The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-12

ss
Had him hauled off by tlco StdlaCdrt in
fGntTDnlen.
The court had finished its labors and
gone. The correspondents had gone,
but presumably only to renewed labors.
The various journals throughout the
northwest that had SO confidently pre-
dicted the summary dismissal of the
offending lieutenant were now in a some
what difficult position. They had started
in to prove the officer blackguard and
the private martyr; the result was ex-
actly the opposite, and the problem was
now how to get out of the pickle. To the
average man, soldier or civilian, the con-
seriousness of having publicly wronged a
fellow being would have proved a source
of distress so deep that nothing short of
retraction as public and apology as far
reaching as the affront would satisfy
the offender. But, in its Jovelike at
titude as censor of the morals and man.
ners of the people, the press has no such
qualms of conscience.
As one eminent journalist expressed
it, ''Of course we are sorry we are mis-
led somewhat, but we can't take back
what has been said; that Injuries the pa
per-" And of course as between injur-
ing the paper and injuring the man it
is the man who must suffer. Another
gifted editor, in whose eyes no benefit
was quite to be compared with free adj
vertising, expressed himself as consider
ing that ''That young fellow really
ought to feel very much obliged to US;
nine-tenths of the people might never
have heard of him at all if it hadn't been
for this" And he spoke in all serious
ness.
OF course the correspondents them
selves had long since seen the inevitable
results, and had duly prepared their re-
spective papers for the crash. Some of
these journals promptly dropped the
matter at once and for all as no longer
worthy of attention; others transferred
their assaults from the array of ieuten,
ants to the array of courts martial.
Others still, too deeply committed to
extricate themselves, threw open their
columns to any damaging story affecting
the army which their correspondents
could fabricate; and those papers which
made any reference to the facts elected
before the court did so in the smallest
type, but head lined the item in sarcastic
or explosive big capitals.
The Palladium, or rather its editorial
head, when explaining matters to kno
of men at the club, quietly justified thu
course of his paper by saying: 1--WE die
not send Mr.. Abrams there at all. II,
had gone to Central City on some per
sonal business of his own, to look int,
some property, and while there this Mr.
Schonberg, wealthy, prominent, and
as we supposed, reputable business man
told him about the offensive manners O
the officers to the people, and offered t.
prove that they would be insulted ant
ostracised if they ventured to visit tn
garrison; and Abrams got warmed ii
and telegraphed to the managing edito
that he was 'on to good thing and s
we wired him to go ahead" But
Junior member of the editorial stat
frankly admitted that he, in common
with other journalists, had for sixtee,
years been Laying" for chance, as h
expressed it, TO get in a good whack a
the young West Pointer, and here the
thought they had It.
Meantime the record had gone TO de
partment headquarters for the action @
the general commanding, and Lawle
went with it to fight the case to the last
There was not a soul at Ryan that di
not know that, though the lips of tn
court were sealed, the finding had bee
mot guilty" On every possible specifcs
ton. All Lawler could hope to do no,
was to persuade the general to pick tn
proceedings to pieces and rasp the cou1
in his review of the case; but even thi
proved futile. The general, it seemed
would do nothing of the kind; it wa
even limited that he rasped Lawler fo
the very one sided investigation that b
made at the outset
For two days following the adjourn
ment of the court Fort Ryan was fairl
IN ferment. Schonperg, terrified b
the jeers of his townspeople into the BIZ
lief that he was to be prosecuted fo
perjury, had slid away On night trai
-''gone to purchase goods in st. Louis,
said his unhappy spouse. Welsh, th
martyr, had essayed to desert the sam
night, and, as a cat plays with mousc
old Kenyon had let him go until the il
tent was made plain by his boarding I'd
eastward bound train in civilian dress
and then had had him hauled off by tw
stalw;s,t infantrymen and, incidentally
by the nape of his neck, and once MOI
Welsh was remanded to his familia
haunte-the guard house at Ryan. TIL
time a still more serious charge Wa
hanging over his head-that of assaul
ing non-commissioned officer in di
charge of his duty, for Corp. Brent ha
recognized him as his assailant the il
slant he heard his voice. So had anothe
witness. 1t was Georgia Marshall VIII
turned to Kenyon the moment Wells
had finished his testimony and said, g
have heard that man speak before" an
who unhesitatingly declared after Cos
appeared that though by sight she coul
identify neither man. by voice she kne,