Evening star., 1912-09-01

"A War Department, Timothy j. Leary
1 = has been soldier in the United
States regular army for nearly quarter
of a century. In that time he has seen
service on the western plains, in Cuba, IN
the far-off Philippines, in Alaska. in Pan-
anna, and almost everywhere Uncle Sam
ever sends his khaki-clad soldiers. A
dozen medals-when he cares to wear
them or when the etiquette of the army
commands their display-decorate his
broad chest, and his record is as fine as
that OF any enlisted man in the whole
service.
And yet Timothy ]. Leary is an alien,
barred by the laws of the naturalization
division from participating in the affairs
Of the country under whose flag he mas
fought in tropic jungles. in the cane
brakes of Cuba, the ice fields that border
the Bering sea, and wherever the stars
and Stripes needed sturdy defenders.
He is a sergeant now in the 10th lnfan-
try, is Leary-top sergeant, TO use the
army phrase-but he isn't a citizen. Ana.
that is a thing mat Leary means 10
change just as soon as he possibly can.
Nearly twenty-four years ago Leary,
then a green young lad from the bogs of
ireland, landed in New York city. He
had little money and few friends. SO the
going was not very good for the fresh
Irish emigrant He tried pretty hard to
find something to do in the big city. but
somehow he failed.
Then a recruiting officer saw the young
man and took fancy to his face and his
big, broad shoulders. So Leary-Tim
Leary-became Private Leary, in the old
blue uniform of Uncle Sam. Meanwhile,
however, he had been in the land or MS
adoption long enough to take out his nrst
papers.
THE rest will be aisy' said Tim to
himself. Now that I'm a soldier twill
not be long before I'm fuli-fedged
American citizen.
That was nearly twenty-four years ago,
and last tuesday Tim Leary, now Serst.
Leary, landed in New York again. newly
returned from the isthmian possessions
of the country for which he has all this
time been campaigning. with the same
status, politically, as when he first DON
ned the uniform.
Records of the War Department show
that Leary has never been long enough
in one place to get his final citizenship
papers. Just as good an American as
any man who walks, and a great deal
better than some who step up to the polls
on election day and drop a ballot in the
box with one hand while they shove
two-dollar bill into their pocket with the
other, Sergt. Leary is still an alien, and
the flag for which he has riSked his life
on many a dangerous mission is not his
flag.
He had taken out his first papers just
before his first enlistment. and within
few months after he took on i'm the
army his regiment was ordered to Alaska.
Here his command remained for year
or more, and then Leary-still Private
Leary-was shifted from beneath the pole
star to the tropic shores of Cuba. That
was shortly after the Maine went down
in Havana harbor, and Leary's command
remained on the island until the Spanish
flag was hauled down forever and the
new Republic of Cuba was established. 1t
was during the campaigning down there
that Leary won some of the medals that
stretch in a glittering row across his
broad chest. and there. too, he won his
corporafs chevrons.
From Cuba Learys command was or
dered to the Philippines, where he took
part in the almost interminable chase that.
after long. weary, heart breaking months
of marching, camping, fighting and being
bushwhacked in the steaming, malarial
jungles, ended with the capture OF the
rebel leader. Emilio Aguinaldo. Leary
became a sergeant during this cam
paign and also received more medals un-
til he has about all that an enlisted man
can be given. For distinguished bravery
under fire, for rescuing comrades from
beneath the very muzzles of the Mausers
in the hands OF the little brown broth
ers." and for everything for which Uncle
Sam rewards with bits of bronze and
colored ribbon. Leary was given medals.
But he would trade all of them-or so
he thinks at times-for the papers that
would proclaim him a citizen of the
United States.
From the Philippines Leary's command
came back to the Presidio, San Fran
cisco, but he had scarcely time TO become
acquainted with the scenery around the
corner when he was hustled off TO Gov
ernors Island. There he remained for six
months and visions Of citizenship w0rA