The Washington herald., 1912-04-03
CHARMED CLASS RING
OF LIEUT.. ALTSTAETTES
Story of Young Engineer Officer Who Achieved
Fame in the Philippine Campaign.

In the office Of Maj. Gen. Wood, Chief
of staff Of the army, Capt. Matthew
Z. Hanna has quite recently been re-
lEeved by Capt. James A. Moss, OF the
Twenty-fourth Infantry. Capt. Moss Is
a man of athletic build, excellent ad-
dress, and striking appearance. As he
sits at his desk opposite Maj. johnson
Hagood he is frequently interrupted by
brother officers who drop in to congratu-
late him, for his present position In the
Chief of Staffs office is one Of the choice
assignments in the army, says the St
Louis Republic.
A brother officer from the Philippines.
for example, pushes open the door Of
room 223 at the War Department and
slaps Capt. Moss on the back with a
show OF admiration and affection.
Congratulations. old scout! This is
better than the job Pagan promised you,
.bey?"
(Which one? He promised me sew
eral"
"Oh. yes: remember he had his eye
oil you.' replies the officer. by the
way, did Alstaetter ever get his ring?'
Mysterious Message sent.
He doubtless remembers the weird.
mysterious messages from the negro
Americana" Pagan, who, after desert
ing from his company. vowed he would
make him his valet or give him a job
where an American army officer could
feel the effects of his own discipline.
He doubtless remembers the shots that
rang out Unexpectedly from bushes and
underbrush that promised him a job
In another world. Certainly the part
n II,
played in those adventuresome days has
never been forgotten.
Capt. Moss had Pagan as a private
in his company on the Isle Of Luzon
in the Philippines in the days when Gen.
Lawton was last advancing north. in
October. 1883.
Military discipline. rigid and severe,
caused Pagan TO be brought before
Capt. Moss more than once, and each
time the negro seemed to feel that his
punishment could only be satisfied by
vengeance. So that when he finally de-
serted and disappeared word was quickly
passed around that trouble might be
expected.
Before long things started to happen
around camp to make the Americans
worry. Mysterious shots seemed to
come from nowhere among the under
brush and bushes, and the activity of
the Philippine insurrectos was greatly
Increased.
Americans Are Ambushed.
Then one day a group Of Americans
stumbled upon a dense underbrush that
fairly bristled with rife shots and
caused them to seek shelter for their
lives. They quickly rallied and sent shots
pouring into 4 clump of underbrush Or
I'm arff =
scare the ambassadors away, but not so
this time. The bushes returned the fire
as steadily as It came.
Suddenly there arose from the bushes
the figure of a tall negro. He bowed as
if to begin a speech and waving his hat
called out:
We're of for the day. boys. Ammu-
milton gone! No use peppering away at
me like that. You can't hit me. / bear
a charmed Hfe-'
With another bow Pagan dropped into
the bushes and disappeared. With him
vanished his band Of insurgent follow
ers.
The news that Pagan was at the head
of band Of insurrectos spread Hike
wildfire through the American ranks
Bring him back 10 his company dead or
alive, was the watchyord.
Lieut.. Fred erick W. Alstaetter. young
OluCGTs hdu NenIQIeO OUT Win
a small escort to do sCme work and had
been jumped by a superior force and
taken prisoner. He was taken in custody
by the insurrectos and when ready to
learn his fate looked up to see Pagan
standing before him.
Fearful of Its Influence.
Fagan, now a power among the insur-
rectos, with the rank OF lieutenant gen.
eral looked the American over with a
quiZZical smile. His eye fell on Lieut.
class ring and he took it.
The ring had a peculiar charm for the
suspicious natives and they were a lit
tie fearful Of its influence, and told
Pagan he had better not keep 1t.
That ring has a charm. There are
devils in it, they said: but Pagan. fas-
cinated, neld il before his eyes with
longing CT possession. Strangely enough,
this negro. who had a superstitious turn
of mind, needed the words of his COM
-ades at first, and seemed on the point
1f returning 1t. But he conquered his
suspicious and putting the ring on his
finger, waved away his advisers.
IF II has a charm II will help me. I
have a charmed life"
But Pagan was not quite comfortable
with his new possession. He seemd to
have a lurking fear that the ring meant
rouble for him somehow. He had heard
hat the class rings at West Point were
never given away and never worn by
others than cadets. and that 1t was bad
uck to steal one. When he was in the
Infantry he had noticed
he ring on the fingers of American off,
,ers and had asked about II. In a joking
way he had been told that the ring had
charm which could not be explained,
md that IL taken from an owner IL would
llwaysN come back. He had been told
hat his finger would drop of IL he wore
me.
Had Influence with Natives.
Pagan was nominalIy under Gen. San
Oico and was looked upon as one of his
most capable subordinates. Indeed, his
influence with the natives and his
charmed life" had made him an in
man to San Dico in the past.
rhe change that somehow had come
'ver Fagan could not be explained by
my Of the insurrectos excepting on the |
round OF some unlucky charm. and Gen. |
IAN Dico assured the Americans that