He and his brother had been caught in a trap in the woods set by a
farmer's boy. One cold spring morning when the boy came to look at his
trap he was overjoyed to find he had snared two redbirds, and forthwith
carried them to the village nearby and sold them to the grocer for five
cents apiece, which sum he said he was going to invest in a rubber ball.

As he put the dime into his coat pocket he told the man that one of the
birds was named Admiral Dewey and the other Napoleon Bonaparte. The
groceryman agreed that these names were good enough names for anybody,
but he thought he'd change Bonaparte's name to Teddy Roosevelt, as
being easier to pronounce, and the two birds were accordingly given
these titles then and there. Not having any cage at hand to put them
in, the man thought that for a few days the new-comers could share the
quarters of an old sparrow he had in the rear end of the store until an
extra cage could be procured.

But alas for Teddy Roosevelt! The very first night he was
ignominiously whipped by the spiteful occupant of the cage, who
resented having these country visitors thrust into his house without
his leave. Poor Teddy died the next day. Admiral Dewey stood the
battle better than his unfortunate friend, but he too was pecked at in
a way so threatening that the groceryman concluded it would be wise to
get rid of him immediately. Because the admiral had not defended
himself better from his pet's attack, the grocer regarded him with some
disgust.

"Being as there was two of you and only one of the sparrow, 'pears as
if you hadn't much grit," he said. "I would better take your
high-soundin' name away from you and call you something else besides
Dewey, if you can't fight."