The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1917-06-08
(Centinued from last weck)

NConLlhued from last week.
Since willing this; aid willie con
siderirg whether or no 1 would print
it, as warning to the young Of today
of what it is to throw away u country,
l have received from Danforth, who is
on board the Levant, a letter which
gives IN account of Nolan's last hours.
Il Removes ull my doubts about telling
this story.
TO understand the first words of the
letter. the nonbrofessi6Hai feddet
Should remember that after 1911 the
position Of. every ,oficerswho had No
Ian in charge was one of the greatest
delicacyi The government had failed
to renew the order of 1907 regarding
him. What was a man to do? Should
he let him go? What, then, If he
were called to account by the depart
ment for violating the order of 1907
Should he keep hlm2 What, then, If
Nelan should be liberated some day
and should bring an action for false
Imprisonment or kidnapping agalnst eF-
cry man who, had had him in charger
l Urged and pressed this ipon South,
ard, and l have reason I'd think that
other officers did the same thing. BGt
the secretary always said, as they so
often do at Washington, that there
were no special orders to give, and
that we must act on our own judg-
inent. That means, "If you succeed,
sou will be sustained IL you fail, you
will be dlsav0wed." Well, as DanfUtth
says, all that Is over now, though /
10 not know but 1 expose myself to d
eElfpinal Prosecution on the evidence
Of the very revelation 1 dm making.
Here Is the letter.
"Levant % 2" S. q 1919 w.
"DeOr 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 1 ever was,
and can understand wholly now the
way Ia which you used to speak Of the
dear old fellow. could see that lie
was not STRONG but had no idea that
the end was so near. The doctor had
been watching him very carefully, and
yesterday morning caine to ME and
told me that Nolan was not so WE'LL
and had not LETT his stateroom-a
tlilhg 1 aever remember 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, dear
do you remember the mysteries we
boys used to invent about his room, in
the old Intrepid days? Well, l went
in, and there, to be sure, the poor fell
low lay In his berth. smiling pleasant
ly as he gave me his hand, but look
ing very frAil, could not help a
glance round which showed me what |
a little shrine he had made of the box1
lie was lying In. The stars and stripes
were triced up above and around
picture Of Washington, and he had |
painted a majestic eagle, with light
nings blnzing from his beak and his
foot just clasping the whole globe,
which his wings overshadowed. The
dear old boy saw my glance, and said, !
with n sad smile, Here, you see, l have
a countryp And then he pointed to
The foot of his bed, where l had not
seen before a great map of the United
States, as he had drawn it from mem
Ory, and which he had there to look
upon as he lay. Quaint, queer old
names were on it, in large letters
Indiana Territory Mississippi Ter
rltory,' and 'Louisiana} as l supposed
our fathers learned such things; but
the old fellow had patched in Texas.
too; he had carried his western boun-
dairy all the way to the Pacific, but-On
that shore he had defined nothing. |
"'Oh, Danforth he said, I know
am dying. / cannot get home. Sure
ly you will tell me something now?
Stopl stop! DO not speak till I say
what I am sure you know, that there
is not in this ship, that there is not
in Anerica-GOd bless her Ia more H,
loyal man than I. There cannot be a
man who loves the OLD flag as 1 do, or
prays for it as l do, or hopes for it as
/ do. There are thirty,four stars in