The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-05-08

a-tives Limited, Ogdensburg, NY.
low is dead. He has found home a
last, and a country.
Since writing this, and while consider
ing whether or no / would print it, as
warning to the young of to-day of wha
it is to throw away country, / have re
ceived from Danforth, who is on boar,
the Levant, letter which gives an &C
count OF Nolan's last hours. 1t remove
all my doubts aboIt telling this story.
To understand the first words of tn
letter, the non professional reader shoult
remember that after 1917 the position o
every officer who had Nolan in charg,
was one of the greatest delicacy. Tn,
government had failed to renew the or
der of 1907 regarding him. What was {
man to do? Should he let him 90
| What, then, if he were called to account
by the department for violating the or
der of 1907 Should he keep him? What
then, if Nolan should be liberated some
day, and should bring an action for false
Imprisonment or kidnapping against every
man who had had I'm in charger | urge
and pressed this upon Southland, and
have reason to think that other officers
did the same thing. But the secretary
always said, as they so often do at Wash.
| ington,. that there were no special orders
| to give, and that we must act on our
own Judgment. That means, "If you
succeed, you will be sustained; if you
fall, you will be disavowed" Well, as
H.. l. +Ia%
though / do not know but | expose my
self to criminal prosecution on the evi.
dence of the very revelation | am max
ing.
Here is the letter.
"Levant, d. 2 m. S. a r3l d. w.
Dear Fred--I try to find heart and
life to tell you that it is all over with
dear old Nolan. have been with him
on this voyage more than | ever was,
and ! can understand wholly now the
way in which you used to speak of the
dear old fellow. | could see that he was
not strong, but | had no idea that the
end was so near. The doctor had been
watching him very carefully, and yester-
day morning came to me and told me
that Nolan was not so well, and had not
left his stateroom--a thing | never re-
member before. He had let the doctor
come and see him as he lay there, the
first time the doctor had been in the
stateroom, and he said he should like to
see me. Oh, dearl do you remember the
mysteries we boys used to invent about
his room, in the old Intrepid days? Well,
went in, and there, to he sure, the poor
fellow lay i'll his berth, smiling pleasant
ly as he gave me his hand, but looking
very frail. ! could not help a glance
round, which showed me what a little
shrine he had made of the box he was
lying in. The Stars and Stripes were
triced up above and around a picture OF
Washington, and he had painted a ma
jestic eagle, with lightnings blazing from
his beak and his foot just clasping the
whole globe, which his wings overshad-
owed. The dear old boy saw my glance,
and said, with sad smile, Here, you
see. | have a countryl' And then he
pointed to the foot of his bed, where |
had not seen before great map of the
United States, as he had drawn it from
memory, and which he had there to look
upon as he lay. Quaint, queer old names
were on 1t, in large letters: Indiana Ter
ritory,' Mississippi Territory and
LOUISIANA as | supposed our fathers
learned such things; but the old fellow
had patched in Texas, too; he had car
ried his western boundary all the way to
the Pacific, but on that shore he had de-
fined nothing
"'0h, Danforth,' he said, 4 know | am
dying / cannot get home. Surely you
will tell me something nowg Stopl stop!
DO not speak till ] say what | am sure
YOU know, that there is not in this ship,
that there is not in Amcrica-God bless
her!-a more loyal man than |. There
cannot be r man who loves the old flag
rs ! do, or prays for il as | do. or hopes
for it as | do. There are "a stars in il
now, Danforth. | thank God for that,
though do not know what their names
are. There has never been one taken
away; ! thank God for that. know by
that, that there has never been any sue
,essful Burr. Oh, Danforth, Danforth,'
he sighed out, how like wretched
nights dream a boys idea of personal
lame or Of separate sovereignty seems, |
when one looks back on it after such a |
life as minei But tex me-tell me some |
.hing-tell me everything, Danforth, be- |
lore | diel'
"lngham, ! swear TO you that felt /
ike a monster that | had not told him 1
everything before. Danger or no danger, |
ieliescy or no delieacy, who was | that |
III this time over this dear. sainted old |
nan, who had years ago expisted, in his /
whole manhood's life. the madness OF I
,oy's treason Mr.. Nolan said |, L /
viii tell YOU everything You ask about /
)nly. where shall ! beging'
"Oh. the blessed smile that crept over
lis white face! and he pressed my hand
md said. God bless you, Tell me their
James he said. and he pointed to the
tsrs on the Tag. The last I know is
lhio. NV father lived IN kentucky. But
have guessed Michigan and Indiana
nd Mississippi-that was where Fort
adams they make ~ But where
re YOUR other Ia You have not cut
y any of the old ones. hopeH
well. that was not bad text, aud
told him tho names. in as good order
= could. and he babe ne take down
j. beautiful map and draw them in a.
est ! could with nv pencil. He was
lid with delight about Texas. told me
ow his brother died there; he had
larked a gold cross where he supposed
j. brothers grave was; and he had
VESSEL at TeXas. Then be was delight
a. be saw California and OREGON