Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-06
TELLS P|NFUL TALE
Army Deserter Locked Up In
Des Moies Jail Has Hard
Luck Story.
His Widowed Mothers Letter
Prompts Him to Desert
Uncle Sam.
Two Waterloo Men ALLEGED Heirs
TO a Vast Fortune In
Philadelphia.

Des Moines, Nov. 6.-Charley Taylor
an Ottumwa boy. was locked UP N tn,
| city Jail Tuesday to await an officer o
| the United States army who will talk,
| HIN back to an army post to answer be
| fore court martial to the charge O
| desertion. The boy admits his guilt
and will undoubtedly serve a term ii
| the guard house for his offense. He i!
10 years old and ran away from his reg
! iment while intoxicated, because let
| ter from his widowed mother at OF
| tumwa told him she needed her boy
DIR. Crayke Priestly examined the young
soldier. physically, yesterday. and pro
Iounced him free from any defect thai
| would get him out of the service honor.
ably.
To Jailer John Daniel, who wins the
confidencN of many a prisoner ut tn.
city Jail by his genuine sympathy and
unvarying kindness, Taylor told par,
of his story of temptation and deser-
ton yesterday. To DR.. Priestly, who
felt his pulse and counted his heart
beats yesterday afternoon, more facts
were given. The whole makes a story
that brings out the pathos of hasty en-
iistment and leisurely repentance that
makes desertion from Uncle Sans
army common offense.
II enlisted at Ottumwa away back In
April" said Private Taylor at the Jail
"A lot of us boys went in together. Cap
tain Sweeney, the recruiting officer sta
toned at Des Moines, took us in. He
came down one day and enlisted thirty
and q little while afterwards he took
in twenty-six more. We had one ex-
animation, and passed 1t all right tho
one OF my eyes Is SO poor that / can
scarcely see a thing thru it. But they
wanted men then. and besides, we were
to be given q second and more rigid
examination when we got to our sta
ton. But the second never came off. ]
skipped before they got around to 1t.
What made me desert? Whisky. A
lot Of the fellows were drinking togeth-
err one night. But there was something
before that. When went OF to join
the army my mother, with whom had
been living. went to live with my mar
ried brother. Soon after I got into the
army I had letter from mother She
said she and my brothers wife did not
get along together, and she was unhap-
Ply. and wished I could come back to
her. She needed me. wanted to go
mighty bad, but I knew better. knew
what desertion is and / never would
have run away while / had my senSee.
But that night with the boys go.
drunk. They knew had longed to go
back home, and when l was SO far gone
as to have little thought of right or
wrong, they urged me to desert. would
never be caught, they said. and could
be home in week and make my poor
mother happy. Well, did it. But l
never got home. I've been caught. and
can see my finish now.
What do you think about that eye.
Doc?" asked the boy, when DR.. Priestley
had completed his examination and
started to leave the cell. II can't see a
thing with it."
1T was that way when you went in,
wasn't it?" questioned the surgeon.
Yes, but they took me just the same.
They wanted men,"
Then I'm afraid your eye won't get
you out of thi. scrape," the doctor said,
and left the jail. The iron door was
closed and the lonely deserter left to
await his captor to take him back to his