The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-15

Musician Vance Deserted for the
Love OF Filipino.


From the New York World.
! san Francisco. CAL Sept. Ninety
nine years ia military prisou--it might
| just as well be etcrniiy-and Tor what2
1 In the abstract. Tor the foulost Of crimes
-desertion 20 the enemy. impious defiance
OF the nag. the slaughter OF former COM
radcs.
individually. Cor che dusky nsht OF
] pair OF black eyes in q tropic glade for
the clasp Of a pair Of tawny arm. for the
| D,lilah cooling % q Filipino maid-coa-
| iug more potent than thunder Of cannon
or shouting Of comrades.
Alcaira9-the very name Of the rocky
islct that Fentinsla the Golden Gate is
eloquent Of harsh. iron rule. o. blasted
| hope. OF life givon over to despair.
| Penned Ia his sca-girt prison. despsod
/ oy bis iallcrs ana loathcd even hy his fell
low-prisonors. Henry Vance will grow
gray-if he does not XIII himself first
| watching the white fogs roll In over the
shoulders % Mount Tamalpais, listening
20 the screams 81 the brown and gray
gulis that fauut their freedom over the
bosom Of San Francisco Bay and nursing
ON the light o. love that lurel him away
| from duty. away from country. away
from manhood into the cncryatlng Jungle
Of The isla dc Luzon.
For ninoty-nlne years? on. no. That
Is grim fiction Of the military code. !;
] is merely nu expression % nnulity. II ia
as changeless as Tamalpnis'e self For
ne" would hold out prospect Of COM
/ mutation. For nine y-uinc years means
/ that for Hcary Vance there shall b. no
/ Communication. no forgiveness no mercy.
u means abandon hope"
The sentence itself Is technically a com
mutation. for Vance was condemned BY
the cOurt-martlal that tried him a. Ma
| Mia 20 die a traitors dcath-io be- blind
/ folded and shot down by his betrayed
comrades with ~ little computation as
II be had been a dog.
That was military Justice. as sanctioned
By every sentiment OF the soldier. and
every tradition since hrst the nations
fought.
But republics are sensitive about such
things. Free peoples have small liking for
the bitter ways Of military justice. even
when the crime Of crimes Is Ia question.
And 20 william Mckinley. commander
in-chicf Of the army Of the United States.
"a snare the feelings OF the public, re-
solved TO commute Henry Nauce'a sen
tcncc 20 imprisonment for ninety-nlnc
years IN the fortress Of AlcaifBz.
Commute2 ITO put something less So
we're in place Of" says the dictionary.
If a life on Aieatraz. therefore be IN
truth "iess severe" than "a swift and pain
lees ana all-extlnRuishing hail Of lead in
the body Henry Vance has cause 20 De
grateful uut ho does not think 70, and
there D. 60 soldier but would cry iu bis
place. SPARE me from such mercy
Lea Il be proclaimed broadcast that
Henry Vance. the central figure IN che
blackest page IN our war la the Philip
pines. is not an American.
Ia g. pliful enough 20 confess that his
mother wss. bat be was born IN the city
OF Mexico OF "a Spanish father. and Ia
Cuba both he and his father fought on
iho spanish side.
Strange sullcn. croEs-hrs Cd. without a
country aud without conscience, who
would tremhie "a ecstasy az the sound
Of beautiful music and set could stab a
comfate IN the back WI bout conjunction
who was q coward among men and yet
could love a woman TO the point Of death
and madness aud everlasting ruin-it was
an unhappy chance that he was ever adj
mittcd 10 enlistment under tie Stars and
s,fi.cs.
ne went 20 the Philippines with tho
Twcnty-thir0 Regiment ha musician.
No nehtine man was be. but the skirl OF
martial music sec FIRE o. his blood. ana
he loved 10 employ % 90 fire the blood OF
Others less subtle than he-reai lighting
ms u OF uhtuiAeA hiobnl 70 Hneht tht hak
meant everything.
Reeds or hrass--it was all the same 20
him .ie could make them talk and shout
and fc0il and weep with his music he
could lash the soldier boys into dancing
or nghtlng or drinking. and like the god
Pan b. 10 q diabo.ical delight IN exer-
cisng his power.
Ia Manila he picked up an old violin.
Under hie hands q developed a voice q
magic. Now Il would sob Ike "A lonely
child. now q would go into the raptures
OF a mother or a lover
At such times the taclturn baudman'H
lean. awnrihy face would glow with an
Inspiration that seemed now demoniac and
nov celestial. His wcniciinr comrades 30
longer call. him 'ercaser,' but thcy
shiycrcd little. az az seine thing beyond
their comprehension.
When the regiments sadly depleted BY
WOUNDS and sickness and madness wsfc