Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-11-08

"Of course there's no palliation."
suggested Wallace. 'sBut the man
may have been born good and-gone
downhill."
He was born rotten" answered the
Major. He sold his country to pay
his gambling debts. Cuba was about
the only place that would hold him,
imagine. And to think that swine was
once in our regiment Sorry had to
tell you, Wallacel"
He hesitated while; Wallace had
not moved; but the child at his side
stirred and breathed heavily. The
majors fists clenched.
''Tm trying to be just to the Dead"
he said. "But / feel that a thousand
years of hell wouldn't atone for that
crime, Wallace"
Mark Wallace looked up. "Pm not
sure that 1 know all the facts about
the case, Major" he said.
"The facts are that it was no sudden
act of fear or temptation, but calculat-
ed, cold-blooded deliberation. We
knew at the war office that there was
a leakage. 1t had been traced to the
mobilization division, where Kellerman
and were working. Even we were
under suspicion for a time. Then it
narrowed down to Hampton and an
other.
Wallace, those months were the
worst time I've ever spent. Hampton
was my best friend, and Kellerman's,
too. We spied on him-had to.
"Well, you know what happened,
more or less. There was a woman go
between, as there generally is--a fine
looking young woman, little more than
girl, named Hilda Morsheim. One
of those French-German Alsatians,
Wallace. KelIerman got some hold on
her, and she confessed. The case
against Hampton was absolutely
proven.
'There wasn't any trial. The fellow
could have been shut up for a good
many years; he had cost his country
millions; he ought to have been
hanged. But he was quietly cashiered
and allowed to disappear. Maybe it
was q foolish move, but we felt the
shame pretty badly and wanted to for
get 1t. Hampton was let go, on the
understanding that he leave the coun-
try forever. Oh, yes, he assumed the
innocent air quite dramatically. Some
Of the war office people believed in him
until the damning documents were laid
before them.
And he was still somehow in touch
with things, Wallace, and the leakages
went on afterward. That's why we
had orders to hang him as soon as
Santiago was taken. He did the kind
est thing he could have done to him.
self when he got in the way Of that
sniper's bullet.
i"Tll tell you who the child's mother
was, Wallace, because ] was unfortu.
: nate enough to know her. She was Q
Miss Rennie, Miss Marjorie Rennie
of Baltimore family-fine people
and, of course, with a tradition like
that, she believed in the scoundrel alb
solutely. She came to me twice. The
first time was before the informal tria
! held by the department. She begged
) me to believe he was innocent and tht
victim of a trap. wouldn't even lis
D ten. You know, when man has t.
run down his friend he has to harder
!, his heart.
"She came to me again, after Hamp
I ton was broken. She told me l haC
! | played false to my best friend ant
that I'd suffer for 1t to the last day o
a my life. I've never forgotten that in
: terview, and you can guess how 1
|. made me mad to hang Hampton whel
s we learned that he was still keepin
r up the game from his exile in Cuba
l He must have got quite a number o
t confidential papers out Of the war OF
{ flee. That's about ALL"
e 'Its enough" said Wallace. 9Th
t girl mars z him. thenr
$50 r.4,h we learned. And also tina
t. she died later. You see. we've bee
d pretty close on the fellows track tn