Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18
OLD SCORES EVENED UP

| Il used to rum a little cigar store out in
Portland" said wealthy Oregonian, one
| OF the big figures in the sa1mon-canning in
dustry at Astoria and elsewhere along the
| mouth Of the Columbia river, who was in
| Washington a while back. Il was standing
| bshind the counter of my little cigar store,
| which was across from the railway station
in Portland, on The day the big celebration
| took place in honor of the driving of the
| last spihe-the gokd spike-that completed
| the Northern Pacific railway into Portland.
| That was in So or ST. forget which; l
never could remember dates 1 didn't have
time to see the dotugs over the driving of
| the gold spike, 6oraI had to attend to my
store This wasiir the afternoon, when the
story I'm telling begins, and 1 heard band
! music coming across the street from the
| railway station. The band from Fort
! heogh, Montana, had come all the way to
| Portland to take part in the celebration,
| and knew that the music / heard pro-
| cesded from a regular army bandit can
| Always pick the music of regular army
band, somehow or another.
| ell, as / stood, there behind the coun-
! IN my front door,, drunk-pretty well shot,
| that is. He knew what he was doing,
though. He looked at me blearily for a
| minute or two. He was in the uniform of
1
| United States--a fine, strapping big man
an American.
=" is there an Odd Fellow here?' he finally
| asked me.
I'm an Odd Fellow, replied, and we
| made good to each ether with little or no
ado.
! Well the bandsman said I'm sick of
| more
| You've made up your mind to that
| nave you? l asked him, after studying Linn
| for minute.
Yes. he said I'm not going to soldier
| any mora
SO put him in the back room of my
NIUE cigar store, and locked the door.
| Ihen went to the front door and looked
| across the way. Evidently there was
sensation of some sort among the bands
| men They vera talking away at each
Other, and finally they separated and start
| ed on, apparently, on individual quests. A
| bunch of two or three of them came over
| to where l was standing in front of my
| store.
Have you seen such-and-such looking
| man, dressed in the same uniform We are
| wearing?' they asked me.
NO. haven't said l, and they passed
| In about an hours time they all raas-
| sembied at the railway station, and of
| course, knew that they were unsuccess full
| IN their search They got on the train
| without their first cornetist when the train
| was ready, and went away without him.
| nv liam was SOOu ana gone J. I'M
! lceked the door of my back room and had
| TAX with the deserter, the ex-cornetist
| as he afterward told me he was He was
| scEered up by this tima l asked him what
| ne was going to do.
| Anything but soldier he replied I'm
SICK OF that. I've got nearly 500, and I'll
| strike out from here for some place or
| ot h l don't want to stay in Portland.
| "nich Is TOO near Vancouver Barracks-an
| jumped just
so l went up Town and bought him a
SUI SUE OF clvihan clothes and some other
cd them to him, TfAn, after DRESSING bim-
self and leaving his uniform with me. he
| shook hands With me- thanked me for what
| he called a faNor and went his way
In about month 1 got a letter from
MN, dated Albany Oregon. and signed by
an assumed name. HE had opened bar
6 1ei shop IN Aloany the letter said. and was
| doins well. l went down to Albany to see
| run d couple Of months later, and he was
aolhg well, sure enough. Besides running
| ms parber shop was giving music les
soiis ana pulling down a good income out
OF II. He could play any old instrument,
string brass or wood and he PLAYED them
| all pretty well, too. He was pretty glad to
see me, and | found that I liked tha faIIou,
good deal He was open and above hoard
anu square didnt particularly like the
way he had jumped his army outfit, but
th2L was nons of my business
hen l went down to Albany TO soc hin,
ABOUT elsht months later | found him mar
| ried to the prettiest young woman in the
p r1~ ' i Ffl 4p IN hoHSekeeping in the
| You ever saw. He was the picture of han
piness. I was glad to sec him doing so We'll
| ne was then only about twenty-three years
old and he was really becoming q nro,ojna,t
and respected citizen of his EftIa foY!if;; IA
looked to see him come out way on TON
after q while " wy
About year later, after had branched
! on into some pretty large and growing bust
ness enterprises. / got a letter from him
when was unhappy in tone. He said that
| man from his old regiment in Fort Keoeh
a ho-2ccount dog, who was hated ny his
| comrades in arms-had accidentally rim
| across him in Albany. had blackmailed him
persistently under the threat of revealing
ms desertion from the army, and had just
announced MS intention of taking 10 his
residence in his (my friend's) home The
| letter was evidently written in considerable
| distress, and there was a significant c1osin1
paragraph which read:
L don't quite know what to do OF
course he's got me where he wants me.
| and IT'S all up to him to do as he chooses
| and this devil has me in his clutches Rut
| l won't stand much more He'd better
stand clear or somethingl happen to him
Il answered the letter as hest coiIjJ
| but l couldn't go down TO Albany to see
| the eX-bandsman on account of business.
Ten days after | got the letter from, him
| | read in the Portland Oregonian that the
eX-bandsman had shot his tormeutor dead
| had put no less than twelve bullets in him
and then fled ! knew the cause if no
| one else did, and felt sorry.
Il got letters, all of very down-hearted
nature, from the fugitive until Two wears
| ago They were dated all over the country.
A few day: ago heard from him finally
| that is | didn't hear from hin, huf Of hin,
| [ read his name-his second assumed name
as among Ike men killed in that first brush
| with TIE Filipinos. He was serving with a
Kansas regiment"
Honor VhiaUa.