Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1903-09-17
The POS0er
Of a Ctrf
IOriatneLl

Ro~tilul Nlhl INV
IL was back In the first half OF tho
last century, when the reguiar army Of
the United States was a little family,
SO 10 speak that a young artillery ofIi-
Csr was ordered 70 report at the then
frontier post, Fort l.. Manton Bur
net was one OF those fellows whom ev-
erybody loved. Tall. massive, with hight
hair ami blue eyes that formed pleas
ing contrast With pair of round, rud-
dy cheeks. he struck the fancy of every
one at the moment OF meeting and i'm
proved on acquaintance.
The belle Of the post was Colonel
HoughtoHs daughter Edith whose fir
tations had commenced with cadets az
Vest Point and continued with officers
u all grades and ages, though %he was
still only twenty two or three At the
time Burnet reported az the fort she
was engaged In a mild affair with Ma
jor StoddG~d, a native of Mississippi
and a man Of forty. lie confirmed the
Rdngp No fool like an old fool" 10y be
coming infatuated with girl who was
only enjoying what she considered an
innocent amusement. At any rate, TO
fiirt was as natural to her as 10 breathe.
As soon as Burnet appeared on the
scene she dropped Stoddard. took up
with the vsopmer and found an ex
pcrienca entirely new 10 her by falling
violently tn love with him.
Staddurd was furious 1t is question,
able whether he was more malignant
a Tt
IS said Hell hath NO fury IKE a woman
s"Hrned Her" was an instance where
% ~.uTuad man was the fury. Stoddard
was so ununIe TO conceal his feelings
that be soon had the whole garrison
laughing az him lie determined 10
show them that II was no laughing
matter
In the army especially at frontier
posts all the officers play poker; at
least they always did IN the good old
times one evening party of officers,
Including Stoddard and Rurnet, were
engaged at the game when Stoddard
suddenly turned upon Burnct and ac-
Cused him Of cheating
You lying scoundrcl"' said Burnet.
What DO you meanY
THAT will do" replied Stoddard, ris-
ing mo more play tonight We have
another matter Of more Importance to
attend to"
Some of those present demonstrated
with Stoddard, while others turned
their backs upon him coutempuously
All knew be- would challenge Burnet,
and he did though he found II impossi-
BILE 20 find any one Of the officers 10
bear bis message and act as his second
until Rurnet requested one of them to
do 80.
The meeting took place early the next
morning a mile from the fort on the
7ver bottom" Just before II occurred
Burnet told his second that he intended
20 puHosely miss his man, giving as
reason that as the two had been suit
ors for the same girl, she was interest
"A ia the affair and he was uncertain
which of the two she preferred Be
sides. 10 Kill a brother officer In n duel
would mar his life and his military ca
reer. His second protested against this,
but was unable 90 move his resolution,
whereupon he declined to serve, and
BuTner selected me, but kept from me
bis intention. At the first fire Burnet
fell with a bail in his right side Stod-
dard was unhurt
II was q melancholy party that car
ried the wounded man back TO the fort,
for the surgeon pronounced the wound
fatal The affair put an end to any IN
certainty as 10 Edith Houghton's pref
erence FOR she was wild with grief as
soon as she learned what had happened |
However, after her first giving way 60
her feelings she nursed Burnet 80 ten
derry that be pulled through. At that
time the effect of the mind on the sys-
tim was not understood as II is now, but
even tLen II was apparent that the men
tai stimulant Burnet experienced in
Edith IlUuhhton's love turned the scale.
The colonel made no comment on the
affair till Bunct was pronounced out
OF danger Then he sent for Stoddard.
With whom he was closeted for an
hour In his private office. After the
Interview Il leaked out that the colonel
had demanded Stoddard's resignation
intimnting that if 1t were not forth
coming he would prefer charges.
BtDdderd refused 10 resign, asserting
that he would stand trial, taking
change of venue 10 another post where
N feeling was not preludicial 10 him
TIE colonel, not desiring that bis
daughters name should be mixed In
the affair, felt constrained to let the
mattrr drop.
IL was at this point that the rest of
Us iuterfered. We called a meeting OF
the officers Of the post and unanimous
iy decided 20 give Studdard the cut"
The next time any one Of US met him
we walked by him with the salute but
with no other recognition. Etoddard
had not counted on this, and II affect
ID him al once. He bore ii for awhile
without any action, then applied TO be
ordered clsew here. For two months
while be was waiting for "a change he
lived with "a dozen brother officers, not
one of whom would speak to him un-
officially Now that his infEtuation
for the girl was somewhat cooled by
her action. our treatment broke him
down, and when be went away be
hooked like an old man. But this was
mot tho last of H. No class Of men are
$50 bard on each other IN case Of wrong
doing al soldiers A statement Of the
affair was sent ~ Studdards new post
signed BY every one Of us, and on his
arrival he found himself cut Then he
resigned and spent the rest Of his life
iH ahsruritv
Hamet married Edith Houghton and
aflagHau1 distinguished himself IN the
civil war H. A mitchell.
Revenge.
The doctors wife went 20 the door
She uud fna Huuua next door were not