Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-10
RUINED BY THE WAR
Gave Up All to Become a
Soldier
A CAPTAINS SAD STORY
Orange. III" C"l"rrd Assall.nt of Com
d"c,"r t:l%hnr.tson. Arrested. Work
on the New Hospital Fro
Srcssing Kmiislly.

The evils suffered by Il nation en-
gagged i'll war are by no means confined
T., the camp and the battlefield. and by
evils is not meant the he;rt:tchcS and
surrows endured by those whose dear
ones went down before the hail Of death
from hostile rifles. There other
Ways in which war leaves the impress
Of woe upon those who participate i'll il.
Sacrifices Which are known only to
those who make them streW tn" tragic
pathway Of the soldier from the mo-
nent he unsheaths his sword until he
lays it down To be transformed int" the
harmless prunng-hook.
y most interesting example OF this
sad phase of military life came within
the range of the writer's observation Il
few days ago. y captaill--one of the
most courteous and popular men
among all the troops now on the
renirsula--reluted his experience
since the breaking out Of the
Spanish American war in tender i..d
deeply touching terms. He sat in
:, car which was whirlinE him on
toward Old Point. quietly smoking
Il fragrant cigar. When the word came
tn him in his native city that the Pres
idcnt wanted men for the impending
conflict Captain Blank was doing Il
prosperous business as q contractor.
Work to the amount Of $4,000 in profits.
which could easily have been competed
within a short time. WAS waiting for
him, not to speak OF numberlcsss SMALL
81 contracts which. in the aggregate,
represented a sum almost as large. Be
sides all this he was the owner OF a
large store which was daily thronged
With purchasers.
Captain Flank had been for Il long
time at the head of his company OF
state malitiamcn. and thus it happened
that When the boys began to consider
n proposition To become volunteers III
the army Of Uncle sam. The question at
once came up as to whether he would
continue to be their leader. Ii SO, all
right; the company would 80 TO the
front: if not the company would re-
main at home. The regiment represent t
cd the flower of the state, and hence the
people of the city in which nearly all OF
the men belonged We're fond OF it and
earnestly desired that it should be one
of the first to so to the front. There
were strong temptat tons to continue his
peaceful ;vocatiuns. but patriotism fl
nally outweighed selfish considerations
and lie forsook all, happy in the
thought of being among those chosen
to defend the counury'S flag.
From that moment all that he had
began to take to itself wings and lily
away. In camp there came to him let
,ers from the loved ones left behind
telling him how things We're going. but
bidding him do his duty as Il soldier
But all this. he says. might have been
borne had he and his men been sent to
the front for active service stead Of
being left for months to pursue the
demoralizing hum-drum of camp life.
After sacrificing everything that he
owned for his country's sake that coun-
try should not have forgotten him and
his faithful and Well drilled followers.
Captain Blank will probably go To
That is not what he volunteered To do.
lie enlisted 10 fight.