The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-06

"A party VI EuRllSQmen anu AmcFI.
cans who had chanced to meet in Mex
leo, were visiting the Mexican military
prison when their attention was first
sailed to the principal figure OF this
story. The officer in charge of the
prison, having shown the visitors
through the buildings, concluded his
reception by sounding bugle call in
The prison yard, in response to which
signal all Of rne prisoners filed into the
snclosure. The visitors observed that
The prisoners were required to form q
hollow square, in the center of which
stood six or eight men who had appar-
entity been singled out and who were
aot OF the ordinary type Of prison in
mates Inquiry of the officer in charge
revealed the fact that the men in the
middle OF the square were those OF the
prisoners who had been sentenced to
leath.
In this little group of condemned men
there stood one who. by reason of his
ine physique and blonde beard, con-
srasted strongly with his small, sallow
ind dark-haired fellow-convicts. His
appearance indicated that he was an
Englishman. The officer in charge
said that he was a murderer and that
he was soon to be executed. He added
that the visitors might speak with the
convict if they pleased, an offer which
.hey promptly accepted.
The prisoner had been gazing at
;hem earnestly, and when they ap-
preached ne manifested great deal of
Joy. He had been in prison several
months, and in that time he had seen
40 one who spoke the English Ian
yuage. He began his story at once by
iaying that he expected to be shot any,
lay, and that his greatest regret was
that he could not die in England, or at
east among English-speaking people.
He had served seven years in the
British navy, he said, and was attached
10 one of the ships of the Pacific squad
ion when the events leading up to his
arrest and conviction began. The ship
had been lying for some time in the
harbor of Acapulco, on the west coast,
when he and several of his fellow
sailors deserted. Three of his compan-
ons were captured and returned to the
ship. The others-three men and
boy-made their way into the interior
rs fast as they could. The country
through which they passed was rough
md barren and they came across very
few villages. For week they lived
on pulque and dried berries. One of
.he men died of fatigue and hunger.
The boy and another man turned back,
preferring arrest as deserters to death
from starvation and exposure.
The two remaining sailors journeyed
on toward the interior, until they came
10 small place in the province of Pu-
ebla called Santa Anna Here they
lound food, but, as they were without
money and unable to speak the Ian
guage, and suffering, as they were,
from exposure and the enervating trop-
cal climate, their position was not
materially improved.
There was at that time temporary
recruiting station at Santa Anna, and
there the two sailors learned that
small body of recruits was soon to be
transported to the capital. This seemed
to be means of affording them tenn
porary food and shelter, and according
" the two sailors enlisted as common
soldiers. They expected to desert as
soon as desirable opportunity arrived
and find their way to the States as
rapidly as possible.
The officer in charge Of the handful
of troops was young lieutenant who
had been recently commissioned. This
was his first command He was proud
of his authority and exerted it in such
u way that the men grew to dislike
him intensely. Especially bitter in
their hatred for the young officer were
the two Euglish tars, whom he seldom
neglected when selecting his victims
for punishment and other forms of
One day when they were
almost within rife shot of the capital,
the lieutenant, who was in bad
humor and suffering from the effects
of the terrible heat, struck the larger
of the two Englishmen, who is the
convict of the story, with his sword.
The sailor lost his temper, stepped out
of ranks, and struck the lieutenant
blow with his fist. The officer fell to
the ground and that night he died, the
blow having broken an artery.-De-
troit Free Press
-