The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-24

standing watching their disappearance,
a greaser who had been up to San
Francisco and heard some rag time
there, walked along, playing an Amer
lean Jig on one of those big jewsharps
of Mexico. That was one too much for
Commandant Ojero's feet. He executed
a breakdown on the plaza for twenty
minutes, and then. said the ensign, dis
appeared around the corner with mob
of the populace that would willingly
have made him emperor of Mexico.
our next news of OHara came
aboard on the following day in the
shape of a natty little lieutenant of
Mexican infantry, wearing more gold
lace than any admiral of the red. I'M
to the skipper he related, with many
gesticulations, a terrifying story of a
huge maniacal Americana, with por-
ton of the uniform of an marine of
the American navy, who had swooped
down upon forty-two soldiers of the
Mexican army in Acapulco for the an
nual mobilization, as they sat at their
pulque in a tavern the night before,
and who had knocked the hands of each
and all of them together, to the per-
manent injury of their skulls.
'Forty-two, you say?' inquired the
skipper, not unnaturally surprised.
THE number was no less. the natty
lltultIdnl VI lildnLly ICpllCQs w CT
not the entire forty-two at this hour
in the hands of the surgeon. their poor.
bruised heads-the Lieutenant spoke
very movingly-swaddled in miles and
miles of bandages?
=" 'Well?' said the skipper-and
grieve to say that the winked in a most
undignified manner at the executive Of
fcer who stood by. What do you
want me to dor
I've - Il
to make the commanding officer the
most respectful salutations of his gen.
eral, and to inquire if II would be de-
sirable and convenient for the So
much beloved commanding officer to
detach the gigantic Americana with
the Gargantuan strengthened jag
from the confines of the Republic of
Mexico, thereby insuring peace and
whole carcasses to the citizens there
of.
''Foreseeing possible international
complications, the skipper sent a cor
poral of marines and three bucks
ashore that night, all armed and In
light marching order, with the instruc-
lions to fetch O'Hara back to the ship
forthwith, If they had to saw and split
him into section of one cubic inch.
The weary corporal and his three men
returned to the ship at about 2 o'clock
in the morning. saying that under
standing the situation was that O'Hara
was bound overland for the City OF
Mexico az boss reamster with a bull
lion transporting outfit.
ION the following afternoon O'Hara
was seen by a quartermaster. A weary
greasy householder with whom O'Hara
was temporarily domiciled had com
planned to him, IL seems, that his CHM
ney smoked a great deal. When OBJ
served by his shipmate. the quarter
master O'Hara was obligingly engag
ed in cleaning the chimney using for
the purpose his expensive esrape.
The quartermaster said that while
OHara was sure a sight, he didn't
seem TO mind; on the contrary, he was
carolling quite merrily as he let the
serape, weighted by an unbaked brick,
up and down the chimney.
ION the following morning we heard
some strange music from the silvery
set of chimes in the bell tower of the
church. There were long intervals be-
tween each note. yet there was no
doubt that the tune was Believe me,
IL all those endearing young charms
We learned later that the chime ringer,
as we Of course suspected, was O'Hara,
practicing. When the Mortified Greas-
er sexton had come upon him in the
bell tower, OHara soothed him with a
gold piece or so. and went on playing
East Side, West Side, all Around the
Town until the priest made his APP
pearance and shut down on the perfor-
nance.
This is n poor, barren outline of
the progressive drunk of O'Hara In
Acapulco. On the ninth day of OHara's
absence the skipper became really wor-
ried lest O'Hara should fall to show
brand. The result OF his worriment
was that / went ashore at the head of
the marine guard to get O'Hara.
II established chain guard. and we
gradually close on O'Hara and be-
sieged him in a two-story 'dobe. He
had the down stairs doors stoutly bar
ricaded when he saw us coming, and
he leaned out of the second story win
dow and sang me a most pathetic bal
lad when | demanded his surrender on
pain of having the doors of his hosts
house broken in. There were then but
two hours remaining for him before
he would be declared a deserter from
the ship. He suddenly disappeared
from the window. A few moments
later his host opened the front door
and invited us in. Commandant Ojero7
Oh, he had departed. He had gone
only a moment before we entered
"And so he had. We secured the
town for him half the night and then
put off to the ship. / was contemplate
ing much wrath in my commanding Of
fcer's eyes over my empty handedness.
But O'Hara was aboard. and Sleep
ing peacefully in double irons in the
brig. 1t seems that nine days. twenty
three hours and hfty-fve minutes after
O'Hara had left the ship, sampan
had come alongside. and O'Hara, still
with his silver trimmed sombrero and
a fresh serape, but barefoot, had with
great difficulty assembled the gangway
ladder and reported. He had made
for the ship when l had told him that
his time of grace was short and threat
ened TO butt in the doors of the dobe.
90 Hara's thirty days in the brig