The Van Buren press., 1894-01-27
CONDEMNED TO DEATH.
The Sad End OF Tar Who Deserted fro
an English Man-of- War.

CONDEMNED TO DEATH.
The Sad End OF Tar Who Deserted from
an English Man-of-War.
A short time ago British sailor was
shot by the Mexican military author.
tiles in the City of Mexico under cir.
cumstances of peculiar interest AL.
though the facts in the case are known
to but few, the way the fellow behaved
himself and the manner in which he
met his death will never be forgotten
by the officers in charge Of the prison.
Not little sympathy was felt for him
alone in that remote country and
without ghost of chance to save his
life.
A party of Englishmen and Ameri.
cans who had CHANGED to meet in Mex
leo. were visiting the Mexican military
prison when their attention was first
called 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 the prisoners filed into the
Enclosure. The visitors observed that
the prisoners were required to form
hollow square, in the center of which
stood six or eight men who had appar-
emily been singled out and who were
not 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
| v,,.ic vr,1 LoI -
death.
In this little group of condemned men
there stood one who. by reason of his
fine physique and blonde beard, con-
trasted strongly with his small, sallow
and dark-haired fellow-convicts. His
appearance indicated that he was IN
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
they promptly accepted.
The prisoner had been gazing at
them earnestly, and when they APP
preached he manifested q great deal of
JOY. He had been In prison several
months. and in that time he had seen
no one who spoke the English lam
guage. He began his story at once by
saying that he expected to be shot any
day, and that his greatest regret was
that he could not die in England, or at
least among English-speaking people.
He had served seven years In the
British navy, he said, and was attached
to one of the ships of the Pacific squad
ron 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-
ions were captured and returned to the
ship The others-three men and q
boy-made their way into the interior
as fast as they could. The country
through which they passed was rough
and barren and they came across very
few villages. For a week they lived
on pulque and dried berries. One Of
the 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
to a small place in the province Of Pu-
ebla called Santa Anna. Here they
found food, but, as they were without
money and unable to speak the lam
guage, and suffering, rs they were,
from exposure and the enervating trop-
ical 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 q
small body of recruits was soon to be
transported to the capital. This seemed
to be q means of affording them tenn
porary food and shelter, and according
ly the two sailors enlisted as common
soldiers. They expected to desert as
soon as desirable opportunity arrived
and find their way to the States a.
rapidly as possible.
The officer in charge of the handful
of troops was a young lieutenant who
had been recently commissioned. This
was his first command. He was proud
of his authority and exerted it in such
q way that the men grew to dislike
him intensely. Especially bitter in
their hatred for the young officer were
the two English tars, whom he seldom
neglected when selecting his victima
for punishment and other fopms OF
humiliation. 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 q
blow with his fist The officer fell to
the ground and that night he died, the
blow having broken an artery.-De.
froif Eraa Prasa