The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-06-14


Feaders 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
lpette Levant, Lat. 20 IL" S., Long. 1872
Nv, on the 18th of May, Philip Nolan"
happened to observe 1t, because
u was stranded at the old Mission
house in Macklnac, waiting for Lake
Superior steamer which did not choose
90 come, and 1 was devouring, to the
very stubble, all the current literature
d 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 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 it
hnd chosen to make it thus: "Died,
@ay 18th, The Man without Coun-
kry.'" For it was as 1.-THE Man with
Pit Country" that poor Philip Nolan
had generally been known by the Off
GERS who had him In charge during
Bnme fifty years, as, indeed, by all
me men who had sailed under them.
dare say there Is many man who
has taken wine with him once fort
blight In three years cruise, who
heyer knew that his name was mo
Rn," or whether the poor wretch had
my name at all.
i There can now be no possible harm
'n telling this poor creatures story.
Reason enough there has been till
pow, ever since Madlson's administra-
bon went out In 1917. for very strict
secrecy, the secrecy of honor Itself,
hJnong the gentlemen of the navy who
hnve had Nolan in successive charge.
AND certainly 1t speaks well for the es-
brit de corps Of the profession and the
personal honor of Its members, that to
the press this mans story has been
" oily unknown, and, I think, to the
country at large also.
have reason to think, from some
Investigations l made In the naval
archives when 1 was attached to the
bureau of construction, that every Of
espal report relating to him was burned
when Ross burned the public buildings
et Washington. One Of the fuckers,
Dr. possibly one of the Watsons had
Nolan in charge at the end Of the war
md when, on returning from his cruise,
be reported at Washington to one Of
DE Crownlnshields-wh was In the
eavy department when he came home
-he found that the department ig-
bored the whole business. Whether
hey really knew nothing about 1t, or
bhether 1t was q non mi ricordo, de-
eTained on as a piece of policy, do
0pt know. But this l do know, that
4nce 1917, and possibly before, no
taval officer has mentioned Nolan In
bis report of cruise.
| AS say, there is no need for Sc
erecy any longer. And now the poor
creature is dead, It seems to me worth
while to tell little of his story, by
way of showing young Americans of
boday what 1t is to be
! A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.
! Philip Nolan was as fine young
officer as there was in the Legion of
the West" as the western division of
bur army was then called. When
Aaron Burr made his first dashing ex
pedition down to New Orleans In 1906
Bat Fort Massac, or somewhere above
pm the river, he met, as the devil
would have it, this gay, dashing, bright
young fellow, at some dinner party,
n think. Burr marked him, talked to
him, walked with him, took him day
Ipr two's voyage In his flatboat, and,
In short, fascinated him. For the next
year harrack life was very tame to
Epoor Nolan. He occasionally availed
BDf the permission the great man had
lRiven him to write to him. Long, high
xorded, stilted letters the poor boy
Iwrote and ,re-wrote and copied. But
never line did he have in reply from
the gay deceiver The other boys in
the garrison sneered at him, because
he sacrificed in this unrequited affec-
Ifion for a politician the, time which
lthey devoted to Monongahela, sledge,
'anl high-low-jack. Bourbon, euchre,
and poker were still unknown. But
lone day Nolan had his revenge. This
'ti.ac Burr came down theEiver, not as