The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-07-11

The story of the young hero's death i
told in Father Finch's beau
if,ll poem: ~
To drum beat and heartbeat
A soldier MARCHES by,
There is color in his cheek,
There is courage in his eys; Efs ss
Yet to drum beat and heartbeat
In NOM ent he must die.
BY starlight and moonlight
He seeks the Briton's camp
Ee hears the rustling flag,
And the armed centry's tramp;
And the starlight and the moonlight
His silent wanderings lamp. .a
With slow tread an7 still tread
He scans the tented line, .s,.@
And he counts the battery guns III.
BY the gaunt and shadowy pine;
And his slow tread and still tread
Gives no warning sign. ya-
The dark wave the plurned wave
1t meets his eager glance,
And it sparlles meath the stars *
Like the glimmer of lance
A dark wave,a plumed wave
On an emerald expanse.
A sharp clang, a steel c1ang,
And terror in the sound!
For the sentry, falcon-eyed, ~;
In the camp a spy hath found:
With sharp clang, steel clang.
The patriot is bound.
With calm brow, steady brow,
He listens to his doom;
In his look there is NO fear,
Nny, q cha 1o1y.traoa. of o1oc,,,.
But with calm brow and steady brow
He robes him for the tomb.
In the long night, the still night,
He kneels upon the sod, !:
And the brutal guards withhold
Fen the solemn word Of God!
In the long night, the still night
He walks where Christ hath trod. !
Meath the blue morn, the sunnNmorn
He dies upon the tree. /
And. he 1nollrns that he can lose :.
y. But one life for Liberty; /:
And In the blue, norn, the; sunny morn
!: s'fs His spent " nlsssss are are free.
III. %.s.,.s l.ast.s
r But his words, his message-words, I,
9 II They burn sl#st F9ifgendIyr' eye
/, ShnHld not read how proud and calm
= tApatrict could die.
With his last words his dying words,
A soldiers battle-cry.,
From Fame leaf and Angel-leaf,
From nullu ment and urn, IS
The sad Of earth, the glad of heaven,
His tragic fate shall learn; -
And on Fame-leaf and Angel-leaf
The name of HALE shall burn! 4
To the English the execution of. Natha1
Hale probably seemed but the just pun
shment Of a spy. Yet, like Major An
ire, was no common informer, but a va
liant and educated officer. who put hi,
ceilings under foot in order to serve hi.
country. In his own words, every kinl
# service necessary to the public good be
omes honorable by being necessary" Il
his spirit did the gallant, boy dignity .
Questionable office, as he ennobled an. ig
lominious death. AS Hale was borne. ii
he death cart to the tree which was tt
serve: asa gallows, sln English officer In
ulted the heroic spy.
''This is a fine death for a soldier!'
aunted thesunmanly Briton.
sfStr," replied the boy, lifting his cal
'everently, there is no death which
would not be rendered noble in such. {
glorious causeH'
No one knows to this day in what spo
he English esiecutionars, laid. the body .
he martyred Hale. He was hanged ii
viilat is now the heart of New York city
Fhe City Hall Park holds his monument
splendid bronze figure Of the boy ais Ii.
TODD just before his death, with his arms
,ound and his neck barred and as he wa,
n the act Of uttering the ever memorabl,
got'ds which are Inscribed on the pedesta
>e1ow his. name, ra ak and the date of hi.
birth and of his DEATH.
T only regret that have but one lift
o lose for my country