subjugation. He Has a Tilt
With Lodge.
(By the Associated Press.)
Washington, D. C., Feb. 19.—The Sen
ate continued the consideration of the
Philippine Tariff Bill today, the main
speeches being made by Mr. Burrows,
Mich., fro the bill and Mr. Money (Miss.)
against it, although Mr. Mitchell (Ore
gon); Mr. Foraker, Ohio; Mr- Mallory,
Fla.; aud Mr. Tillman, S- C., all took
more or less part in the general debate
on the subject. A resolution offered by
Air. Tillman, (S. C.), was adopted
ing the Civil Service Commission to
transmit to the Senate a statemen show
ing the apportionment of the employes
in the various departments of the Gov
ernment from the several States aud the
District of Columbia, together with the
percentages of employes iu the depart
ment.
Mr. Burrows said that Congress now
was dealing with Philippine questions as
they were found today, aud uot as they
had been in the past or might be in the
future. He felt that the nation was con
fronted by a condition and uot by a
the or y. ,
* “Wo hold,” said he, “the Philippine
Islands by a title that cannot be chal
lenged by any court in Cristendom. We
have become responsible for them to tne
nations of tho world. The pending bill
simply provides revenues sufficient to
ireet the needs of the Government of the
Philippines-”
While Michigan Senator was read
ing the proclamation of President Mc-
Kinley, known as the “benevolent as
similation” proclamation, Mr. Tillman
interrupted to inquire if he contended
that the President had authority to issue
that proclamation.
“No doubt of it.” replied Mr. Burrows.
While the treaty had not been ratified,
he said, tho President had ample au
thority to issue such a proclamation is
a guide-to the military commander iu the
Philippines.
“In other words,” suggested Mr. Till
man, “although that proclamation so
duleously ignored the political status of
the Filipinos, It was expected that the
nine millions of people would ac::ede to
its provisions.”
Mr. Culberson Interrupted to say that
the proclamation was considered so ex
treme that a part of it was suppressed
by General Otis.
Mr. Burrows declined to be diverted
further from his argument by Air. Till
man, as “tho question of the Senator
trom South Carolina evidently are uot
intended to illuminate the subject.”
Mr. Burrows contended that while the
Filipinos desired a good government, they
did not, as a whole, desire independence,
because it was realized by the best in
formed of them that an independent
government in the archipelago was
neither practicable nor desirable. The
I ilipinos, he asserted, were not prepared
elilier by education or experience, for
Independence and could not maintain it
if it were granted to them.
• Mr. Mallory, Florida, declared his op
position to the principles underlying tho
1 Ponding measure aud to the specific pro
visions of the bill, lie made an argu
ment in support of his proposed amend
ment to the bill, which he said, was de
signed to make it conform to certain
principles of navigation that have beeu
in operation for many years.
Mr. Mallory’s amendment provided in
brief that the navigation laws of the
United States, suitably modified, should
be applied to traffic between the United
States and the Philippines and among the
islands of the archipelago.
.'.le maintained that the proposition of
the majority to admit foreign ships to
our coastwise trade was so great an in
novation that it ought not to be consid
ered lightly.
Mr. Mallory did uot want to embarrass
the shipping on the Pacific, so he had
fixed, in his amendment a limit of time
during which foreign ships should enjoy
participation in the Philippine trade.
That limit was July l, 1903. After that
time, according to his amendment, the
Initei States navigation laws would ap
ply to the Philippine trade absolutely.
Air. Mallory maintained that Congress
should coutrcl th Navigation trade be
tween the Philippic and the United
States and the trade among the island/
themselves and uot tho Philippine Com
mission. If his amendment wi-jre adopted
it would do away with some of the se
rious objections to the proposiitioo of the
majority.
As it stood that was a ujeasura in
trinciple and unwise in policy but if his
amendment were adopted the majority
proposition would at least be rendered
j somewhat better.
I Mr. Tillman presented a number cf
} public documents, as he said, in refuta
tion of statements made by Air. Burrows
in hi saddress earlier in the day. These
papers generally bore upon the treatment
1 by tho United States of the inhabitants
of newly acquired countries and were in
tended to show that they have in the
j past been received as citizens. He laid
j especial stress upon the difference of the
| circumstancS 'connected with the acquisi
tion of Louisiana and those connected
with the acquisition cf the Philippines.
The former he characterized as Demo
cratic expansion and the latter a3 Re
publican subjugation;
Speaking of the Philippines, he said that
our conduct in those islands had been
so Infamous that it should cause a blush
of shame to mantle the cheek or every
American. Quoting. President McKinley’s
announcement that we must pursue a
method -.of “benevolent assimilation oi
file Filipinos, Mr. Tillman said that tho
assimilation which had been practised
could be contrasted to nothing so well as
the parable of the lamb and the lion. It
would be found, he said, when they should
get up that the lamb would be inside the
Hon. He spoke of the effort of building
up American schools in the Philippines
as “mawkish sentimentality.” sayiug that,
the system could be of no avail in view
of the fact that the teachers sent over
know nothing of the language of the Fili
pinos and the Filipino® nothing of the
English language, aud yet, he said, this is
the system advocated by the oleaginous
Senator from Michigan, and presumably
endorsed by his constituents, tho people
of Michigan.”
Taking this to be the position of the
State, be exclaimed, may God have
mercy on their pusillanimous souls.
Mr! Money, Mississippi, replied to
some points in the speech made by Mr.
Mitchell a few days since.
The important question was not what
should be done for the Filipinos, con
tinued Mr. Money, but what should be
done for our own people. Our position is.
be argued, liable to bring on war with
other nations at any time, when the
$1,500,000 per week expenditure of the
present time would bo vastly increased.
We should get rid of the islands in our
own interest, Mr. Money weut on, and
especially for the purpose of eradicating
from our country and the practice ou the
part of Congress of conferring autocratic
powers on the executive.
“We will find before we terminate this
experiment.,” he said, “that the saddest
day of our history, is the day that we
signed the Spanish treaty.”
Itepjyiug to Mr. Tillman, Mr. Foraker
saiTaTnTT>eople of Louisiana had not
beeu allowed to elect a governor or the
judiciary or that Territory, and that the,
government established in the Philip
pines Is far more liberal than the govern
ment established in Louisiana by Jeffer
son and the Democratic Congress of that
day.
Interrupting Mr. Tillman, said the
President appoints the governors of all
Territories, and admitting this, Mr. For
aker said that no more authority is re
quired now in the case of the Philippines.
This statement led Mr. Tillman to say
that Congress had granted no authority
for such appointment.
| “The Governor of the Philippines is the
governor by appointment,” said Mr
Foraker in reply, “and he is as much
governor as Mr. Claiborne was governor
of Louisiana under Jefferson’s appoint
ment.”
| Messrs. Tillman and Money called at
tention to the fact that Claiborne’s nomi
nation had been confirmed by the Senate,
while no such confirmation had taken
place in i he case of Governor Taft.”
Proceeding, Mr. Foraker said that
neither iu the case of Louisiana nor the
Philippines liad the people been bought
when the territory became part of the
United States, and there is, he continued,
no more attempt to govern the people of
the Philippines without their consent
than there was in the case of the people
of Louisiana.
Messrs. Tillman and Carmack made
the point that an early promise of state
hood had beeu made iu the case of
Louisiana.
WORK THAJ TELLS
Results of W- W- Kitchin’s
IfForts For Oxford and
Greensboro,
(Special to News aud Observer.)
Washington, D. C., Feb. 19.—0 n ii;om
meudation of. Representative W. W.
Kit chin, the Postoffice Depaitment has
j agreed to lease the Odd Fellows’ build
ing at Oxford for the postoffice for five
years. Air. Kitcbin has also secured a
hearing by the House Committee for the
Greensboro Public building Enlargement
Bill on the 28th.
j The House Republicans put in consid
erable time today iu trying to answer
| Pou's speech of yesterday.
I A NovJ Suit. Cases of Measles.
(Special to News aud Observer.)
Durham, N- C.. Feb. 19.—A novel suit
was ttrhave come up before ’Squire D.
C. Gunter thin morning at 10:2u o’clock,
but before going into the trial the war
rant was withdrawn by the plaintiff
j Mr. C. E- Jordan had been advertising
'in the paper tomatoes at ten cents per
can. Mr. W. B. Guthrie wanted to buy
several cases at this price. Air. Jordan
would only sell him one can at this
price, selling the others at fifteen cents.
Then followed the suit, the purpose be
ing to test the matter as to whether a
newspaper advertisement is an open
contract to ho public, or whether a mer
chant can refuse to sell goods at the
price he has advertised them.
• Sixteen persons in the families of J. A-
Adams, Alphonso Smith and Alvis Jor
dan. Jiving on Wilkcr son Avenue, arc
with measles.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
SUDDEN DEATH DF
GENERAL T.F, TOON
State Superintendent of Pub
lic Instruction-
YESTERDAY AT IEN A. M.
Ihe Governor and State Officers Pay
Tributes to His Memory.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL
It was the Wish of the State Officers That the
•Body Shou'd Lie in State in the Rot
unda ts the Capital Until
the Funeral.
All Raleigh was shocked yesterday
morning by the announcement of the
sudden death of General Thomas F. Toon,
State Superintendent of Public Instruc
tion. It was wholly unexpected, as the
General was considered to be almost en
tirely recovered from his long illness,
and in fact had gone out for a short ride
on last Friday. Just Tuesday night lie
had remarked to Mr. Duckett, the chief
clerk in the office of the department, that
he expected to be at his desk and at
work in a very few days.
Yesterday morning General Toon arose
about eight or half past, feeling unusually
CEN. T. F. TOON.
strong and bright. After eating quite a
hearty breakfast, he was seized with an
attack of acute indigestion. l>r. James
R. Rogers was immediately summoned >
and quickly relieved the sufferer. Gen
eral Toon then lay down on the bed to
rest, and had hardly reached a recum
bent posture when his color changed and
in a few minutes he had breathed. his
last without having spoken another word
since he said he thought he would lie
down, although he was feeling very much
better. '
The physician in attendance said that
heart trouble wus the immediate cause
of death.
Mrs. Toon was with her husband when
he passed away. All the members of the
immediate family were sent for. and
some of them arrived here late last •
night.
It is almost exactly three months
since General Toon left his office to go
on a trip in the interest, of education
through Hyde and Beaufort and several
Eastern counties. He started on No
vember 20th and went to Washington,
N. C., where he made a speech in a
none too well ventilated hall, and sat in
a draft, warm from the exertion of
speaking. A severe cold ' was the re
sult, which developed into pneumonia.
The General was brought home a very
ill man, and lingered for weeks between
life and deatfy. He finally rallied some
weeks ago, and was regaining his strength
and vigor at a rapid rate, when he was
suddenly cut down.
Capt. Duckett yesterday, speaking of
that trio' to the East, said the General
left the office with some forebodings,
telling bin; that he did not want to take
the trip, and saying that if there were
any way to get out of it, he would do so.
LIFE OF GENERAL TOON.
Thomas Fentress Toon was born in
Columbus county on June 10th, 1840. HU
father was Anthony F. Toon, Esq., of
Irish and Welsh extraction, and bte
mother was Mary McMillan Toon,
daughter of Ronald McMillan, of Scot
land. His early boyhood was spent on
the farm. Later, he attended Wake
Forest College. While a student there,
on May 20th, 18C1, he enllstd as a private
in the Columbus Guards No. 2, a com
pany raised by half-brother, Captain
William H. Toon, who was afterwards
Major and Lieutenant Colonel of thu
Twentieth North Carolina Regiment.
After enllstmeut he returned to Wake
Forest College and was graduated In
June, 1861. On the 17th of that month,
he was elected First Lieutenant of hia
company. He wras chosen Captain on
July 22nd, 18C1, to take the place of
Capt. W. H. Toon, w-ho had been elected
Major. On February 2Stb, 18C3, he was
elected Colonel of the Twentieth North
Carolina Regiment. He was appointed
a Brigadier General on May 31st, 1864,
and on June dtli, was assigned to com
mand of Johnstou'e North Carolina Brig
ade. He followed the fortunes of Lee.
Jackson, Gordon, Early and Ew r ell In all
(Continued on Page Five.)