With my dear friend, T.B. Lawler, I visited Ernest Lee Conant, 32 Nassau St., New York of firm of Page & Conant. Latter had a law office in Havana. We became firm friends. See Feb. 4, 1900. This day I also warned Sec’y of War Root, Washington, D.C. that I would report at his office Monday, Oct. 9 and I left today for Washington. Sec’y Root was in Chicago with President McKinley, but he wired (my wire having been forwarded to him) to his sec’y telling me to wait and he would return to Washington Monday night, Oct. 9 (E.V.) = Conant gave me letters of introduction to Gens Ludlow, [Nelson?], Fitzhugh Lee, and “Sam Small.” I little thought that within a few months the Cuban Teachers would be singing (as they were):

“One, two, three, Que Viva Maestro Lee; Three, four, fi(ve), que viva Maestro Frye!” – The Cuban “v” is so soft as not to be heard; hence rhyme. On the Harvard Excursion, these words were sung over and over, to the tune of “There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.” By a strange coincidence this tune was often played by serenading bands in Russia during the 1897 voyage.