The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-10

affected the life OF his twin. John. As
second Lieutenant Of infantry John was
sent TO China during the Boxer rebellion
and there he won distinction for his able
handling OF men, for his fine solGierly
qualities. In all the skirmishes that took
place on the march TO PekIn, John Ham
ilton took q prominent part, and when at
/ last the handful OF American soldiers
stormed the walls of Pekin, John Ham
! ilton was the hfth man among them TO
scale the wall and drop. sword in hand.
within the beleasuered city.
/ When he returned To America his regi-
ment was stationed at Fort Bliss, Tex.
and there one day always ambitious and
anxious 10 be doing something he offered
/ To break an unruly horse for the colonel
/ of the regiment. Tn the tUssle that en-
sued he was thrown his head striking the
ground with terrific force, and he lay I'M
/ conscious for many days.
The Old John Gone.
/ When he recovered the old John Ham
I It0n was gone The lowering cloud had
descended. and from this on his fellow
| officers found him moody, changeable. q
man distraught. Il was at this period
]
reached him, the news Of the marriage
in the Philippines. the story OF the dis
/ honored checks. Across the Intervening
! thousands Of miles the message came to
him that the hereditary cUrse-Of which
the twins had learned long ere this-had
/ fallen The burden was upon them
| Curiously enough, just at this time John
was intrusted with the mess money for
! his regiment, and when an accounting
was called for ne was found to be short
| Part of this money. Of course, had been
used 20 help his twin brother out of the
black gulf into which he had fallen. and
much of the mothers scanty hoard had
gone IN the same direction. But John
/ Hamilton was liked in his regiment. the
| colonel had heard something of his trou-
| bIos, though nothing about the insanity
curse, and John was allowed to make
good the shortage in his accounts
! Then, still following fatally in the foot
/ steps Of his twin, John was sent 10 the
/ Philippines, and there followed hard
/ three months campaign in the Island Of
Samar. Here, again he made a cOnspicu-
Gus record for his brilliant handling Of
men, They fought by night and day
camping at night in swamps and march
/ ing or fighting under a scorchiHg sun by
1 day until at last John fell i'll. Fever had
stricken him, and when the doctors
reached him his temperature was 1862
| and ne was delirious. There was wGeful
/ lack of proper medicine or care, and when
at last they got him back to the base, he
was confined for three weeks 30 the hos
4 pital and then sent home. He came back
/ broken i'm health and mind. He came to
washington to see his brother. and even
! then ne must have felt that the faint in
| herited which had fallen so heavily on
Lewis was growing steadily nearer 10
himself
Shortage i'm Funds.
/ He vas assigned to duty at Fort JAY.
/ Governors Island, \. Y, and there they
not knowing of his previous record, in
/ trusted him with the company's funds.
In one short month he spent SLIGO, not in
dissipation nor with women. nor in drink
/ iug-the money just seemed to evaporate;
/ he showed his friends a good time
/ Then. as q climax, he deserted. He
/ disappeared utterly for three months, and
/ no one knew where he had gone. He
wrote 10 his mother at times, but save
/ her no address, and most Of his letters
+ told her Of his contemplated suicide. That
was to be the end. Irrational. irresolute.
/ insane, death seemed to be the only way
to get from underneath the cloud Once
/ he wrote to his mother that in Chicago
( he had gone out to park. intending to
( end it all, but in n glade he had come
/ suddenly upon happy picnic party. 4
! could not DO il there" he wrote. And
J then he went on 10 tell her how he was