Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-02
DAILY SHORT STORY
lOriginal.l
OLD COMRADES MEET.

thing 10 say why the sentence OF death
should not be passed upon yOu:'
well, judge seem that these hon.
able twelve gentlemen has brought me
in guilty, it would be highly disrespec'-
full for me TO say anything ag'in their
verdic'. Howsoever. mebbe they
wouldn't mind my sayin' that when
the crime was committed here in Ari-
iona l was fightin the dagOs i'll Cuba.
why did you not bring forward evil
dence of that during the trial:'
We'll, judge, the regiment l fout
with wasn't recruited from these parts,
and most o. my comrades left their
carcaSSeS on San J uan hill. No, there
wouldn't be no use tryin' TO prove
alibi I've had fair trial. You.
judge. have made the persecutin' at
torney treat me right, and the jury has
convicted me on the best kind o cir
cumstantial evidence"
There was something 50 honest ap-
pearing in the old soldiers manner that
judge jury and spectators We're visibly
affected. One of the spectators edged
around to where the judge sat and
whispered something in his ear.
This gentleman" said the judge to
the prisoner, says that he was in Cuba
during the Spanish-American war, and
perhaps you might prove your case by
him"
Don't remember ever to have seen
the gentleman" remarked the prisoner,
scrutiniZing the person referred to SuS-
piciOusly.
You say" said the man, that you
were at San Juan hilI?"
II was"
What regiment"
''The til New York"
It's plain you're lynn. since no such
regiment went up the hill
Reckon there wasn't, but there was
Il man as got separated from that regi-
ment and fell in with the til Illinois,
the company on the right end o the
line, and the Teller that fell in was
myself"
why, you cussed liar. l commanded
the company on the extreme right of
the til Illinois myself"
You didn't-nO Sich thing You're
playin' some game on me. Got some
grudge to send an innocent man to the
hangman."
Il ought TO know" said the other in
dignantly.
Il tell YOU" roared the condemned
man, "Cap'n Josh Bingham command
Ell that company"
And l tell YOU" retOrted the other
angrily, I'm Cap'n Josh Bingham"
At this the captain lifted his over
shadOwing sOmbrero to mop his brow,
md hn .,.r11ffr,fgn1 him
Great Scott, cap'n, how you have
changed.' he said at last. I'd never
ha' knOwed We"
But the other would not admit the
acquaintance.
Judge" he said, this man has I'M
doubtedly got hold of my army record
and is endeavOring to make something
out of it. / never saw him before in
my life"
You set there, Cap'n Josh Bingham,
and say you never saw me before in
your life, DO you forget how when
we got to the top o the hill a dirty
dagO started to club you with the butt
of his rifle and how Il man stepped in
and. after receivin' the blow on his
shoulder"-here the veteran tore open
his shirt and exposed a healed wound
run his bayOnet through the daGo.
DO you mean TO say you don't remem-
Der thatE"
Yes, l do remember that, but you
wasn't the man that saved my life.
That man carried me off the field a few
moments later when l was wounded,
and he got Il Spanish bayonet in his
forehead that left a wound like Turk
ish scimitcr- I'd know that would
anywhere"
What was his name?" the prisoner
demanded, growing angrier and shout
ing louder with every word
Jim Hicks"
The spectators started. The prisoner
had been tried under that name.
Jim Hicks; yes, that war him-Jim
Hicks, and that war me. You'd recog
niZe the scar anywhere would ye
cap'n? Well, what dye think O. this?'
He pushed aside n lock of shOcky
hair and displayed a scar the exact |
of a scimiter The captain
started.
why, Jim. Can it be? Moves. |
How you have changed, Jim! That |
has told on us both. Your |
hand, old comrade."
While he was speaking he was edg |
ing around To where the prisoner stood, !
and. first grasping his hand, he after |
ward took him in his arms. The spec |
tatorS, having witnessed this dialogue, |
on which human life hung, no sooner /
saw the denouement than they set up |
Il shout that made the log courthouse |
ring. The judge raped for order, |
charged the jury to retire to reconsider !
their verdict and to bring In one in ac-
cortlance with the new evidence. This
they did. pronOuncing the prisoner not |
guilty. Jim Hicks and his vet" COM
panion left the courtroom together and
sauntered toward the outskirts of the
settlement, their arms around each
others neck, followed by the good
wishes of every settler. When they
reached point where two horses were
hitched they mounted and rode away.