Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1900-05-17
MALICE NOT N HIS HEART
An Army Story of Hate and
Brotherly Love.
DETECTIVES NARRATIVE
An Officer and Corporal in the South.
west-Enmity Brought Bitterness to
Both-Friendship and Death To.
gether in the Philippines.

DOtU-TT o'd
gether in the Philippines.
st. Louis detective was talking to
some professional associates recently
and told this story:
Quite stretch Of years ago | was
soldering with doughboy outfit of
the regular army down in the South
west. One of my bunkies-Ill call
him Ned Cannon, which is not so
far from his real name-had been a
mate of mine when we were both kids
down on the st. Louis levees, although
we hadn't met again until we ran into
each other in the army. Cannon had
struck the outfit couple of years
ahead of me- and he had the corporals
chevrons when ! got there. He was
a good man and good soldier, was
this Cannon but somehow or other he
had incurred the enmity of one of the
officers of our company, Second
Lieutenant, who had got his shoulder
straps via the mustang route-that
is, by promotion from the ranks. Well
lust call this Second Lieutenant Neil,
which Is close enough to his right
name, too.
This Neil you may suppose, was
crackerjack soldier; for dubs don't
pass the examination for promotion
from the ranks in the American army.
He was a pretty decent officer to the
men, besides-to all Of them, that is
to say, except Ned Cannon. He surely
did have it in bad for Cannon. never
knew why, and don't know yet. But
the way Neil rubbed it in on Cannon
was holy show He had Cannon
broke to the ranks soon after Joined
the outfit for some trivial cause con-
nected with guard duty Cannon didn't
say much, but the line of thinks he
must have entertained with regard to
the Second Lieutenant occasionally
shown out in the blaze of his eyes
when they lit upon the shape of the
young mustang officer. Two months
after he busted him the Second Lieu
tenant got Cannon into the clink on
charge of neglect Of duty while on
post as q sentinel Cannon narrowly
escaped a general court-martial on
that charge, which was unquestionably
trumped up, and the summary court
gave him thirty days with labor.
When he got out and resumed duty he
told me there was murder In his heart
for the Second Lieutenant.
"Ill get hunk with him. he told me
with savage quietude, If 1t takes me
twenty years to do 1t. I'll play evens
with that one all right
Ten days later Cannon was in the
guardhouse again, awaiting trial by
general court martial Neil the Sec.
ond Lieutenant, had got Cannon into
the orderly room on some preteXt or
other and grossly insulted him, and
Cannon, unable to hold himself in any
longer had opened up on the mustang
and would have struck his tormentor
had not the top sergeant of the COM
pany leaped behind him and pinioned
his arms.
Cannon got six months hard labor
at the hands Of the general court-mar-
tial, and bob-tail besides-that is,
dishonorable discharge from the SER
vice-for it is a pretty serious thing
for an enlisted man to be even ac-
cused of attempting to strike COM
missioned officer.
Now here was case of a good
soldier who really got the worst Of it
at the hands of an officer-a thing
that doesn't as matter of fact, often
happen in our service where justice
is the rule. When Gannon's six
months in the clink was up he was
escorted to the gate by a file of the
guard. gave him bum suit of civil.
ian's clothes that l had In my box,
and we all Clipped in and handed
him ten.dollar note with which to
start life over again. We'd have Civ
en- him more, but 1t was between pay
days.
I'll get square with that Geezer'
were the last words Cannon said to
NE before he was drummed out
Three months later got letter from
him, dated St. Louis. He announced
that he had got on the St. Louis po-
lice force.
II served my enlistment and went
back to y home in st. Louis, where
Ned Cannon put me next to the way
to get into the police force, and got
on. That's Part of the story.
Zone afternoon, year ago last
April, Ned Cannon was patrolling his
beat when he happened up against a
drunk. The drunk was fine-looking
man, shabbily dressed. He had book
under his arm. He was book agent
He was ex.Lieutenant Neil, and Gan
non recognized him.
Cannon took Neil to his own home
and sobered him up. He got Neil into
shape. Why he did 1t don't know.
l asked him why it was he was caring
for his old enemy that way-but he
never answered me. l don't under
stand it yet Ned put some clothes
on Neils back and got Neil to looking
fine, strong and clear-eyed. Then Ned
did some politics for Neil, and got the
eX-Ieutenant job in the st. Louis
tax Office as a clerk,
They both got to hankering for
soldering when the Spanish war
was well under way. That laundering
is liable to hit man through life
who's ever wore uniform on land or
sea. Neil and Cannon from talking
about became possessed of the craze
to go to the Philippines, and they cast
around for tip on an outfit that was
booked to 60 down there. They got
the tip and both threw up their Jobs
and joined a Kansas outfit as buck
privates, Cannon under his right name
and Neil under an assumed name
for man who's known to be a cash
Tered officer can't get back into the
service even as an enlisted man.
That's the windup of Part II, and it's
all on the dead level, at that.
well, got hold of paper on the
cars while making trip few months
back, and read an account of the fight.
ing before Malolos, then Aguinaldo's
capital. In the list of the killed among
the men of that Kansas outfit were
Gannon's name and Neil's fictitious
name Well when Ned Cannon stood
to attention and answered to his name
and number on the other side of the
Great Divide, III bet he got white
mark for not bearing malice"
N;u;Mc ~NL nna.:,...