Arizona republican., 1902-05-25
Hay Rdkes, Hay Forks,
 Derrick Forks,
 PulIeys, Rope, etc.

guard WnO nau been bounced upon ny Blinkie was questioned about his knowledge of the affair. He did not corroborate Morris statement and said that Morris had lied when he said the prisoners had tried to escape. and that Morris had kept insulting the prisoner Jones since leaving the guard house. and that the prisoner had made no reply until Morris had struck him with the gun for not obeying his orders.
 Blinkie also told the affair as it hap pened, though in his excitement and in trying to tell what an unmitigated scoundrel Morris was he brought on himself a severe reprimand from he commanding officer for not confining himself to the real facts instead of making aspersions upon another sol dier.
 The major turned and conversed with the officer who had brought the orig inal complaint of neglect of duty and for unsoldierly conduct against the men while members of the guard. At the end of a few minutes conference the major nodded his head in approval of something the other officer said. and turning to the prisoners said:
 Tn view of the fact that you are i both unfamiliar with the duties of soldier, and that the regiment is not yet entirely organized, I have come to the conclusion that for this time I will not press the charges againts you. In l time of war it is essential that a sol dier when on sentry duty be actively alert to what is going on around him, for the fate of an army may depend on his vigilance. A sentry who violates the trust imposed on him is liable 70 | be shot, but as we are not in the en- emy's country, and have not bean equipped as a fighting body, you have | only been guilty of neglecting your duties. As for assaulting the guards placed over you, that is also an offe1se that would render you liable to Ghe death sentence. In this case there were mitigating circumstances. It was shown that the man Morris exceeded ais | duty as guard in abusing a prisoner, and the fact that he struck defense | less prisoner with a gun when there was no occasion for it also makes him l liable to a court martial. However, you both have the material in you for making excellent soldiers and l have no doubt you will prove so when you are better acquainted with the duties | of a soldier. You are released from confinement and I trust there will be no further occasion in the future to remind either of you that the first duty of soldier is to obey orders. and the next is to conduct himself in sol dierly manner"
 | The major next reprimanded Morris severely for the mean advantage ne ! had taken of prisoner, and cautioned him that if he ever did anything that was not strictly compatible with mill itary regulations it would go hard with him. He then dismissed the men and told the triumphant heroes to re- port to the troop commander. Willie and Blinkie left the car and reported i to their own troop car with radiant faces, while Morris, deeply crestfallan at the miscarriage of his plans, slunk out of the presence of the command ] ing officer.
 CHAPTER VI.
 | When Morris appeared in the car oc- cupied by the friends that he had tried ! to get into serious trouble he was 1 greeted with misses, for Blinkie. in his usual loquacious style, and with many embellishments, had related to the | troopers that crowded around him and | Willie after they had left the com manding officer how Morris had tried
 to square an old grudge against WIl- l lie, by pretending that he had tried to escape while Morris was guarding him. | Soldiers are always ready to sympa- i thize with one of their kind in trouble.
 and moreover, the scTapes that Willie
 and his chum had been into made them
 both very popular. Morris action vas promptly condemned and he was unan- | imously voted a sneak by the soldiers ! who all agreed to shun him until he
 did something that would give them a chance to hold a drum head court mar tial on him when he would get what he
 deserved.
 Morris. seeing that he was not very popular just at that time. went 10 one
 end of the car and meditated in silence.
 He felt that he had made q mistake
 al the very start of his soldiers :a-
 reer. but was more than ever deter
 mined to do the cowboy an injury.
 though by this time he had a great
 respect for Willie's ready fist.
 After he had been requested by Miss
 Meeker to leave her house he went
 away vowing vengeance on her and on
 Willie. He had an old grudge against | the cowboy after their encounter. and as long as Nlllle Was on the range lie kept away, but as soon as he heard
 that the cowboy had gone away to an- list for the service he immediately re-
 turned and called on Sal, with the re-
 suit already related. He saw that
 there was no further use in remaining
 near her and he made up his mind to
 enlist, not from motives of patriotism
 but because he wanted to be near Will
 lie and harm him whenever the Oppor-
 tunity offered He did not intend to
 face him as an equal but would pide
 his time and would get him into such
 a difficulty that he would never face
 Sal Meeker again if the came out of the
 war. He did not think that they would
 see any service and that they would never leave the states, so did not figure