Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-08-02

shot thos has struck wide aud knows
not whence it came. The waltz coosed,
ard in n moment had all but seen the
EtAbbing Of jenkins. Then, as always
before, the waltz again.
In the morning l reported. II was
CLEARLY a case Of acute madness, OF no
one who ever performed a tour Of guard
duty with Henderson had ever seen
madness. but to our establishment and
horror the post surgeon thought other
wise and so officially reported.
The colonel was furious. Ho had in
spotted the man. The man was mad.
He called up Davis and informed him
Of these facts. Davis replied firmly,
The man is sane, colonel, and l so re-
ported"
Hes not sane" " tho commander re-
torted. "Why influence me to stir up a
civil murder trial which disintegrates
a command and disturbs disciplined He
should be sent to an asylum.
Ten years ago Davis would have ex-
planned and at length why he thought
Henderson sane. bot since these callow
days he had once offered gratuitous in
formation to a superior in command, so
he said simply, I'm not influencing
you to anything, colonel, unless it is
permitting you to do your duty by do
ing mine.
Davis spoke with tho gentle frmness
Of n struggling to be respectful and
showed the effect Of severe staff train
ing in duty untainted by the d~espotism
Of absolute command. The word per
hitting had been delicately chosen
and passed below the %colonel's guard
"That will do, doctor, " said the colo
mol stifiy, his color rising, as Davis
left the Office. Even after Arizona service
has killed your respect for a man his
opinions are still entitled TO it, for they
are the result Of experiences that have
cost the man. Yet my faith in Davis
weakened. It takes more than five
years confidence in a human being to
outweigh our own fallible deductions
oven OH subjects of which we are va
riously ignorant The egotism Of being
rational is so pleasingly pleasant. Still
the colonel sent Henderson to civil trial
and bullied Davis in the hopes that he
would stop it
The trial was held neal the post, and
many attended it. Before it proceeded
to the arraignment the court summoned
Davis for opinion. Again the same re-
ports he had made SO confidently 20 tho
colonel Livery one was dissatisfied,
and the court proceeded TO trial. The
colonel again called Davis vi
Davis, said he bluntly, this has
gone far enough. / was a witness in
hat mans trial today. and the man is
mad, and the court and every II knows
it except you, who of oil persons should
know it. From the testimony the jury
must convict, which means the man
shall be hung. don't want a man of
my regiment hung unless I'm convinced
that no deserves 1t. Now, stop your pro-
fessional stubbornness and request some
one in consultation before the verdict
Would you have a crazy nan hungf"
"The mans as san as you are, colo
mel, and even granting he is not-which
1 don't-the class of insanity which he
affects, If real, would be subsequent to
the act, SO he would be punishable
whenever reason or a lucid interval re-
appeared. 1t would be only a little too
kind Il hang him now, that is all, " re-
piled the surgeon.
So the trial concluded, and Hender-
son was sentenced to DO hanged. On Pc
tition Of the jury the judge granted a
stay of execution until medical experts
could DO summoned from San Francisco.
These, after consultation with Davis,
pronounced tho prisoner sane.
During the week before the day set
for his execution Henderson confessed
his feigned insanity to me while / was
taking him some tobacco and said that
he felt kindly toward every ono for his
treatment in trial, except that Did
post surgeon, who had played it on him
that he might hang "n / only had my
liberty long enough to kill Davis, t" he
said to me one day. 'rd die happy. "
Ho said that / had been good to him. !
had fetched him some clean clothes and
tobacco, and that he would reward me.
Then he outlined how he had killed a
Mexican miner near Las Cruces three
years before, but that he had robbed him
of but half his buried gold, and hat he
had intended to return for the balance
and had never done so Then he gave
minute directions as to the place and
exact locality and amount Of the buried
treasure.
Henderson, " l asked when he had
finished. ARE you still crazy, or are
you only lying?"
Neither, " he said simply. |"As /
mount the scaffold I'll incline my head
toward you. which is to affirm in the
presence Of eternity that l speak the
truth"
After my discharge / aoually went
from Deming up TO Las Cruces and fol
lowed the r~asoal's directions, but found
no buried money, though old Perez had
been murdered, as stated Shortly after
ward | met DR.. Davis and told him Of
my chase he laughed pleasantly, and
then 1 asked him, doctor, would you
mind telling me how you could be so
certain that Henderson was not really
insane?"
why, you should inow that, " he
said. with a slight twinkle. You help
ed me establish the fact Do you recall
that ! gave you q diagnosis OF bis case
before his cell and had you placed on