Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-04-03

If Frank Hearn was u Wronged and
unhappy man before Tho regiment
marched away his troubles seemed only
intensified now. Deprived of the com
rnand of his troop and confined 10 his
quarters in close arrest, he was con-
fronted by new sorrow. one least ex-
pected, vet hardest Of all to bear.
The sharp assaults Of The Palladium
to II certain extent had been di@ccn-
timed. One great and influential jour
nal Of the northwest had taken the
p1ins to investigate the situation indc-
pnndeptly. and was now giving is read
g., the benefit Of the facts in The c2sH o.
the mich hcIaldcl marty Welsh. Ana
when that eminent paTiot wa fhUs
shown up in ais true coloIa The otGer
papers hsd to moderate their ccs's>res
on his account. Very few managing
editors, indeed. had not already been
slrewci enough r. SEES what he must in
evijablv turn out 20 b.. But the oriai-
majors had hoped 10 effect their on
elauebt on the army before 40 actual
character Of their witnesses was ex-
posed
III moment The Pioneer came to the
rescue it was time for them to change
the line OF attack. for no one of their
number cared lock horns on n question
of fret with journal SO fearless and "a
spcctod. Still. as the truth can never
overta-;c lie. and rs in this case the
lie ind a weeks star, these e>,po-
1ents OF the ethics Of American .sJurnnl-
ism had reason TO feel moderately wcll
-. 7. /
ever 20 let The matter "si1nurr' now,
and tAvYe were other reasons. too: SO
Mr.. \ abrams WIS recalled from his mis-
sion 10 Central City and se1 to work at
the foundations OF The character OF u
gent man last snoken Of in conaoc; ION
with tue coming municipal elections.
H. had hitherto borne an uniupeach-
abe = mao in Jnc community, but his
friends il.,1 committed the grievous Of
tense o. sroaIIng Of him for mayor be
fore The Palladium had been consulted,
and Il trera;Cre became The Pailadiums
duty to pull his props from under min.
COntantug iliInself for the time being
with tho announcement that the mill
tary authorities 1T division and army
headquarters had expressed their deep
sense Of obligation 10 The Palladium for
having brou-n5 TO light the scundalous
condition OF 2tf2lJ.s at Fort Ryan. and
that il had received their assurances that
as rtsul: of It's efforts Lieut. Hcarn
would be bropChc to trial by court mar
tel. this po0lic spirited journal wisely
turned lis attention elsewhere. Cthcr
papers, Of course, kept No the hue and
cry. bat The Pioneers columns having
warned them that their martyr was
after all cfI!y scamp, and their victim a
young officer with q capital military rec
ord whom the court might after al &C
quit it Decaina necessary to prepare the
Pnblic mind for such bouleversemen5
by pitching into military courts in gen
eral as ";5tsr Chamber" affairs, organ
lied only to convict privates and white
wash officers, one journal going so far
rs to ann unce tost court martial for
Lieut.. LEARN meant simply that q body
of men. each and every one Of whom
was in the daily habit Of violating every
rule Of dccency and humanity, was to
sit in Judgment on his case and declare
him innocent
All this, Of course, came dulv marked
and with pencil comment to Mr. Hearu
from scores ct a.. I.;poUs seuler8 ;,s he
sat daze1 and dishe,ptened in hi, cheer
less room; but tins was not all Nearly
17vo weeks had elapsed now since the
tir7c as@eulr. aud the home letters, for
which lie had looked with mingled fear
a4G longing, had begun to come. The
first he opened was from his mother.
She had received the marked copies OF
The Palladium Of the first three or four
days, sent no one knew by whom, aud
they were quickly followed by others.
What wasit Tha0keray wrote? "Fhere
are stories 10 a mans disadvantage that
the women who are fondest Of him are
al'yay. the most eager to believe"
"A devoted woman and mother was
Mr.. learn, but her sole knowledge Of
army life was derived from what she
Lad seen around their nearly ruined
home in a southern city about the close
Of the var. Franks boyhOoi was spent
in >5raitened circumstances, bat little by
little his fathers toll and pluck had re-
stored their fallen fortunes, and, a
bt&uch soldier himself, he could not
wonder that the young fellows heart
should be wrapped up in the hope Of a
commission. Poor Mrs Hoarnl she had
looked for something far different, and
even her pride at Franks winning a
cadet,hip at West Point by competitive
examination did not reconcile her TO his
entering upon profession which would
associate him with such characters as
she had seen about the time the great
army was being disbanded, and hun
dreds of officers seemed to have nothing
to do but carouse. By The time he was
graduated his fathers practice had be-
come 50 well estabhShed as to warrant
the squire coOnol's yielding to his wife's
peadine5.
Secretly he rather wanssd the boy to