The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-07-20
THE FATAL UNIFORM.
COLONEL SEXTON TELLS HOW 1T
CHANGED HIS LIFE.

]
CHANGED HIS LIFE.
The Girl Who Would Have Married
Didn't Like the Idea of Young Fellows
In Officers CIothes-She ReIented a Lit
tie When Her Admirer Was Wounded.
The only bad feature of this thing
of addressing the school children, +" said
Colonel James A. Sexton, the former
postmaster, sis the fact that they al
ways want me to wear my regimentals.
It's thing haven't the courage to do
except when I'm among uniformed
body of men,
My aversion to wearing a uniform
about in public dates from my boyhood
days. Upon that aversion is based an
early incident that may have had a
good deal to do with the course Of my
subsequent life
Il enlisted as private at the outbreak
of the war, being then a boy of II;
rather mature looking, however, for
those years. Like all boys of that age,
was of a romantic turn, but exceed
ingly bashful in the presence of women.
The one woman in whose presence was
especially shy was a dear girl whom
used to see home from prayer meeting.
No parting in all that time of part
ing was more affecting than was ours
when my regiment started for the front
When, year later, was sent back to
Chicago to recover from wound in the
jaw, found myself as dear to her as
ever, and she as dear to me, it goes
without saying. was in the hospital
at Camp Douglas. My wound healed
rapidly. was allowed to 60 about the
city very much as chose, and prayer
meetings, with their escort privileges,
claimed great part of my attention.
About that time the Y. NJ. G. A.
was organizing regiment, to be COM
posed exclusively Of men who professed
religion. The scheme naturally attract
ed great deal Of attention. The papers
We're full of it. / was selected to cap
tain one of the new regiments oompa-
MES. Protest against the selection was
made on account of my age-then lust
1S. The matter was carried up to the |
adjutant general of the state, who final |
ly decided in my favor. Ny age, the |
singular character of the case and the |
popularity of the regiment caused such |
an amount of newspaper gossip that 1t |
seemed as though everybody must have
heard of the matter at least All this |
time l never wore my uniform outside |
of camp. The dear girl, therefore, new
er saw me except in citizens clothes.
It's an outrage, she said just after
we met very youthful looking man in
captains uniform on one of our walks, |
that such young men are trusted with |
the responsibilities of command Idon't |
know what the country is coming to-
For moment 1 was overcome by
the shock. When recovered my breath,
told her that youth did not necessarily
debar man from possession of the
qualities of a commander. She declined
to be convinced, and the conversation |
became decidedly chilly. Instead Of |
making my customary call when we
reached her house, I stopped at the front
gate.
Laura, said, I must tell you
goodby. My regiment has orders to
leave for the front tomorrow. 1t may
be that we never shall see each other |
again.
But we did. All fashionable Chicago |
came to Camp Douglas the next day to |
see the final dress parade of the much |
talked of Y. M. @. A. regiment, and |
could see the dear girl among the crowd. |
My new captains uniform gave me a
good deal of satisfaction just at that |
time, I can tell you. The colonel of the
regiment had asked me, on account of |
the power of my voice, to act as adju- |
tant for the occasion. That furnished |
additional qualification. The parade had |
the magnificent splendor that only a |
dress parade can have, and the solemnity |
of this occasion was vastly increased by
the reflection, not to be dismissed that |
many of those among regiment and spec
tators were seeing each other for the !
last time on earth. The band played as
though speaking our last farewell to |
our friends. Every one, am sure, was |
deeply impressed. 1t was at this time
that the dear girl had her first and last
view of me in my captains uniform.
Officers to the front and centerl |
Marchp I ordered, with all the dignity
l could assume AS they reached the |
center they saluted me.
g Sir, the parade is formed, said,
saluting the colonel.
"The colonel returned as grave a sa-
Lutte as he had received and put the reg
iment through the manual of arms
Meantime l marched a few PAGES be-
hind him, turned squarely and took po-
sition almost within arms length of |
the dear girl. There stood at parade |
rest, with my back to her, until the
regiment wheeled into column to march |
off the field. At that juncture | took
command of my company and went
with it aboard an Illinois Central train. |
Between the dear girl and myself there
passed no word.
"A few months passed and received
a slight wound. The circumstance was
mentioned in the Chicago papers. Then,
for the first time after my departure
from Chicago, the dear girl wrote me a
letter. 1t was a beautiful epistle, full |
Of regret for our Misunderstanding, |
hopes that my wound would not prove
serious, assurances that she never could |
have doubted my ability and requests
for forgiveness for her mistake. I an
swered it, and harmony was restored.
At the close of the war | at once
sought her." the colonel added, land
found her-already married. "-Chicago
Times Herald.