The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-11
The Bounty
Jumper

OF q llEAAAs az ~ - 40 -
man is a circumstance almost increiiile:
We are so prone to accept our large ex-
paricnces OF life from the hands % the
dresn-rs that We have cone 10 form a
cult. UNFOLDING 9 ret.ce-te II Iiv;rg a well
IS a reticencc in ar. We forge: that nature
sometimes works or tfe rieIoarsoIa:ic
plan to unravel tIsv larger. s.erfer issues Of
existence with Wiki sno - confronted.
painting her pictures - .he samhasxnt
.ints Of the rainbow 20 the 6istracflo. Of
he modern delicate retina. writing her
records in blood. telling har secrets In the
trumpet tones OF storr1 20 tho irreparah.e
woundiuG OF our exquisite ears.
The complete man is he Woo has added
70 his knowledge OF our inicking ~oiviiIza-
ton a knowledge OF ths primordssI i'm
pulsec and their causes: he is Gre whe has
felt the rude belly pinch or hunger, who
has slair hi2 fellow in equal conaic. 10
preserve himself. ara vIndic2ted the sev-
ereignty OF man in open combat with the
beasts that perish. who has ackno wiedsss
his humaneness WITH tears IN the presence
Of his lonely Cod.
We who concern ourselves with the fash
ionsblc utilities OF the hour. ard rssrranee
the or6cr OF the universe In the aresids
manner. are abashe6 before the complete
man. He IS like a shouC in { drawing room
or a flaming soldier Goa in a drab street.
he dominates his surroundings and makes
all things a background 10 himself. We
may resent his Arrogance. but wa cannot
vanquisb it. He IS the complete man; and
all our Wanted PHILOSOPHERS sTs based on
the stubborn fact OF his existence.
To these reflections 1 ar, !mpeils1 By the
fact that dined last night at the Winds
OF Heaven Club. l was taken there by q
friend who writes OF savags South Africa
with g cocksureness only a~ttainabI- Oy 2
man who knows ths Kiralfya well. and
whose horne is thu universe as summed up
BY ou- London. ire vivsn-'s Paris anc the
worlds Monaco. 1 spent the evening in the
society OF Rir pirates, Matsbeie warriot-,
Patagoaisn horsemen, hairy Anus, Aus
tralian aborsgines- and. ! think. Caribbean
~cannibals. Perhaps there we've others; bat
a conversation in FIVE languages is difficult
10 remember, even X you 90 not under
stand it.
/ gave my best attention 10 az American
gentleman, wSo assured ne that no had
often been mistaken FOR a Yankee. though
the place OF mis- birtn was aboard shiy IN
New York harbor. He told me this tale OF
the bounty-jdmper IN The third person. but
IL was obviously a page of autobiography,
and as that l tell It 10 you.
Have you ever been hungry? 1 = don't mean
hungry for your punctual nine-course din
ner. but hungry. Hungry enough to cat
anything that's dead. Ia you ever been
hungry. for months right onT do you know
what II Is never to have enough food2 To
get up in the morning with the knowledge
that IL has got to be a day Of insufficient
and unsatisfactory feeding. and TO 40 to
bed at night with thunder in your belly.
DO YOU know what IL Is 70 steep your mind
In vain imaginings and lonE thoughts and
earnest IongIngs tina all hinge Or meat|
Do YOU know what IL is TO live in a past
that is all dinnerso-and to look forward TO
q future that shall be all dinners? Do you
know the deadly WEAKNESS OF chewing in
tangible steak and waking up TO find It Is
tangible Observation-Disclosures hairy at that!
Have you ever felt hat home war nos SO
much a temple % the domestic affections
as a paradise OF k,tchen-odors Then you
have never been hungry. 1 have doac ana
felt all these things. and 1 know what Go
know.
When we talk Of war and the cruelty and
the gIor- thereof we are apt TO leave GUY
all thought OF The oomnlssariat but 1000
for the men Is as important as food Tor the
guns; and more campaigns nave peeh i"st
ir the than IN the senerSi3
tents. | was In the great American wat
I saw the game played right through from
the secession oe South Caroln TO the
surrender Of Kirby Srnith-snd though ain
9 Northerner to my souls holy o. holes. 1
tell you that we beat the Confederate only
because they nsver hae enough 10 eat.
Brave hearts aud empty bellies ara a poor
dshting combination. an0 a man can pot
his fellownsr with oi% hand white ne
fights nature witt tEr other Il you hac
seen those pc. EagyG:l devi's o. Souu''
erners YOU would have expected I" hear
their skeletons rafting TrdeT their SKINS
when they formed and charge rs J know
/ always expected It. and J used {" dream
II had happened. But Il was only the vino
In the trees. as Il rule. or the btidisrein OF
a FESTIVE horse.
Not bat what We men OF the riSaS CAUSE
had our trials, 100. And Their nome was
legion. for they wers many. And thu head
and front o. their offending "aS the
bounty Jumper. Yes. Bounty : jumper
SOUNDS like American FOR hsS- It's hnsiisA
for skunk. Bus 4 VIII he explicit.
1OA MN6G klOW ARNANh1
p~leatiful IL 1864 0S they were In sci
Men had bitten o.. to The idcs that war
wasn't all marching through towns, with
the people cheering au1 girls ct the win
dows waving hS.dkerchiefs. ana so the
army chiefs we're empowered u .ner a
bounty for volunteers. Then arose tho race
OF bounty-5umpers-meE whs WOULD vol
unteer in any SyailEbls COPS, annex the
bounty. and skip-tc voluu.oe- again some
where else. anG SKIP zsaia: and 90 ad in
Gnitum. ss Riglow says.
This wGs bad for morality sod the money
boxes; and made tbs officers more savage
than skeeters in a bod-net. Measures were
taken and resolutions passed. | was one OF
the many tina. were rnaGe army detectives,
and given special commissions to watch
certain men. 1t wasn't nice work, but
somebody had to do II, and why not Il L
buckled down and made some captures.
Owing to my unfortunate successes L got
bu.toned at last or TO a man who had the
reputation OF being the smartest bounty
Jumper in America. Much was expected
concerning him., nothing was known; and
my Httie lob wGs TO catch him ON the jump
and shoot him. once and finally. for 10 en-
COURAGE the others" Forbes was the name