Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-05-24
JAMES OTIS.
The Story of One of che Boy He
rOes Of '76.

1t was the year of our Lord 1875. All
England was ringing with reports OF
her rebelliOus colonial offspring; the
incipient republic wss in Il state of fer
ment and of preparation for war. The
first American gunboats had just been
launched and proudly sailed about the
New England coast, which British
cruisers kept in constant alarm.
On the deck of one of these cruisers,
as leaving Newport it moved through
the blue ocean waters toward New
London. a crowd had gathered about
burly, middle-aged man in captain s
uniform and slight young fellow of
perhaps twenty.
''Well, well, my little man! SO we
have caught you again. said the Cap
tain, clapping him on the shoulder.
Gas you've run away twice before. per-
haps you think to give us the slip a
third time; but" with II volley of oaths,
| ''you never were more mistaken.
Swear to show allegiance to your right
full sovereign or-die for traitor!''
! The eyes which looked back at him
were as untiinching as the Captain S
own. For generations the Otis cour-
| age had held its name even in deadly
| peril, and this relative and namesake
of James Otis, the eloquent pleader for
independence, could meet his end as
| beloved one of his race.
81 on, on fnIannpiapt oit;oop IF CD,
necticut, and owe no allegiance to a
,yrant.' he said proudly.
The Captain burst into laugh, in
which his men joined.
''This scion of liberty crows loud
| small good will be such Haunting,
though, for in six months all these i'm
dependent citizens will be creeping
back to Mother England's knees like
so many whipped children"
The scornful laugh had brought a
flush to the youths face. and now he
said with heat:
more probably Mother England
will discover that her children have
come of age beyond dispute, and will
go home with the whipping reversed"
Come. come, enough of parley
You shall swing from yonder yardarm
in fifteen minutes, my Young braggart,
if you will not fight under our colors.
Will you fight with us? Yes or nor
There was no relenting in the cap
tain's voice, no touch of pity on all
those staring faces. Death or life? All,
small wonder if in such stress brave
hearts shrink, and yielding to the fear
of doom are branded by those who
have never met like trials as towards
and traitors!
Speak, the captain commanded.
And the prisoner answered firmly:
NO"
The captains face grew dark with
wrath that this STRIPPING should stand
before him and defy his fate, and the
thought that much might be done if
such pluck was but enlisted for royalty
only roughened his tone as it rang
over the deck.
I'm the name of the king I con-
denim you as Il rebel! Up with the
rope, men,"
And as the men went off with alacrity
he began Il measured stride up and
down the deck, watching as they ex-
ecuted his bidding.
James Otis folded his arms and gazed
over the sparkling white-crested swells
to where New London's shores Law fair
in the distance. Cn.y a few more
moments sight of world which
seemed doubly beautiful now that he
should so soon leave it for ever Death!
And such an iguominous one! To fall
fighting for his country = ah, that
would be noble! but to hang at a
yard-arm like any criminal. The
purposes of his young manhood
rose up before him like
hooking ghosts of what might have
been. He thought of the farm
Connecticut hillside where b. IN ~, !"
hood had been spent, the OF Innu
with its two guardir 49,. ~ .ea n nasS
trees. Perhaps eve ou:.on."1ou
was thinking tb- Al no" MS ,iio'nei
no bon,o or1 It her son might soon
70 tho op his father was going down
fro,r Ice in expectation of "a letter
=. jamie" The recalling Of this
,oyish name brought blur to his eye
and weakening for one instant of his
resolution. But, no! far better that
they should never learn his fate than
that he should return to them traitor
to his country.
He could hear the men laughing and
joking as they knotted the hempen
cord.
''A gritty rebel, that" said one,
nodding toward him.
Grit No, sheer obstinacyT
growled another. "These Yankees
are all alike. This one" contemptu-
ously, ''has got off SO slick twice be-
fore he probably thinks he'll slip out
of this moose"
''Ha! ha! It's a slip moose, you
know" joked third. ''B7t, by good
King George, wish all the colonists
in as sure place"
The men aloft came down to the
deck. The captain moved toward the
prisoner. Even then one word could