The National tribune., 1883-03-15

voyage we became even confdentially intimate;
but he never wrote to me. The other men tell
me that in those fifteen years he aged very fast,
as well he might indeed, but that he was still
the same gentle, uncOmplaining, silent sufferer
| that he ever was, bearing as best he could his
self-appointed punishment-rather less social,
perhaps, with new men whom he did not know,
but more anxious, apparently, than ever to
serve and befriend and teach the boys, some of
whom fairly seemed to worship him. And
now it seems the dear old fellow is dead. He
has found home at last and country.
Since writing this, and while considering
whether no l would print it, as a warning
| to the young Nolans and Vallandighams and
| Tatnalls of to-day of what it is to throw away
a country, have received from Danforth. who
is on board the Levant, letter which gives an
| account of Nolan's last hours. It removes all
my doubts about telling this story.
To understand the first words of the letter.
| the non professional reader should remember
that after 1917 the position of every officer who
| had Nolan in charge was of the greatest
| deIicacy. The Government had failed to re-
| new the order of 1907 regarding him. What
was man to do? Should he let him go2
| What, then, if he were called to account by
| the Department for violating the order of 1907
Should he keep him2 What, then, if Nolan
| should be liberated some day, and should bring
| an action for false imprisonment or kidnap-
/
| charge? l urged and pressed this upon South
! ard, and have reason to think that other OFF,
| GERS did the same thing. But the Secretary al
| ways said, as they so often do at Washington,
| that there were no special orders to give, and
| that we must act on our own judgment. That
| means, " If you succeed, you will be sustained;
! if you fail, you will be disavowed" Well, as
| Danforth says, all that is over now, though L
do not know but expose myself to criminal
prosecution on the evidence of the very revela-
| tion | am making
| Here is the letter.
"Leuant, % q s. % 131oW
! "DEAR FRED Il try to find heart and life
| to tell you that it is all over with dear old
| Nolan. L have been with him on this voyage
| more than L ever was, and / understand
wholly now the way in which you used to
| speak of the dear old fellow / could see that
he was not strong, but 1 had no idea the end
was so near. The doctor had been watching
| him very carefully, and yesterday morning
came to me and told me that Nolan was not
| so well, and had not left his state-rOom-a
| thing l never remember before. He had let
! the doctor come and see him as he lay there
| the first time the doctor had been in the state
rOom-and he said he should like to see me.
! Oh, dear! do you remember the mysteries we
! boys used to invent about his room, in the old
| Intrepid days? Well, l went in, and there, to
| be sure, the poor fellow lay in his berth. smil-
|
ing very frail. could not help glance around,
which showed me what little shrine he had
made of the box he aslying in. The stars and
| stripes were triced up above and around a
| picture Of Washington, and he had painted
majestic eagle, with lightnings blazing from
his beaz and his foot Just clasping the whole
| globe, which his wings overshadowed. The
dear old boy saw my glance, and said, with
sad smile, Here, you see | have q country
And then he pointed to the foot of his bed,
where ] had not seen before great map of the
United States, as he had drawn it from memory,
and which he had there to look upon as he lay.
Quaint queer old names We're on it, in large
| letters: Indiana Territory Mississippi Ter
ritOry,' and Louisiana Territory as | suppose
our fathers learned such things: but the old |
fellow had patched in Texas too; he had car
ried his western boundary all the way TO the
Pacific, but on that shore he had defined moth |
ing;
"Oh, Danforth' he said, Il know I am
dying. / cannot get home Surely you will
tell me something nOw?-Stopl stOp Do not
speak till say what | am sure you know, that
there is not in this ship, that there is not in
America,-GOd bless heri-a more loyal man
than |. There cannot be a man who loves the
old flag as do, prays for it do, or hopes
for it do. There are thirty-fOur stars in it
now, DanfOrth. l thank God for that though
l do not know what their names are. There
has never been one taken away: thank God
L
been any successful Burr. Oh, Danforth, DAN
FORTH he sighed out, how like a wretched
nights dream a boys idea of personal fame or
of separate sovereignty seems, when one looks
back on it after such life as minei But tell
me-tell me something-teu me everything,
Danforth, before | diep
"Ingham, / swear to you that felt like a
monster that l had not told him everything
before. Danger or no danger, delicacy or no
delicacy, who was I, that l should have been
acting the tyrant all this time over this dear,
sainted old man, who had years ago expiated,
in his whole manhood's life, the madness of
boys treason Mr.. Nolan said /, i will tell
you everything you ask about. Only, where
shall l begin?'
"Oh, the blessed smile that crept over his
white face and he pressed my hand and said,
God bless yOur Tell me their Names he
said and he pointed to the stars on the flag.
The last know is Ohio. My father lived in
Kentucky But 1 have guessed Michigan and
Indiana and AIissiSsippi-that was where Fort
Adams is-they make twenty. But where are
your other fourteen? You have not cut up any
of the old ones, l hopeP
"Well that was not bad text, and I told
him the names in as good order as I could, and
he babe me take down his beautiful map and
draw them in rs best could with my pencil. |
He was wild with delight about Texas told me
now his brother died there; he had marked a
gold cross where he supposed his brothers grave
Was anu lS udu SuSSSS1 dJ ICAtS linen uo
was delighted as he saw California and Oregon;
that, he said. he had suspected partly, because
he had never been permitted to land on that |
shore though the ships were there so much |
and the men, said he, laughing, brought off |
good deal besides furs.' Then he went back |
heavens, how far!-tO ask about the CheSa- |
peake, and what was done to Barron for sur
rendering her to the Leopard, and whether
Burr ever tried again-and he ground his teeth
with the only passion he showed. But in a
moment that was over, and he said, God for
give me, for 1 am sure l forgive him Then
he asked about the old war-told me the true
story of his serving the gun the day we took
the Java-asked about dear old David Porter, |
as he called him. Then he settled down more |
quietly, and very happily, to hear me tell in |
an hour the history of fifty years.
"How wished it had been somebody who |
knew something! But did as well as could |
l told him of the English war. l told him |
about Fulton and the steamboat beginning. l |
told him about old Scott and Jackson; told |
him all / could think about the Mississippi |
and New Orleans, and Texas and his own old |
Kentucky. And do you think he asked who !
was in command of the Legion of the West" |
1 told him it was very gallant officer, named |
Grant and that, by our last news, he was about |
to establish his headquarters at Yicksburg. |
Then, Where was Vicksburg?' l worked that |
out on the map; it was about hundred miles, |