The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-12-24
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN,, THURSDAY, DECEMBER "a, 1868.

it is clear, from Burr's life, that nothing Of the
kind could have happened and | mention
this only as an illustration Of the stories which
are set agoing where there is the least mys-
terry at the bottom.
So poor Philip Nolan had his wish fulfilled.
| know of but one fate more dreadful it is
the fate reserved for those men who shall have
one day to exile themselves from their coun-
try because they have attempted her ruin,
and shall have at the same time to see the
prosperity and honor to which she rises when
she has rid herself of them and their iniqui-
ties. The wish of poor Nolan, as we all learn
ed to call him, not because his punishment
was too great, but because his repentance was
SO clear, was precisely the wish of every
Bragg and Beauregard who broke a soldiers
oath two year ago., and every Maury and
Barron who broke a sailors. | do uot know
how often they have repented. do know
that they have done all that in them lay that
they might have no country-that all the
honors, associations, memories and hopes
which belong to country might be broken
up into little shreds and distributed to the
winds. know, too, that their punishment,
as they vsgetate through what OF life IS lett
to them in BouIegnes and Leicester Squares,
where they are destined to upbraid each 9th
er till they die, will have all the agony of No
lan's, with the added paug that everyone
who sees them will see them to despisa and
to e~xecrate them. They will have their wish,
like him.
For him, poor fellow, he ~repented ofhis fol-
ly, and then, like a man, submitted to the
fate he had asked for. lie never Intentional
ly addedsp the difficulty or delicacy Of the
charge of3hose who had hun in hold. Acct
dents woSfflfappen but they never happen
ed from ,SfauIt, Lieut.. Truxten told me,
that, whenfDeXxas was annexed, there was a
careful discussion among the officers, whetb
er they should get hold of Nolan's handsome
set of maps, and cut Texas out of it-from
the map of the world and the map of Mexico.
The United States had been cut out when the
atlas was bought for him. But it was voted,
rightly enough, that to do this it would be
virtually to reveal to him what had happen
ed, or as Harry Cole said, to make him think
Old Burr had succeeded. So it was from no
fault of NoIan's that a great botch happened
at my own table, when for a short time, |
was in command of the George Washington
corvette, on the South American Station. We
were lying on the La Plata, and some of the
officers. who had been on shore and had Just
joined again, were entertaining us with ac-
counts Of their misadventures in riding the
half wild horses Of Buenos Ayres. Nolan was
at table and was in III unusually bright and
laxative mood. Some story Of a tumble re-
minded him of an adventure of his own, when
he was catching wild horses in Texas, with
his brother Stephen, at a time when he
must have been quite a boy. He told the
story with a good deal of spirit-so much so
that the silence which often follows a good
story hung over the table for an instant, to be
broken by Nolan himself. For he asked, per-
feotly unconsciously, "Pray, what has be-
come of Texas? After the Mexicans got their
independence, | thought that province of Tex
as would come forward very fast. 1t was re-
ally one of the finest religions Oh earth it is
the Italy of this continent. But | have not
seen or heard Il word Of Texas for near TWEEN
ty years"
The reason he had never heard of Texas was
that Texas and her affairs had been painfully
cut out of his newspapers since Austin began
his settlements SO that, while he read Of
Honduras and Tamaulipas, and, till quite late.
ly of California, this virgin province, in which
his brother had travelled so far, and, | believe,
Lliu ultU, ldU CGdStu u 10 L mn NGlICiS
and Williams, the two Texas men, looked
grinly at each other, and tried not to laugh.
Edward Morris had his attention attracted by
the third link in the chain Of the Captains
chandelier. Watrous was sliced with a con-
v~ulsion of sneezing. Nolan himself saw that
something was to pay, he did not know what
And |, as master OF the feast, had to say
Texas is out Of the map, Mr.. Nolan Have
you seen Captain Backs curious account o
Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome p
After that cruise | never saw Nolan again.
| wrote to him at least twice a year, for il
that voyage we became even contidentially
intimate; but he never wrote to me. The
other men tell me that in these fifteen years
he grew aged very fast, as well he mightindeed
but that he was still the same gentle, uncom
planning, silent sufferer that he ever was,
bearing as best he could his ~self-appointe(
Observation-Disclosures less social, perhaps, will
new men whom he did not know, bu
more anxious, apparently, than ever to serv
and befriend and teach the boys, some o
whom fairly seemed to worship him. Ant
now it seems the dear old fellow is dead. IL
has found a home at last, and a country.
Since writing this, and while considering
whether or no | would print it, as a warning
to the young Nolans and Vallandighams an,
Tatnalls of to-day, of what it is to throw ava,
a country, | have received from Danfortll
who is on board the Levant, a letter which
gives an account of Nolan's last hours. |
removes all my doubts about telling this
story.
To understand the first words of the Iette
the non professional reader should remembe
that after 1917 the position of every Office
who had Nolan in charge was one OF the great
est delicacy. The Government had failed tC
renew the order of 1907 regarding him. Whaf
was a man to do? Should he let him go
What then, if he were called to account by
the Department for violating the order o
1907? Should he keep him? What, then
Iif Nolan should be liberated some day, anC
should bring all action for false Imprisonment
or kidnapping against every man who haC
him in charge? | urged and pressed this up
on Southland, and have reason to thmk tina
other officers did the same thing. But tn
Secretary always said, as they 50 often do a
Washington, that there was no special order
to give. and that we must act on our owl
Judgment. That means, 'If you succeed
YOU will be sustained; if you fail, you will b
disavowed." Well, as Danforth says,all tha
is over now, though | do not know but | ex
pose myself to a criminal prosecution on tn
evidence of the revelation | am making.
Here is the letter
sLEvANr, ? deg. ? min. S. a 181 deg. "
''DEAR FRED: try to find heart to te
you that it is all over with dear old Nolan,
have been with him on this voyage more tina
| ever was, and l can understand wholly nov
the way in which you used to speak of tn
dear old fellow. l could see that he was nc
strong, but had no idea the end was so neal
The doctor had been watching him very care
fully, and yesterday morning came and toll
me that Nolan was not SO well, and had nc
left his state-room,-a thing | never retnem
/ Der before. He had let the doctor come an
see him as he lay there-the first time tn
, doctor had been in the state-room-and h
t said he should like to see me. Oh, dearl d
you remember the mysteries we boys used
= IL IL T-4.--s