The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-23
ROMANCE OF KANSAN.
Who Was With the Goth Kansas Reg
iment and Killed at Manila

Portland That was in 'S2 or '83-I for
get which; 1 never could remember
dates. 1 didn't have time to see the do
ings over the driving of the gold spike,
for I had to attend to my store. This
was in the afternoon, when the story
I'm telling begins, and I heard band
music coming across the street from
the railway station. The band from
Fort Keogh, Montana, had come all the
way to Portland to take part in the
celebration, and knew that the music
1 heard proceeded from regular army
bAnd-I can always pick the music of
a regular army band, somehow or an
other.
well, as 1 stood there behind the
counter of my little cigar store, man
lurched in my front door, drunk-pretty
we'll shot. that is. He knew what he
blearily for a minute or two. He was
in the uniform of a bandsman of the
regular army of the United States-a
fine, strapping big man-an American.
Is there an Odd Fellow here?' he
finally asked me.
I'm an Odd Fellow I replied, and
we made good to each other with little
or no ado.
WELL the bandsman said, I'm sick
of soldering, and I'm not going to SOL
der any more
you've made up your mind to that,
have you?' 1 asked him, after studying
him for a minute.
Yes he said. I'm not going to SOL
der any more
little cigar store, and locked the door.
Then 1 went to the front door and look
ed across the way. Evidently there was
a sensation of some sort among the
bandsmen. They were talking away
at each other, and finally they separated
and started off, apparently, on individual
quests. A bunch of two or three OF
them came over to where 1 was stand
ing in front of my store.
:" Have you seen such-and-such
looking man, dressed in the same uni
Fn1.r1 11-iv1 er9 hoy oGIxn cd
No, I haven't said L, and they
passed on.
I'm about an hours time they all re-
assembled at the railway station, and,
of course, I knew that they were unsuc-
cessful in their search. They got on
the train without their first cornetist
when the train was ready, and went
away without him. After the train was
good and gone I unlocked the door of
my back room and had talk with the
deserter, the. ex-cornetist, as he after
ward told me he was. He was sobered
up by this time. I asked him what he
was going to do.
Anything but soldier he replied.
I'm sick of that. I've got nearly 5000.
and I'll strike out from here for some
place or other. I don't want to stay in
Portland, which is too near Vancouver
Barracks-an infantry outfit, like the
one I've Just jumped
so I went up town and bought him
a suit of civilian clothes and some other
things, for which he paid me when L
ing himself and leaving his uniform
with me, he shook hands with me, thank
ed me for what he called favor and
went his way.
I'm about a month I got a letter from
him, dated Albany, Oregon, and signed
by an assumed name. He had opened
a barber shop in Albany, the letter said,
and was doing well. I went down to
later and he was doing well, sure
enough. Besides running his barber
shop he was giving music lessons and
pulling down a good income out of it.
He could play any old instrument,
string, brass or wood and he played
them all pretty well, too. He was pretty
liked the fellow a good deal. He was
open and above board and square. L
didn't particularly like the way he had
Jumped his army outfit, but that was
none of my business.
when 1 went down to Albany to see
him about eight months later, 1 found
him married to the prettiest young wo-
man in the town and set up in house
keeping in the prettiest little honey
suckle covered shack you ever saw. He
was the picture of happiness. I was
glad to see him doing so well. He was
then only about % years old and he was
really becoming prominent and re-
spected citizen of his little town. and I
looked to see him come out way on top
after a while.
about a year later after I had
branched off into some pretty large and
growing business enterprises, 1 got a
letter from him which was unhappy in
tone. He said that a man from his
old regiment in Fort Keogh-a no-ac-
count dog, who was hated by his COM
rades in arms-had accidentally run
across him in Albany. had blackmailed
him persiStently under the threat of re-
Vealing his deSertion from the army, and
had just announced his intention of
taking up his residence in his (my
friend 81 home. The letter was evident
ly written in considerable distress, and
there was a significant closing para
graph, which read:
II 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. did desert from the army, as
you know, and this devil has me in his
He'd better stand clear or something'll
happen to him.
II answered the letter as best I could,
but I couldn't go down to Albany to
see the ex-bandsman on account of bus
mess. Ten days after I got the letter
from him I read in the Portland Ore
gonian that the ex-bandsman had shot
than twelve bullets in him-and then
fled. I knew the cause, If no one else
did and I felt sorry.
'I got letters, all of a very down.
hearted nature, from the fugitive until
two years ago. They were dated all
over the country. A few days ago 1
heard from him finally-that is, I didn't
name-hiS second assumed name-as
among the men killed in that first brush
with the F'ilipinos. He was serving
with a Kansas regiment"
"Resistive Power"