The sun., 1900-12-23
A FIRING LINE MYSTERY.
uSs srrRrr oS JoCSo sOsD wHOss
fTrs 4 RrtIET AStIED


! In tho Philippines. had returned safely. had
been town horo for q month or so. and was
now on tho stump IN tho campaign. adyoca'-
ing. nho all tho soldiers who had been on the
I ground and had come hack that pollov which
would mean tho full retention of tho Islands
. under tho American nag several Of tho
, campaign orators lad met for n sunday IN a
! Western hotel where their road. crossed In
their Journeys to assl ynments. and were com
! pairing notes Tho rIar who had served
! with Funston gradually assumed command
| Of the conversation. and the talk drfted from
/ q discussion of the question Why men rushed
! 10 serve IN the Philippines campaign 10 one
OF tho problem why men. In many cases I'M
erpcc,edly. show not only rare bravery but
| downright recklossness In battle Tho Kan
ans man. for whom the name MARVEL will do
SO far as this article Is concerned. said:
| AS | was saying. We found men out there
| who had been wild and whose parents were
glad to SEQ them enter the army: we found
| men who had been crossed In love. We found
men who had been q failure In Ne svon II
| they wore mere youths: we found many
daredevils. and. ouriouay enough. most OF
them wore cautious on the firing limo; We
found some who had pasta that they wanted
| forgotten; we found some under assumed
| names for ono reason or another: We found
| the usual number OF bullics. braggarts and
| BUFFERS and being once under nre was the
euro for them. But all these made UP q very
| small number IN comparison with those who
| had enlisted for lovo OF country. with perhaps
| a desire for adventure thrown In.
| But OF all the curious characters came
| across the strangest was a man named Bond.
! lie was silent as TO his past he made fow
| friends. there was glitter in his eve when
we we're In danger which was positively
magnetic. and we came gradually 10 respect
! his reserve and TO be proud OF him. There
was one man in our company. however. whose
propensity for nosing into others affairs
was especially marked and who. 1t was plain
TO be seen. was offensive TO Bond. The name
| OF Peters will do for this inqusitive man.
| He was a good fellow and meant nothing
more than friendly interest when he was
| poking around to find out all about his COM
| panlons und we learned at last 10 overlook
his weakness-all hut Bond II Was evident
| that Bond was desrous of curing Peters or OF
| Furnishing him for his offensive behavior.
| Bond gradually became reckless on the firing
line Any one could see II was not assumed.
| but was genuine and this conduct deepened
the mystery as TO his past and made Peters
| the more Jealous 10 find out all abou, him.
"One day Bond fell with wound. Peters
| carried him to the rear. cared for him. stayed
! BY him as long as he could. did everything
| that cogd be done un Ter the clrcum'tance'.
| like Offering to write home. and all that sort
OF thing Bond spent half an hour In deep
| thought Tc was apparently sizing up hls
| chance. oflivlng tla wa@ al 20 thinking whether
! IL was worth while to forgive Peters FOR tho
| pat or t. give him thrust h" would never
| forget. II was aboIt midnight that Peter
returned - his place with u. and the ne
morning he had story to tell to three of us
!" Maxwell pan,ed and. Just as his he1rer'
were becoming un'2,!, he said thi' was the
| DO :. we'y. got a murderer among ,us,
| not only n murderer but the worst kind OF
one a man who killed his father and who
! this time. have ,pretanded that 1t was an
! Killed Matter of conscience, YOU zee, lie
whispered it all to ne. a-ned ne to write
passed away forriving ever" one and re-
| vcaling the secret. His name isn't Bond
hnt I'm under pledE'. not ,G, TO- ten whGt it Is.
| him to die actuall' and he wanted ne TO get
! Jim reported dead so that It would he coPled
! urler tho assumed name. It's u mighty
Bond told me that he came from Ohio
! His father vas ban; pre- ,ident and wa.
found murdered in The heanf vault two
eaT 60 ,s Go.cr5 s.sr had M sd lad etiaeSi e ana
! slrpri cd then Young Bond was the real
murderer II" wa net under ~ lie had
. been
! for more than a year 80 a TO keep on gambling
win fat ,ct Of loung fellows whom a
shar"r G"t t3rG'h%y Dg 9 sS1Tlss o1s "fd dsDy was
! hr.t birtnd there had to be settlement
",i the books. for his father Intended to take
/ t" have not le-. than 5000 to make good
/ hiS -t.1linCs There wa, no other way left
/ 10 him than to steal II. He knew all about
! the WAYS of the watchman and all that, and
. hr had studied M knockout drops, lie
: ,eft some liquor that had been doCtored with
. drug, for the wat t'hman TO drink. knowing
/ the mans weakness. and the rest was easy.
/ uncon ,ciou.. had lust got into tn. inner vault
! whom h" heard noise and saw dim light
! tho watchman, and he once raised his re-
voiver for action and crouched TO one side
Then he heard q voice ss' Ing Ny God I
! 50 powerful Wake mp, Mike"
s waj tho Voice s bs SHd If h9nd S. a,scs ssys
| Just in time. for he intended to shoot and
::,nar" in a rush i EE;cssihls Then BOND
father mieht shoot him. Tn" father soon
saw be oTen doors Of the vault What
do thI, YOU couldn't; ,who is there? speak,
! or III shoot Quick" Then it was that
! Houd saw hc had no show and he shout ed
TO hi' father not to shoot and revealed his
"Th.n there followed a strange scene in
thar bank vault. vault Thor" We're ne father
/
! .ciher IN tho early hours Of the morning
| 'Vha, docs. hi. m"pn. SOM said the father,
| e'orrly 'IIl, il come to this-my son q bank
! rohhnrs' Young Bond slid he was game
| aud he replci: What are You dong here;
| Are Nou bank rohher Yourself? Who
| M Mike in this condition. iou see he
had overheard his father make THAT eACll-
| rHrinn about MiFe. and he took chances
| Explain Your position on tho inside of that
! vault. said tho father Explain what YOU
said about not knowing that something WAS
| 80 powerful vh m you saw Mike said tho
son And then IN" father brok" down COM
! uloicly and 'he son went To pieces. and each,
think ing hat Mii'o was about 10 die, Confes sod
| to tho other The father had hCon s;cCu-
luting In the Eastern markets. had used up
| lot " trust funds III his charge. and the only
| Wnv for him TO get cut was TO rob his own
| bank 10 had also left somo knockout drops
| for tho wat"hman and II was the combined
dose that made father and son think that
| the man would die The son owned NJ to
! the father and then followed a discussion
| a< To what was best 10 bc done
| They agreed that the ban, must be robbed
| that was their only salvation They agreed
| also that II would b" best for one 81 them
| 10 Al ;e,r to be defending ne bauN's ;rea sure
\ II was finally decided that Il would be best
| for the son 10 wound hi, father slightly In
| purposes and leave his 'nther there to he
| discovered IN TIE morning The old man
said be was 80 desperate that he would take
| chances, and hc would toll u story about feel
| ing uneasy In his dreams rs to the condition
!