The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-06-28


should remember that after 1917 the
position Of every officer who had No
Ian In charge was ms of the greatest
delicacy. 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, IL he
were called to account by the depart
ment for violating the order of 1907
Should he keep him? What, then, II
Nolan should be liberated some day,
and should bring an action for false
Imprisonment or kidnapping against ev-
cry man who had had him I'm charge?
| urged and pressed his upon South
ard, and l 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
hat 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 or the evidence
of the very revelation l am making.
Here is the letter:
'Levant, % 2" S. q 1879 W.
"Dear Fred-I try to find heart and
life to tell you that 1t is all over with
lear old Nolan. l have been with him
on this voyage more than l ever was,
and / can understand wholly now the
way in which you used TO speak of the
dear old fellow. l 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
yesterday morning came 10 me and
told me that Nolan was not so well,
and had not left his stateroom-a
thing | never remember before. He
had let the doctor come and see him as
he lay there, the first time the doctor
had been i'm the staterooIn, 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? Wen, | 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 box
he was lying In. The stars and stripes
were triced up above and around a
picture of Washington, and he had
painted a majestic eagle, with light
nings blazing from his beak and his
foot just clasping the whole globe,
which his wings ov~ershadowed. The
dear old boy saw my glance, and saids
with a sad smile, Here, you see. | have
a country And hen he pointed to
the foot of his bed, where l had not
seer before a great map of the United
States, as he had drawn ii from MEM
DRY, 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
ritory,' and louisiana as | supposed
our fathers learned such things; but
sthe 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, Il know I
am dying. l cannot get home. Sure
ly you will tell me something now?
Stop! stopi Do not speak till l say
what / am sure you know, that there
is not in this ship, that there is not
in America-God bless her la more
loyal man than I. There cannot be a
wx,n xrh, InxaC tho old HnC n = Il 6n nr
prays for Ii as | do, or hopes for II as
/ do. There are thirty-four stars in
1t now, Danforth. l thank God for
that, though l 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 successful Burr. oh, DAN
forth, Danforth,' he sighed out, how
like q wretched nights dream a boys
idea of personal fame or of separate
sovereignty seems, when one looks
back on Ii after such a life as mine
But tell me-tell me something-tell
me everything, Danforth, before | die =
bingham, l swear to you that felt
like a monster that | had not told him
| everything before. Danger or no dan
ger, delicacy or no delicacy, who was
that | should have been acting the
tyrant all this time over this dear,
sainted old man, who had years ago
expiated, In his whole manhood's life,
he madness of a boys treason? Mr..
Nolan said l 1 will tell you everything
YOU ask about. Only, where shall
beginr
"Oh, the blessed smile that crept
over his white face and he pressed my
hand and said, God bless you'll Tell
me their names he said. and he point
ed to the stars on the flag. The last
| know Is Ohio. My father lived In
Kentucky. But i have guessed Mich
igan and Indiana and Mississippi-that
was where Fort Adams is-they make
twenty. But where are your other
fourteen? You have not cut up any
OF the old ones, / hopper