Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-09-10
cluded to send it to his commanding

aAOCA 6ouA0 W EOLb VI SH~C LWChSJ
miles distant, where his execution was
to take place.
Sergeant Conover knew of the dis.
tress his daughter was suffering at
S~tevenson's misfortune and that she
was In an agony of suspense as to
word from Washington concerning
him. Fearing a disappointment, he
did not tell her of the message from
the president. He had no one to send
It by to Major Barton except a private
named Cassidy, a worthless creature,
who had been left behind when the
Expedition started. Mounting Cassidy
on the best horse the garrison afford.
ed, Conoyer gave him the message and
told him to ride with it to Major Bar.
ton as fast as possible.
During the night that Cassidy start.
ed the sergeant told his wife of the ar
rival of the message from the prest.
dent and his forwarding it to Major
Barton by Private Cassidy. Mrs. Con
over, knowing that the execution OF
Stevenson vas set for a near date,
scolded him for intrusting so impor.
tant a message to so unreliable a mes
senger. Madge, in an adjoining room,
heard every word that was said.
That night Madge was missing, also
a horse from the stable. Madge had
taken the horse for the purpose OF
overtaking Cassidy and to make sure
that the message was delivered with
the utmost expedition.
The next day at noon Cassidy reach
ed the encampment of the command
and on feeling in his belt for the mes
sage from the president to give to
Major Barton discovered that he had
lost it. He had reached a settlement
the night before, where he had spent
much time carousing, and had lost the
dispatch. Barton learned from him
that the envelope bore the mark of
the president of the United States and
surmised that it contained either a
pardon for Stevenson or a refusal to
pardon him.
The major was in a quandary. He
was without a message, Stevenson
was to be executed, and even If a par
don had been granted there was hard
ly time to send word to stop it. Bar
ton had been in the army during a
period when red tape was much in
vogue, and the situation quite upset
him. Though q human life was at
stake, he had no order to interfere.
To give an order in the name of the
commander in chief of the army and
navy of the United States was more
than he dared assume. He debated SO
long as to what curse to pursue that
it would be impossible to send a mes
senger to stop the execution ven if he
were willing to take the responsibility
for doing so.
Madge Conover, starting after mid
night without a guide, missed the road,
was obliged to retrace her steps for
quite a long distance and did not reach
the settlement where Cassidy had stop
ped till the next afternoon. Then she
learned that he had been there and
had gone on rather the worse for his
amusement during his stay. Madge
remounted her horse and was gallop-
ing onward when she saw before her
an oblong paper lying beside the road.
Something moved her to get down and
pick it up. She did SO and, turning it
over, saw on the left hand corner the
printed words "From the President of
the United States"
A message from the president,
though not addressed to her. vas not
a matter of reverence so long as Jim
Stevenson's life was at stake. Her
loving heart was not tied up with red
tape. She tore the envelope to shreds
to get at the contents and, unfolding
the letter with trembling hands, read
that the president had granted a par
don to Private James Stevenson, til
infantry, United States army.
Madge was at one angle of a TRAN
gle, Major Barton at another and the
condemned man at another. The short
est leg was TO Barton. But Stevenson
was to die the next morning at sun
rise, and, though by that much respect
ed book, the army regulations, she
should have delivered the document
through the major, she knew that by
doing so she would fail to save her
lover. 1t was 6 o'clock in the even
ing. Fort G. was some forty miles from
her. Mounting, she turned her horse
In that direction.
AT d~aybreak-it came early-the gar
rison of Fort G.. began preparations for
putting Private Stevenson out of sus-
pense. Just before sunrise he vas
marched out through the gate on to the
open plain, blindfolded. his hands tied
behind him and a firing squad drawn
up before him. The attention of the
officer of the day who had charge of
the execution was called to a mounted
figure g~alloping acros the plain. AS it
drew nearer it held aloft something
white. The officer directed the SER
geant in command OF the men to bring
them to a rest"
"Its a woman" muttered the officer