Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-09-16
A Dread
OF Peace

| war;
no"
Not q scratch7"
''Nary scratch"
Get sickr
mot even q stomach ache"
That's singular. always supposed
In war man is exposed to great dan
ger"
80 he is, but he's always I'm danger
anyway. It is fate that decides when
be gets hit. The biggest danger ever
encountered was SO big that the risks
was obliged 10 take In war seemed
nothing to It ! was walking along a
road one day In a country SO peaceful
that there wasn't even q sound OF a
lonely picket firing at an imaginary
enemy. =
Then the first thing knew I didn't
know anything. or. rather. the first
thing knew when came to myself
was to feel horrible Gravity sensation
shooting from the back Of my head to
every. part Of my body.
* sat up, then got up 1t occurred
to me that l had been sandbagged, so
I looked in my pocket for two ten dol
lar bills that had been in my posses
sion s'a-- 80 - ~'-as@.. ~.
''They had been in a long pocket
book with some letters and papers.
The pocketbook. with everything in it,
was gone. / dragged myself as far as
| could. then went into q wood beside
the road to rest. l was looking for
good place to lie down when / saw
heap of clothing partly covered by
leaves. Going to it, found dead
man. s--~- -.
~ searched for something by which
to identify the man and found two ten
dollar bills. Satisfied that before he
died he had robbed me, took the bills
and put them in my pocket. I had
scarcely done so when l saw two men
coming toward me. They had simply
stumbled on me and the body. l told
them what had happened, and after
conference between the two, during
which they looked at me suspiciously,
they told me they would have to re-
port the matter to the police and l
must go with them.
I'VE went into town near by. and
told the story to the sergeant at the
desk. When got through he thanked
the two men for bringing me in.
"'What's your name? he asked me.
II told him my name was Daniel
Morris and that l had but lately been
discharged from the army that took
Santiago de Cuba.
He sent out for the body, and when
it was brought in it was searched. My
pocketbook was found in it with pa
pers and letters bearing my name.
WHATS your game in taking the
mans nameY asked the sergeant
mo game at all. I'm Daniel MOT
ris'
He looked at me CONTEMPORARY,
but said nothing. He put me in cell,
however, and that was the end of my
liberty for months
'Well. / wished another war would
break out and l could enlist to go
where could stand up and be shot at.
I'd had shells burst before me, behind
me, beside me and above me without
I. i
Of Calling guns, I'd seen 60 per cent
4 of the brigade to which / belonged
come down with camp fever or some
other disease. And here l was in a
1 peaceful country knocked senseless
\ and robbed, then arrested for murder.
I "Tf ever I get out Of this,' said to
myself, Pm going to country where
hnx
1 barbarous.'
I The evidence against me was over
whelm1ng. ! sent for my captain tC
I Identify me, but I'd been bleached fol
a month in a CELL besides being thin
ned by worry, and when h looked al
mo hs wasn't willing to swear that
was Dan Norris OF his company. It
: been caught rifine Q dad man WHOSE
skull / had smashed. Whose money
had taken and who for some reason
that no one could understaDd l claim
Cd to be. The consequence was that
WAS tried. convicted and senteocsd t.
u b hanged
II you can have 10 toea bow looge<
Tor a big baths. Somehow n seemet
that II could bear tho bullets and tn
Ahells and the b,e-rFsT OF thoss Cat
ling guns It vocA b sweet music an,
could shake OF the horrible load O
me that had conc in The miast o
peace.
Instead va barred In and watl
ing to be strung up like an army Spy
couldn't even be shot like deserted
III my hanging day was pretty nea
when the lawyer came to my cell t
Fell me that a letter addressed to Dar
lei Morris had been found on the pc,
ION Of man who had boen caught bul
Cling
when asked how he came by the ie'
/ ter, be said It was taken from q ma
his pal had robbed. This c0nfessio
led to his being charged with the mul
der of the man had been conv1cte
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