Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-25
Have mo- musical taste7-

81 don't know. l was born ard have
lived all my life in the heart OF a for
est. where no musical sound except the
singing Of the birds has ever reached
my ears. But that l have always
dearly loved. Why do you ask these
questions:''
Because If you could play upon the
cornet or the iageolet or the from
bone you might be permitted to live.
As 1t is, your sentence will be carried
out What pity that you have not
some foundation for a musical training.
could in q few days coach you so
that you might save yourself from
being shot
When the Spanish war broke out the
news of II reached the wilderness in
which l lived Here was a chance to
get out of the woods and into the
world. would enlist for a soldier.
would need no money. The govern
ment would clothe, feed and transport
me, and all that would be required OF
me would be 10 be shot. And if those
who shot at me missed me and con-
tinued to miss me till the war was
over l would be taken care Of till the
next war, and If / lived through all
the wars till became an old man
would be laid on the shelf, bat would
be still taken care of.
This was the explanation given me
by the recruiting officer, whom found
after walk of sixty miles. Not car
ing TO walk back again and remain
out of the world l accepted the condi
lions to remain in the world till some
enemy fired a shot that would give
the government the best of the bar
gain. was put into an infantry regl-
ment and an effort was made to knock
some of the green" out OF me and
| turn me into a soldier. But the effort
! failed. | could not be disciplined and
within a week after having been land
| ed in Cuba I struck my captain, was
| tried for mutiny and sentenced to be
shot
There are two extremes in war.
When an army is not in action there Is
enough red tape used to girdle the
| world, but when the real work begins
| there isn't any red tape at all. In the
mixup that occurred after our landing,
| while many good soldier lay dying on
/ the battlefield, l, mutineer, Ill with
malarial fever, was turned into the
house Of a Cuban farmer and was at.
tended by his daughter, one Of those
dark haired, olive complexioned, long
eyelashed daughters of equatorial re,
| of xtyffb M nj
falling in love with him.
1t has required three times the talk
to tell all these commonplace facts as
the beginning of my story. 1t was Ine7
Gonzales, the farmers daughter and
my nurse, who regretted my want OF
musical training with which I might
have saved my life by blowing horn
"a regiment encamped yeste day.
she went on, Gin field across the road
and two of the men supped here this
evening. One of them said that his
cornet and his fiageolet had been killed
and his trombone was grooming Under
bad wound. The colonel was very
proud of the regimental band. and JUS
as soon as the routine of army life re
commenced he would notice that the
music was not up to the mark ant
there would be the mischief to pay
The other suggested that musicians b,
obtained from the prisoners who hat
been captured from the enemy. Thu
first man answered that he hadn'
thought of it: he would try. II 20,
were q musician he might put you int,
the band"
Here was q chance for life-a ghos
of chance. but still a chance. TIL
only indication that I had enough mu
sic in me to avail myself of the oDpor
tunity was that had loved the song
of birds. l asked Inez to go to tn
camp. find the bandmaster and tel
him there was a man in her home VIII
could play on any instrument: that h
was i'll. but convalescent. and with
couple of weeks practice would be abb
to take his place in band.
Inez told the story, and the band
master came over to see me. When
told him / was under sentence to b.
shot lie was a bit discouraged. but salt
that If l was a first class cornet playe
he thought the colonel would hav
enough influence to get Communication
or something that would save IN.
J breath for the band. He went ava
and came back TO say that he hal see
the colonel and secured an order delay
ing my execution till it could be dis
covered whether / was a valuable mu
stefan. II so some way OF deieatin
justice would be found by which
could be utilized. The coloners prid
In the band was such that he wouiI
shoot a dummy in my stead If neces
3 sary. only the army regulations mus
be faithfully adhered to. But my abb
tiles must be tested before any chang
in the army situation should tax
. place
t So there ! was, not knowing q not
bf music, sick In bed and required
{ make a musician OF myself immediate
. ~. for army situations are not LASTING
and the present one was liable to b
changed at any moment ] got busy q
e once. with my life the SOUR TO driv
y me on. Inez. having taken a few lie.
sons on the piano. had the wherewith;
o for a beginning But there was n