The Press., 1915-04-14
ARMY RED
 TAPE
It Was Cut In the Nick of
 Time by a Girl.
By F. A. MITCHELL


 Years ago when I was a lieutenant
 in the regular army stationed in what had in the garrison an officer who was a tyrant. The fort was two com pany post, and he commanded one of the companies. Captain Hawkins was
 so severe with his men that Major Bar ton, commanding. felt called upon on several occasions to remonstrate with him.
 A young man named Stevenson was sent out to us with lot of recruits
 and assigned to Hawkins company He had very little knowledge of mili- tary discipline and was unfortunate in having a martinet for a captain. Stevenson was handsome fellow, with young face and massive frame I remember one day when several h. dian chiefs came to the fort on busi, ness for their tribes and saw him they grunted their admiration, one of them saying to him: You come with us
 We make you chief" Perhaps it was LAAS udhiy Dcduly GudI WOu Iue HestII of Madge Conover, the daughter of an ordnance sergeant who wore half a dozen service stripes on his arm. At any rate, Madge fell desperately in love with Stevenson, though I believe he was not disposed to fall in love with any one.
 The recruit was as high strung as he was handsome. But, knowing noth. ing about the duties of a soldier. he very soon got into trouble. His cap- tain was always sending him to the guardhouse. and since Stevenson's breaches of discipline were entirely through ignorance he justly laid up his punishments against Hawkins. One day for some misdemeanor the cap- tain ordered him tied up by the thumbs. When his sufferings were becoming unbearable Hawkins ordered him taken down and gave him severe scolding. The youngster thus goaded while still suffering struck his cap tain. Hawkins drew his sword and was about to cut down the mutineer when he thought better of the matter and ordered him under guard.
 The offense was, indeed, serious. Stevenson was informed by his friends that he would be tried for his life Had the case come to trial he might have been sentenced to be shot, but the sentence would likely have been commuted to long imprisonment But it did not-at least, not then-come to trial. Madge Conover one night contrived to draw away the attention of his guard and made a sign to him to light out. This he did, and before his escape was reported to headquar. ters he had mounted a horse that stood saddled and was soon gallopin2 over the plain.
 Stevenson remembered that the Indi- ans had said that if he would go with them they would make him a chief. He directed his course to where he knew the Arapahoes were encamped and was received with open arms by them. They did not at once make him a chief, but he soon became a leader among them.
 It was not long after the mutineer's escape that the Indians became trou- blesome, and force from the fort was sent out to regulate them. During q skirmish with them Stevenson was captured. If his case was desperate before it was now doubly so. In ad- dition to the charge of mutiny he now had to answer a charge of desertion and one of taking arms against the army to which he belonged. This time 6n in, ra1n rxyhn cape was scarcely possible. A court was at once convened; he was tried on all three of the charges, found gull ty and sentenced to be shot. The find- ings were sent to Washington, approv ed and returned to the commanding officer.
 Major Barton was at the time seri- ously considering whether he would not prefer charges against Captain Hawkins for cruelty to the men. He was aware of all the facts in the case of Stevenson and sympathized with the young man. who he knew had been driven to what he had done by Hawkins severity. He recommended to the president that a pardon be granted Stevenson in view of the cul- prit's ignorance of military discipline at the time his offenses were commit ted.
 It was long distance in those days from Fort K. to Washington. While the majors communication was on the way Stevenson was under sentence of death, and unless a pardon came be- fore the day set for execution he must die, for there was no one authorized to set aside the findings of the court except the president of the United States.
 A few days before the day set for ment arrived at the fort postmarked Washington the envelope bearing the printed words Prom the President of the United States and addressed to Major Charles F. Barton, command ing. It happened that the command was away on an expedition and the fort had been left in charge of Ser geant Conover The sergeant was not authorized to open the mail and would have kept the missive until the majors return. but, suspecting it pertained to the matter of Private Stevenson. con- cluded to send it to his commanding officer.
 Stevenson, when the command start. ed on the expedition. was transferred under guard to Fort G., some twenty miles distant, where his execution was to take place.
 Sergeant COnover knew of the dis.  tress his daughter was suffering at Stevenson's misfortune and that she was in an agony of suspense as to word from Washington concerning him. Fearing disappointment, he did not tell her of the message from the president. He had no one to send it by to Major Barton except private named Cassidy, worthless creature, who had been left behind when the