Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1917-05-09

WORN OF HteVATy ART ana n'0n" =
souIed patriotism.l =
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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 U. S. Cor
vette Levant, Lat. % II" S., Long. 1872
W., on the 18th of May, Philip Nolan"
happened to observe it, because
was stranded at the old Mission
house in Mackinac, waiting for a Lake
Superior steamer which did not choose
to come, and was devOuring, to the
very stubble, all the current literature
] could get hold of, even down to the
deaths and marriages in the Herald"
My memory for names and people Is
good, and the reader will see, as he
goes on, that I had reason enough to
remember Philip Nolan. There are
hundreds Of readers who would have
paused at that announcement, If the
officer Of the Levant who reported 1t
had chosen to make it thus: "Died,
May 18th, The Man without Coun-
try" For 1t was as 1.-THE Man with
out Country" that poor Philip Nolan
had generally been known by the Off
GERS who had him in charge during
some fifty years, as, indeed, by all
the men who had sailed under them.
I dare say there Is many man who
has taken wine with him once a fort
night, In three years cruise, who
never knew that his name was "No-
any name at all.
There can now be no possible harm
In telling this poor creatures story.
Reason enough there has been till
now, ever since Madison's administra-
tion 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 we'll for the es-
prit de corps Of the profession and the
personal honor Of It's members, that to
the press this mans story has been
wholly unknown, and, think, to the
country at large also.
have reason to think, from some
Investigations l made In the naval
archives when l was attached to the
bureau of construction, that every Of
6cial report relating to him was burned
when Ross burned the public buildings
ut Washington. One of the fuckers,
0r xk,n Nntc hnI
Nolan in charge at the end of the war !;
and when, on returning from his cruise
he reported at Washington to one Of
the Crowninshields-w was in the
navy department when he came home
he found that the department ig-
nored the whole business. Whether
they really knew nothing about 1t, or
whether 1t was a non mi ricordo, de-
termined on as a piece Of policy, 90
pot know. But this 1 do know, that
bince 1917, and possibly before. no
paval officer has mentioned Nolan In
bis report Of a cruise.
As 1 say, there Is no need for Sc
crecy any longer. And now the poor
creature Is dead, 1t seems to me worth
while to tell little Of his story, by
way Of showing young Americans OF
today what it is to be
A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.
Philip Nolan was as fine a young
officer as there was In the Legion OF
the West" as the western division OF
our army was then called. When
Aaron Burr made his first dashing ex
petition down to New Orleans In 1905
at Fort Massac, or somewhere above
on the river, he met, as the devil
would have 1t, this gay, dashing, brigh
young fellow, at some dinner party
think. Burr marked him, talked t.
him, walked with him, took him a da!
or two's voyage In his fatbOat, and
In short, fascinated him. For the mex
year barrack life was very tame t
DOOR Nolan. He occasionally availet
Of the permission the great man ha'
oven him to write to him. Long, high
worded, stilted letters the poor bo
wrote and re-wrote and copied. Blu
never q line did he have In reply fr0r
the gay deceiver. The other boys Il
tho garrison sneered at him, becaus
he sacrificed in this unrequited aRe<
ton for a politician the time whic
they devoted to MOnongahela, sledg'
and high-low-jack. Bourbon, euchr'
and poker were still unknown. Blu
one day Nolan had his revenge. Thi
time Burr came down the river, not q