Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-12-18
A BRAVE DESERTER.
ny EDWARD u. CLARK.

| III ~ w AND u. CkxAkks
whats that you sayy said sergt. Toole.
he kicked the snow of his boots and aat
iown by the FIRE in the little wooden shack
;hat did duty for barracks. you say there
lever was any good in a deserter, Well,
you've missed it by Just one, and have made
four instead Of bulls eye. Didn't you
ever hear tell OF Jim Benson, Of Il troop, Of
;he Twelfth! Jim was a deserter. 80 Wash
ngton people said, but Jim loved the flag
and his duty to it better than nnetenths
of the fellows who serve their full 30 years
md then get let out with Uncle Sans
thanks and a small bit Of money every
month for life.
"Wha. made him desert! Well, what
should make an old soldier desert but .
woman! Some poet or other once told
about fellow who had been tempted all
kinds OF ways. Money couldn't get him;
glory couldn't get him; nothin' could get
aim, 50 all the wise ones thought, and she
| rot him, or, as the verse singer put it, WON
an tempted and he FELL
Jim vas in the service 25 years before he
struck his flag to petticoat. Like all those
fellows, when he got hit be was hit so had
that none OF your surgeons who are M in
mattef- OF sentiment could b.. get
out the bullet. or perhaps I'd better say ar
ow. for that's the kind OF ammunition the
little chap who. shot Jim uses. You see,
jim was nigh onto so when he got his sights
liked and held on to this pretty young crea-
ture with blonde hair, blue eyes and pink
cheeks. It's always the way with the old
fellows, when they get stuck on something
young. IL goes hard with them. You see,
the girl had heard how it was that Jim had
always been steady, had never seen the in
side OF the mill except as a memler Z the
guard. and, moreover, how Ne ~
irawlng lpur per cent. with TIE lay u.4s er.
Jim always went into fight to win, and
he got on to the track Of that girl and hung
to it just as he did to the Kids trail down
in the Apache country when Il troop was
chasing that red devil through the Arizona
hell. The girl led Jim for while coquet-
tish like, just to make sure OF him, guess.
don't suppose she ever cared rap for him,
but she was Of kind to whom Jim's little
pot of money and his retired pay meant 4
heap.
"Jim wasn't any beauty He looked like
one Of this artist fellow Remington's pic
lures Of US fellows. All muscle and bone,
but a. thin as the company cooks soup
when the beef doesn't show up. Moreover,
jim had a scar on his face that was deep
enough to drop Springfield cartridge in.
He got II along with medal OF honor when
he was trying to save kid trumpeter from
being gobbled up by the Sioux out on the
Rosebud. The medal Of honor didn't mean
anything to that girl. II might to some
who wear skirts, but not to one Of her kind.
"Wei., finally we all thought that Jim had
| Lad has all w.. l.t
the Twelfth's chaplain was going to havea
Job tying the two up. None Of the boys con.
graduated Jim too hearty, because most Of.
them had sized the affair up right, and
wouldn't have Il that the girl was good
enough for Jim Benson. She might be all
right for rookie, but not for an old fel-
low who had seen more campaigns than the
girl had years. ought to have told you be-
fore that this particular petticoat was visit
ing at the post. She came from down Iowa
way somewhere.
One night she gave Il out that she was GO
ing home, and that Jim must go down there
for the splicing She cleared out and in a
few days after the old fellow gets furough
and clears out too, following the trail. a. we
heard after, way down to Iowa Now, you
must Just get hold OF this fact. Jim was kind
than any Bible that was ever printed, but
for a short time that girl was above the
Gag. Jim was just crazy for her The story
10 that she wouldn't come back, and
wouldn't marry him unless he quit the army
then ind there. Jim tried to quit through
the regular red tape channels. but they
wouldn't have Il down in Washington.
Jim Benson. veteran. medal Of honor
man. fighter in hundred fights lover Of his
flag and country, and as good a soldier as
ever wore quartermaster's shoes, deserted,
and deserted for petticoat. forgot to say
that Jim got his wad Of money from the
paymastsr before has leave was up.
There was another desertion inside ofa
month after Jim quit the eolors. THIS time
a woman did the deserving, though fel-
low helped her to do il, and along with the
woman and the fellow went Jims money.
| don't suppose during the honeymoon the
full force OF what he had done went home
10 the bulls eye with Jim. II went home,
however. when the girl quit. Jim wanted
10 be reinstated in the service. lie was
willing to take the heaviest penalty for alb.
senoe without leave, but he knew now how
Il felt ip be deserter, and more than that,
he remembered how all good soldiers de-
rise fellow who quits.
"Jims bsar. was clean broke. He got in
communication nth his old captain some
how, and he tried 10 work the thing through
the department for dim. but thered been a
heap Of cesertions abost that time and de-
spite Jim's medal and his25 years with nary
blind nor A day in the null against him,
the honorable, the secretary OF war said II
Jim was caught he must take his medicine.
ut WA rumored around old Fort John.
son that Jim had been seen on the edge of
the woods lussjpg st the old place and seem.
ing kind Of wii1like One night one Of the
old quariermaStsg shacks got on fire. 1t
was Just before tAEgst practice season arI
the building had dozeu big boxes OF ammu.
milton in IL, There wss pretty stiff wind
blowing. and It looked W II the barracks
and lot Of other things Rouid lo II that
stuff had exploded the other bsildings would
have gone sure The fire was fairiy eating
around those boxes and the fellows fought
shy Of the haIaes little, good .oldisr STUFF
though they were.
"All at once while the crowd was hear.
ing ba omebody jumped clean through
the ll plump into the FIRE lie grabbed
box aaa rItew 1t out clear of the blaxe
and then another and another though the
flames were burning his clothes and going
sp wreathlike about his head.
When he had done the business clean
and goo lie man jumped out Of the flames
aud rau the woods Well, guess yop
know wld d was II was Jim Benson. We
douaI lim lead next day in a thiclet. but
the auiIoa- part Of the matter was that
.Jims bSdy was wrapped in an I'D garrison
flag that had been pinned al, Ut aim by the
last efort " those poor burned hands. Jim
thought, yup see, that. deserter though he
was. u be did this they might bury him
with the flag.
"Did they doiis' Yes, and gave him the
regulation three rounds .ever the grave and
the best prayer that tbs eld chaplain knew
how TO pray.
Boys, I've been 20 yesrs in the service
I've only got one year befoFsii retire. but
a. sure az dri.l call sounds IN decent wsath
Ar Il IN vntno IN foht .hv NJ mai ,.o.t.t.fi AZ.