Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-05-12
A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.

waiting Tor Lake Superior steamer
which did not choose to come. A:
| was greedily devouring all the cur
rent news | could possibly find
observed in an obscure corner
among the Deaths" in the New
York Herald, the announcement ol
Philip Nolan's death. This brought
to my memory the life of pool
Philip Nolan, and now that the
poor fellow is dead there can be nc
possible harm in telling his story
the story of man without a coun.
try.
Philip holland was a gay, bright
and dashing young may who served
in the Western Division of the Unit
ed States Army
When Aaron Burr made his first
expedition to New Orleans he hap
pened to meet Nolan at dinner
party. Burr marked him, walked
with him. talked to him, and in
short fascinated him. The next
year Nolan lost all interest in bar
rack life. for he thought constantly
of Burr. In his unrequited affection
he sacrificed all his time that would
otherwise have been spent in the
sports he loved, in writing long let
tiers, but never word did he receive
from his gay deceiver.
But one day Burr came down the
river as a disguised conquerer and
he had scarcely been at the fort an
hour before he sent for Nolan. Burr
asked him to take him skiff riding
to show him the beauty of the place,
as he said, but really to seduce him.
From that time Nolan, though he
knew it not, lived as a man without
a country. At the great trial in
Richmond the colonies and majors
escaped, but strangely enough there
was much evidence against Nolan
and he was proven guilty. When
the president of the court asked him
if he wanted to say anything that
would show that he had been faith
full to the United States, he cried
out, Damn the United States! /
wish / may never hear of the Unit
ed States again." Oh! how the
words shocked old Colonel Morgan.
He called the court into his private
room and returned in fifteen min
utes with his face like sheet, and
said, Prisoner, hear the sentence
Of the court The court decides,
subject to the approval of the presi-
dent, that you shall never hear the
name of the United States again. I"
Nolan laughed, but no one else
laughed. The whole room was ST.
lent. Nolan was taken to New Or
leans in an armed boat and deliv-
cred to the naval commander there.
He was requested to put Nolan on
a government vessel, bound for a
long cruise and to have him so con-
fined that he should never hear of
see the country. Colonel Morgan 8
plan was fully carried out. Nolan
was allowed to associate with the
men on the ship and treated as
their equal, but he was never to
talk to them about the United
States, or be present when they
talked Of the United States.
Nolan read all the foreign papers
after United States news had been
cut out. On Nolan's first voyage he
met the English Admiral and the
fleet. AS the fleet was leaving an
officer on Nolan's ship borrowed a
number of books to read on the
long journey. Among the books was
THE Lay of the Last Minstrel, ("
which most of the officers had heard
of but none had read. One evening
as Nolan and the remainder of the
crew sat on the deck smoking and
reading aloud, Nolan, who read very
we'll, took the book He read thru
the fifth Canto and began the sixth,
all unconscious of what was coming.
"Breathes there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,'-
But here Nolan choked, turned red i,
but went on, mechanically
"This Is my own, my native land, -
He turned pale, but read on till he
came almost to the end. Then he
could stand it no longer. and jump
ing up be seized the book and threw
it in the sea. He rushed into his
stateroom and was not seen for days.
About that time his braggadocio
must have been broken down. He
was always shy after that.
On Nolan's second cruise be
danced with Mrs. Graft, the cele-
brated Southern beauty. Now No
land had known Mrs. Graft in Phil
adelphia, so he thought that he
might ask her about her home. He
began with her travels to Europe,
Vesuvius, and France, then said,
boldly, And what do you hear
from home, Mrs. Graff?" Then she
looked at him coldly and said,
Home! Mr.. Nolan, thought you
never wanted to hear of home
again!" And she walked directly
to her husband. He did not dance