Evening star., 1897-03-06
FACI.N G DEATH H.

Written for fne Esssehine Star.
Jose MIyillo Yas his name," said the
Old fellow dsittins on the dock where the
ships from the tropics come in with their
cargoes ofsfruft and of hard woods. and
ne lived 70 one iof the outlying villages
which are parts. of the City Of Mexico.
That was years and years ago. and there
was not then THE peace in Mexico that
there is nov. jose was of my age, and he
took to the, land as 1 took to the water.
so he stayed at heme while 1 went roaming
over the world i'll ships Of all kinds
You aretnot assailor yet?" said the lis
tener in surprise.
mo. but my boys are" smiled the old
Tan In reply, land their ship from the
south comes In today. and will land at
this dock Their boys are with them. for
my boys are not what you will call boys
when you see them. though they will al
ways be that to me-
ou spoke OF Jose Murillo, isn't that
the name Of ship that comes here?"
Yes, yes, and Jose Murillo was the hero
ne sreak- AS I said he took to the land,
ana IN time he married, and there were
Two pretty children In his little home.
Ihen war came and Jose became a soldier.
ne was q brave soldier and good man.
ana would have covered himself with
CORY but sickness came to his family, and
ms wife and children were taken down
with the fever that is SO deadly about the
city. Jose begged with the officers TO let
| nm nm go nome II for no longer than to see
ms Wife and babies for the last time but
| aney @ refused him. Again he pleaded. and
| again was refused. Then came a little
| noe from his mother, and that night Jose
| alsaf peared, and he was found week
| iater by a party of soldiers weeping in
the village There was a new made grave
and In it slept Jose's wife and babies
e ne soidlers were very gentle with him,
lof they knew: but 1t was their duty to
ooey ana they took him away without re-
ISSUANCE, for think Jose did not care now.
ana was willing to suffer whatever punish
me r,lent might be given 70 him. for it could
no. r,o. &c greater than his sufferinss already
! were. iney took him away as say, and
i. was not long until the judges who tried
MN sald That he must die, for he had de-
serted serted from his post in the face of the
enemy. 1t was true too but Jose had not
gone to see his wife and babies die be-
cause he was a coward Oh. no. 1t ts
men hke That VINO make a country greaU
LOT ha,.a II ne, ne had not loved them so could he
! nave ioVed his country? am sure he could
| not. am sure that to have been such a
ueserter was to have prouder record
'nan ..I1, 70 t,,h nave s held his post and lived.
| IN Time OF war there Is no delaying of
death. and on the day after the tIdees ba q
oecreed that Jose should die he was led
s out VI the prison. just as the sun was rfs-
,ns, ana taken to little opening with a
|
was 10 nave prayer said over him and he
was to be shot. Shot In the back, too. as
a coward, for had not Jose Murillo desert
eu IN IN. Inc lace of the enemy? And what
was tnat but such cowardce as only dis
graceful death could wipe out?
put Jose was not thinking of the mill
tary law that was to be executed upon
him, nor was he thinking of the right or
the wrong of it. His thoughts were with
his wife and babies lying In. the little
graveyard where his own dead heart was
and he had no other care except for them
tnat nc might at least not die as a cowa rtl
with his back to the bullets that were to
let his life out at the vents they made in
MS poor body. He had asked that they let
MIN stand with his eyes looking into the
guns, but they had told him that he was
| to die like a deSerter and a coward SO
when he was led forth and was stood up
to receive the punishment the law had
measured Tor his offense he was blind
| folded and his back was the target
| But there was friend of Jose's there
friend who had tried to have him die
facing his death, and he stood out in the
crowd to one side as near the prisoner as
he could get, and where he could see the
silent signal which the officer of the fir.
ing squad was to give, In order that the
condemned man would at least be spared
that dreadful instant between the com
, mand and the firing. Then while all abou,
the place of execution were waiting as still
as death the officer raised his hand with
, the handkerchief ready to drop when the
For an instant It held there and in thai
second a sharp little whistle. as of a birt
beyond the wall. rose on the air. and will
it Jose whiried suddenly and faced the
guns as they shot out their deadly tongue.
/ of fire and smoke ard lead to lick hi:
blood
Thus died Jose Murillo, who loved hi:
. country not less, but who loved more wha
made his country worth living and fighting
. for. and when he fell to the earth that sun
, shiny morning. dead, with the bullets II
, his breast, not a of all who wer,
there wished that those bullets had beer
In his back.
'"They buried him in the graveyard wher.
the soldiers had found him weeping ane
took him to his death, and on the plair
stone above him are these words in Span
ish: 'Murio por su esposa hijos, mean
, ing He died for his wife and children.
: Are they not as beautiful as those which
the world seems to think are the grandes
, of all: He died for his country Ant
, who, seeing them above MIN, would no
> say, If they had not known his story, tina
!, such u man would die for his country?'
w. ]. HAMPTON.