The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-01-22
The Reformation
u Of Henley
An Episode of Army Life In
the Philippines.
!, win Lexington Comfort.

o-so~o~oso~o~oo ~o.~o"oso~oa.o
Lieutenant Henley was the son of a
rich man. The lieutenant went out to
Manila in a volunteer cavalry regiment.
When the volunteer horse reached Ma
Mia, it happened that cavalry was need
ed The regiment was given hundred
carbine rations, several pounds of quinine
and snack of bacon, hard tack and cot
fee. Then it was told to get busy seek
ing "googies" to devour. 1t was told to
tree all the rebels it encountered and to
drive the rest on the running jump into
the China sea. 1t was old shoes for the
colonel. He whispered gleefully to his
majors:
"Just my brand of splitting tobacco. I'll
take the youngsters out in some deserted
place and teach them which is the front
end of saddle"
A moment or two before the start was
made the colonel perceived Lieutenant
Henley approaching. The young man
was mounted upon fancy gray gelding.
but his saddle was at least four inches
too far back. The colonel snapped his
teeth together with force which would
have broken stones and greeted his sub
ordinate this way:
Young man, do you know you sit on
that horse like a shoemaker? Get off and
let one of your men fix your saddle AT
attention, sir, when you talk to me. Now.
what do you want?"
Il just want to suggest" said Henley
at last, that I be allowed to stay in Ma
Mia for a few days. There are some
things want to get. would like to see
Manila too. Besides, father
Henley, if hear another word from
you for ten days which doesn't concern
duty, and il you are not in your proper
place in the line before 90 seconds have
passed, I'll give you a chance to see Ma
Mia through barred windows. As to
your father. he hasn't got anything more
to do with you now than rabbit"
The regiment was broken in by a proc
ess as pitiless as the combined efforts of
the torrid sun and regular army discipline
could make it. 1t was only skeleton
ontft after six weeks. but this skeleton
was formed of the best bone produced in
the best bone producing country on earth.
The backbone of the frame was the colo
mel. One of the little finger nails was
Lieutenant Henley. Concerning this
young man the colonel wrote the follow
ing to father a short time after the reg
ment had taken the field:
when you set about to spoil that boy
Of yours, you builded better than you
knew. He is the most thoroughly spoiled
young one ever saw. He must be born
again. am trying to do this. but it is
difficult. may have to hurt him, but
I'll try not to kill him for your sake"
The colonel wrote other things to IA
Their.
The regiment was riding through bad
country In Tayabas province, lower Lu
zon Henley's troop was in the rear end
of the column Up to this time the COM
pany had not been engaged in fight.
few bullets had scudded through one Of
the night camps, but no one had been
hurt except through sickness, the saddle
or the sun. This day there was every
promise of fight. The colonel had been
told this by the trail His brain was
deep in the game, and his soldier heart
was full of savage joy at the prospect of
action.
Suddenly Henley and his troopers heard
a scream from behind The column was
halted. The colonel rode back rapidly.
He found Henley and his troop white
faced and staring eyed, group of power
less things, rendered so at sight of hor
rid thing on the trail.
"Who is it?" demanded the colonel
His voice sounded ugly in the silence.
The troop horses were shifting the air
nervously.
~oIv 81, 1rox lad
body's voice. "He dropped behind the
column to tighten his cinch. sir"
1t was the first thing of the kind these
men had seen-a hacked body. blood of a
white man upon the trail. He had been
riding with them not moment before
Now his horse, carbine. belt. iife-all
were gone. And bolos are not clean tools.
and Connely had seen what was upon him
before he had fallen. The horror of it
was still in his eyes. His fellow troopers
were sick, afraid They were enduring
the agony of helplessness. They would
march in close formation for the rest Of
the day They would dream that night.
and the sentries would fire their guns at
dark shadows, which their brains placed
In thin air.
"Why didn't you halt lieutenant. until
Connely had frightened his cinch?" asked
the colonel in a low voice
Il didn't know it was necessary. sir "
"Do you think You are in the state Of
Maine, lieutenant" the low. remorseless
voice of the commander went on. t,o
you know that you should either Fave
forbidden him to halt or else staid by
him until he was in the saddle again!
Do you know that you are in measure
responsible for that
The voice of Lieutenant Henley was
awful with despair. II ever man looked
a coward, it was Lieutenant Henley that
moment If man with sins unforgiven
stared into the face of death, his features
could not have reflected terror more than
did the bloodless, haggard face of Lieu
tenant Henley. The young officer be-
came afflicted with an insupportable nau-
sea. 1t might have been the sign on the
trail The colonel rode back to the head
of his command, and he wondered if
there was blood in the boy, as the father
had said, and if he could be born again.
The enemy was not encountered that
day, and at night the troopers rode into a
big town already garrisoned. There were
murmurings in Henley's troop when it
was dark The men spoke to each other
about the affair, as soldiers will. The
word coward" might have been heard.
1t was asserted in whispers that the lieu
tenant was responsible for the death Of
Connely. Early in the evening, while
Henley was moving through the ranks Of
his own troop, somebody struck him from
behind Others followed the example.
No faces were seen. An hour later Lieu
tenant Henley, bruised and dirt stained,
had made connections by wire with the
cable Office in Manila. and the following
In cipher was destined to reach father the
next day:
Cant stand this. Work my immediate
resignation. Gable reply
mo, no, colonel, not that"
The colonel was ordered to make this
town temporary regmental headquarters,
There was big supply of forage for he
horses. The infantry which had garri-
soned the town was moved out at once.
On the third day a telegram came for
Lieutenant Henley, and in less than an
hour afterward all messages stopped sun.
denly. The 'niggers" had cut the wire
somewhere along the line.
Once the v0ice-of torn soul gave. Ut