The Dolores star., 1917-05-25

eount 0S HE paesIenate outburst =
and OF his dreadful expiatlon .
3 stirs the duiIsst soul, and WIIi +
aswahsn emotion In the mInds s
D ef readers Of psnsratlons yet IN. =
bern. There can b no more ar. &
Z resting lesson for the dIsioyal or =
the needless, no moro Inspiring 1
appeal 70 the splrIt OF true Amer. =
ieanlsm, than this memorable q
work of literary art and high =
seuied patriotlsm.l Z
IaA4&A4sA1sasAa4H4
/ suppose that very few casual
readers Of the New York Herald Of
August 18th observed, in an obscure
corner. among the Deaths" the an
nouncement:
NOLAN. Died, on board q. 8. Cor
vette Levant, Lat. q IL g.. Long. 1917
W, on the 1lth Of Nay, Philip Nolan"
I happened to observe It, because
] was stranded at the old Mission
house in Nackinac. waiting for Lake
Superior steamer which did not choose
TO come, and I was devouring. to the
vesy stubble, all the current literature
could get hold Of. even down to the
deaths and marriages In the Herald"
Ny memory for names and people II
good, and the reader win see, AZ he
goes on, that I had reason enough to
remember Philip Nolan. There are
hundreds Of readers who would have
paused at that announcement, II the
oficer Of the Levant who reported II
had chosen to make It thus: "Died,
May 11th, The Man without a Coun-
try.'" For Il was a. 'sThe Man with
out Country that poor Philip Nolan
had generally been known by the on
cers who had him IN charge during
some nifty years, %, indeed, by all
tho men who had sailed under them.
| dare say there 10 many q man who
has taken wine with him once fort
night in q three years cruise. who
never knew that his name was sNo-
AN" Of whether the poor wretch had
any name at all.
There can now be NO possible harm
lM telling this poor creatures story.
Reason enough there has been tn
AVWe CvCE bAnGO WAuulbUn 0ul1A116tIH-
Hon went out In 1917, for very strict
secrecy. the secrecy Of honor itself,
among the gentlemen Of the navy who
have had Nolan in successive charge.
And certainly 1t speaks well for the es-
prit de corps Of the profession and the
personal honor of Its members, that to
the press this mans story has been
Rholly unknown. and. think, to the
e6untry at large also.
have reason to think, from some
Investigations made In the naval
lrchives when was attached to the
Sureau Of construction, that every Of
acial report relating to him was burned
Rhen Ross burned the public buildings
u Warrington. One Of the fuckers,
" possibly one of the Watscns, had
Nolan in charge at the end Of the war;
ind when, on returning from his cruise.
be reported at Washington to one of
he Crowninshlelds-who was in the
aavy department when he came home
-he found that the department ig-
sored the whole business. Whether
hey really knew nothing about 1t. or
whether 1t was q non mi ricordo, de-
:ermined on as piece Of policy, do
aot know. But this do know, that
lince 1917, and possibly before, no
laval officer has mentioned Nolan In
liz report Of cruise.
Az I say, there is no need for Sc
erecy any longer. And now the poor
creature IL dead, 1t seems to me worth
while to tell a little Of his story, by
way of showing young Americans Of
today what 1t u to be
A NAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.
Philip; Nolan was as fine a young
odicer an there was in the Legion of
the West" M the western division Of
our army was then called. When
Aaron Burr made his first dashing ex.
pedition down to New Orleans In 1906.
ct Fort Nassac, or somewhere above
On the river. he met, a. the devil
would have It, this gay. dashing. bright
young fellow, at some dinner party.
/ think. Burr marked him, talked to
him, walked with him, took him . day
Of two's voyage In his natboat, and,
"a abort, fascinated him. For the next
year barrack Life was very tame to
Door Nolan. he occasionally availed
Of the permission the great man had
given him to write to him. Long. high
Wordsd, stilted lettcrs the poor boy
wrote and re-wroto and copied. But
mpvse . line did he have in reply from
~ ny deceiyer. The other boys In
fho enrrinon sneered at him. because
~ sacrificed In this unrequited afrec-
tioa f0r . politician the time which
tisey dsvoted 10 Aononsahela, sledge.
and hisA-lowsjaek. Bousbon. euchre.