The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-06-14
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81 Eduord Everett Hale

! PoSillol vi every olA-CtI VIII iiuu ~
Ian in charge was one of the creates
delicacy. The government had faiie,
to renew the order of 1907 regardln;
him. What was a man to do? Shoult
he let him go? What. thea, If HI
were called to account by the depart
ment for violating the order Of 1907
Should he keep him? What, then, Il
Nolan should he liberated some day
and should bring an action for false
Imprisonment or kidnapping against ev
cry man who had had him in charge
urged and pressed this upon South
ard. and I have reason to think that
other officers did the same thing. But
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-
ment. That means, "If you succeed,
YOU will be sustained; if you fail, you
will be disavOwed." Well, as DanfOrth
SAYS, all that is over now, though
do not know but l expose myself to a
criminal prosecution on the evidence
Of the very revelation l am making.
Here is the letter:
"Levant, % 2" S. @ 1872 w.
"Dear Fred 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 in which you used to speak of the
dear old fellow. could see that he
was not strong but l had no idea that
the end was SO near. The doctor had
been watching him very carefully, and
yesterday morning came to me and
told me that Nolan was not so we'll,
and had not left his stateroom-a
thing | never remember before. He
had let the doctor come and see him as
be 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
low lay in his BERTH smiling pleasant
" as he gave me his hand, but look
ing very frail. I could not help
glance round, which showed me what |
4 little shrine he had made of the box
he was lying in. The stars and stripes |
we're triced up above and around n
picture of Washington, and he had
painted majestic eagle, with light
lings blazing from his beak and his
DOT just clasping the whole globe,
which his wings overshadowed. The
lear old boy saw my glance, and said,
With a sad smile, Here, you see, have
country And then he pointed to
he foot of his bed, where / had not
cen before great map Of the United
states, as he had drawn it from men,
ry, and which he had there to look
pon as he lay. Quaint, queer old
ames were on it, in large letters:
Indiana Territory mississippi Ter
tory and Louisiana as / supposed
ur fathers learned such things; but
he old fellow had patched in Texas.
)o he had carried his western boun-
airy all the way to the Pacific, but on
nat shore he had defined nothing.
"'Oh, Danforth, he said, 4 know
m dying. l cannot get home. Sure
7 you will tell me something now?
top! stop! Do not speak till 1 say
hat / am sure you know, that there I
not in this ship, that there is not l
America-God bless her IA more L
val man than l. There cannot be q
an who loves the old flag as do, or q
'ays for it as I do, or hopes for it as v
do. There are thirfy-four stars in v
now, Danforth. l thank God for S
at, though l do not Know what their h
ines are. There has never been one L
ken away; thank God for that. / "
low by that, that there has never c
en any successful Burr. Oh, Dan h
nth, Danforth,' he sighed out, how f,
re a wretched nights dream a boys Il
ca of personal fame or of separate d
vereignty seems, when one looks IL
ok on 1t after such a life as mine 81
1t tell me-tell me something-tell g
, everything. Danforth, before / die 7 II
'Ingham, swear to you that I felt g
e monster that had not told him a.
erything before. Danger or no dan e.
r, delicacy or no delIcacy, who was tc
1t l should have been acting the
rant all this time over this dear, q
nted old man, who had years ago to
plated. in hiS whole manhood's life, th
, madness of a boys treason7 Mr.. &C
lan,' said I will tell you everything
4 ask about. Only, where shall l as
yinT ar
oh. the blessed smile that crept he
n his white face and he pressed my 81
nd and said, God bless you'll Tell an
their Names he said, and he point as
to the stars on the flag. The LAST b