Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-08-17

Was Not A Deserter.

Was Not A Deserter.
If the Editor of the [Rapid City
Union had been anxious to find out
the truth about the "Soldiers' Home
Episode" he would not have written to
the Home for his information which of
course is all one side as should have
been expected. We therefore accept
the challenge from the Editor of the
Union and will prove that the Editor
is wrong when he makes the statement
that Comrade Quinn was deserter
from the Home. Comrade Quinn was
dishonorably discharged on the charge
of drunkenness and leaving the Home
grounds without permission. It was
Comrade Freeman Knowles who in the
presence of reliable witnesses, gave
Quinn the money to pay his rail-
road fare to Deadwood and told
him that he would do (and no doubt
did all that he could to have him TAX
en- back to the Home. Again, it was
Mr.. Harris who was sergeant of the
Home at the time, who went to Quinn's
room and in the presence of witnesses
told Quinn to leave the Home using
these words: "You cannot stay here
any longer, you must get out" The
question is: Did Sergeant Harris take
the responsibility on him self to order
Quinn from the Home? 1t can be
answered by Sargent Harris, who in
| 10, n.
was shame to turn poor Brockie
(meaning Quinn) out of the Home and
if Linn does not look out he will get
his foot in it," When Quinn was or
dered to leave the Home there was
only two ways to leave, either go out
peaceably or be thrown out bodily, as
; was the case of Comrade Black.
Parson Brown of Hot Springs made
the statement that he had looked UP
Peter Quinn's Home record and finds
, that he is marked deserter. This
| only proves the character of the maj
} who caused such record to be placed
there, who, not being satisfied in turn
: ing an old man out of his only home
after four years of faithful service tt
) his country which justly entities hin
to its benefits and protection, adds in
suit to injury by allowing his name t.
, be marked deserter on the rolls.
In view of these facts, which can bt
proven by reliable witnesses, no on
1 believes mot even the Editor of tn
| Union) that Peter Quinn deserted
| from the Home But the Editor o
> the Union is politically blind, and tn
1 good book says: "There is none s
blind as those who will not see."
4 will also add about the Home record.
j. If Peter Quinn is marked on the Hon
i rolls as deserter, it is not the onl
o false record against comrades who hav
3. been dishonorably discharged fror
s the Home.
. AS to "vitriol throwers" and "Hom
IS Wreckers'' "Whiskey Soaks" "Buste
i Politicians" that is only so much "Rot
9 coming as it does from the same oil
source for the past three years. Peopl
who live in glass houses should no
throw stones. In CONCLUSION tt
writer begs leave to say, that he is nj
an office holder nor an Office seeker
3 Neither is he running opposition t
the Rapid City Union Editor in nal
It ing up lies for campaign purposes. h
does not have to. He is too we'll SUI
Piled with solid facts, all straight gooo
% and lots of them, and he repeats tt
statement made in a former artic
that there are other cases as bad an
IS in some respects worse than the OF
TT referred to, with will be Forthcoming
10 due time. Although one Of the pri
cipals is dead, he left behicd hil
m living witnesses whose public stat
70 ments will make the Union Editor ar
10 his Linn sympathizers hunt the
holes between now and the 85h
next November. And while we o
y soldiers .have different views an
~ opinions, on some of the leading issue
ie of the National campaign, there
ps an issue in the state of South Dakot
that will not be down, and we wi
"a marcn TO Cne Une DallOC bOA ne
elk November bearing in mind that it W
wv a Populist Governor who upheld al
ut indorsed a. Populist Commando
of the Home in his cruel treatment
s.. some of our comrade-a Comman
-. ant whose chief aim is to insult al
~ brow beat and crush out the spirit
=, every veteran who is unfortunt
~ ~ enough to incur the displeasure
1n His Majesty.
'ly And once again we will be fou
standing shoulder to shoulder as in Il
days of old "voting as we shot, al
our Populist friends (for all populit
are not our enemies) will find out, a
We we hope for their benefit and reforr
we tion, that the old soldiers and th
ID. friends are still a factor in pQlitics