Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-01-15

himself cut the thongs that bound them.
lie was painfully wounded, but never quit
the hight tilt the last savage was driven
from the field. For daring and brilliant
conduct he was to be promoted over the
heads OF all the captains in his regiment.
His name was already before the president
for vacancy in the adjutant generals de
partment. and the appointment would be
announced at once. He was coming east
just as soon as the surgeon said he was well
enough to travel. Mrs. Noel wanted to ioiu
him, but he had telegraphed saying no
that he would soon be with her.
So rang the chorus for several DAYS. Al
the club men shook hands over the news
and sent kilograms of praise and congratu.
lation to Noel and drank his health in
bumpers, and two or three old ''soreheads. y
who ventured to point out that the official
reports were not yet in. were pooh-poohed
and put down.
Amos Withers had left for Washington
on midnight train Immediately after fur
nishing The Chronicle with the contents
OF his dispatch, making no allusion to that
part of it which said, ''Now push for that
vacancy. Not an instant must be lost"
Nobody could say nay to the man who had
subscribed the heaviest sum to the cam
paign fund in his own state, and therefore
both its senators and half its representa-
tives in the house went with him to the
president to urge the immediate nomina-
ton of Capt. Noel to the majority in the
ad1utant generals department made va
cant by the promotion consequent upon
the retirement of one of its oldest mem
bers. Already the war department had
furnished the executive with the names
and records Of the four men whom it CON
sidered the most deserving, and Gordon
Noel's name was not one of the four. But
what was that in comparison with the
eminent pecuniary and political services Of
Mr.. Withers, when the nephew had lust
behaved so superbly in actionY
Meantime, the Apaches had scattered
through the mountains and escaped across
the border. the remnant of Lanes troop
taking part in the pursuit, and they, with
their commander, only slowly returning
to the railway. For three or four days
Noel had the wires and the correspondents
pretty much to himself; but then some of
those enterprising news gatherers had been
getting particulars from the men, and
there were two or three of X troop in the
detachment who could not conceal their
derision and contempt when the newspaper
men spoke Of the bravery Of their captain.
This set the correspondents to ferreting,
and then the dispatches began to take
different color. The very day that Mabel
received her first letter from her husband,
and was reading extracts from it to envi-
Gus friends who had come in to swell the
chorus of jubilee and congratulation, an
evening paper intimated that recent dis
patches received from the seat of war re-
vealed different state of affairs than was
popularity supposed.
But by this time interest was waning.
1t is the first impression that is always
the strongest, the first story that is longest
remembered, and no man who has believed
one version will accept the truth without
vigorous resistance. In his letter to his
wife Noel had spoken modestly of himself
and slightly of his wounds This only
made her worship him-her hero, her gal
liant Gordon-the more insanely. He init
mated that he had been compelled to place
in arrest one of the most prominent officers
of the regiment for misconduct in the face
of the enemy; and this and previous mat
tiers, he said, would surely make of this
officer an unrelenting foe. She need not
be surprised, therefore, if this gentleman
should strive TO do him grievous harm
Mabel blushed becomingly as she read
these lines to some of her friends, and that
night at the club it was limited that Lane
had been placed in close arrest for failing
TO support Noel in his desperate assault
just at this time, too. Mr.. Withers came
back from Washington looking mysteri
GUS.
The next published dispatches were from
the general himself. He was incensed over
the escape Of the Apaches. Measures for
the capture were complete, and it was
broadly limited that certain officer would
be brought to trial for his failure to carry
out positive orders.
st is believed, =" said The Chronicle, that
the officer referred to is well known in our
community, as he had, oddly enough, been
a predecessor in the recruiting service OF
the actual hero of the campaign"
Two weeks went by There was no an
nouncement of Noel's name as promoted.
Other matters occupied the attention OF
the club and the lotteries, and no one knew
just what it all meant when it was an.
nounced that Mrs. Noel had suddenly left
for the frontier to join her husband. Per
haps his wounds were more severe than at
first reported. Then it was noticed that
Mr.. Withers was in very nervous and
irritable frame of mind, that constant dis
patches were passing between him and
Capt Noel in the west, and that suddenly
he departed again on some mysterious err
rand for Washington. And then it was
that Capt. Noel would not be
able to visit the east as had been expected. |
All the same it came us shock which |
devastated the social circles Of
the Queen City when it was announced in
the New York and Chicago papers that
general court martial had been ordered to
assemble at Fort Gregg, New Mexico, for
the trial of Capt Gordon Noel, Eleventh |
on charges of misbehavior in the
face of the enemy and conduct unbecom-
L., .r Z. Il, nfIsnnr and q rrlaIaf lam