The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-01-03
LAST SOLDIER OF FORTUNE.
This Soldier Has Fought With Villa,
in China, Cuba and Philippines.

The last of the soldiers of fortune
has just come up to get his commits
sion in the British army, says Gilbert
Seldes, writing from London. The
friend of Royal Macklin, Richard
Harding Davis's immortal hero, him.
self a filibusterer, gun runner, a
lieutenant general in one army, cap
tain in another, adventurer, fighting
man, hero of Romance, Harry Allan
Dixon is on the way to become Sec
nd lieutenant in the Canadian forces.
With him the last of the race leaves
the ranks. When he retires from the
army the soldiers of fortune will be
no more.
1t is hard to believe this true, but
there can be no doubt of the matter.
In a third-class compartment of a
London-to-Gla train a man in
khaki, bronzed of face, with small
blue eyes,and a notable scar, from the
top of his nose to where the hair be-
gins to grow, said something to his
companion about Arras. Another in
khaki spoke of something in German
East, which is in Africa. And, as
usual when two or three in khaki are
gathered together, cigarettes were
passed and names mentioned. Pres
emily one of the men, the one with the
scar, offered to show picture he had
found on the battlefield. AS he took
out his wallet another piece of paper
fell out. 1t was an honorable dis
charge from the army of the United
States. 81.
'tHow's that?" enquired.
''N1y first scrap" said the man. Il
suppose I'm the only man here who
ever taught the art of war. l got
my schooling in a military academy
in Virginia, and graduated just too
late to get into, the campaign in Gu
ba. But I entered the American ar
my, for although l was born in the
Midlands of England 1 lived most of
nv life in the States, and got out to
the Philippines"
read the discharge papers of Har-
ry Allan Dixon, a private, with the
fine words written about his charac-
ter and ability. Then I Hooked about
the scar. Was it from a bolo?
Encounter With Dutchman.
Funny, Dutchman gave me that.
mot a German, you understand, but a
Dutchman, a renegade of some sort
who was fighting with the natives.
We had hand-to-hand one, and he
landed at the same time I did. l never
found out what happened to him.
Say, did you know Lee Christmas or
Johnny Poe or Billy Buck?" =.
Then the story of the soldier of
fortune began. Dicky Davis ought to
have sat beside him and made notes,
because Harry Dixon was Davis's
friend, although they had never met.
In Mexico he had come across chap
who was always called Capt. Macklin,
fighting with Francisco Villa when
that eminent robber was being highly
praised as a Robin Hood and great
emancipator rolled into one. Out of
his magic wallet Dixon drew slip
of paper, a telegraphic order signed
in the name of Pancho Villa, COM
mander-in-chiefo theliberating arm
les, and addressed to Royal Macklin.
Who was Macklin? No one ever both
cred to find out his real name, be-
cause he was the hero of Davfs's Sol
diers of Fortune, and had gone by
the name of Royal Macklin ever since
the book was written
In between the affair in the Philip
pines and the brush in Mexico which
preceded Dixon's enlistment in the
Canadian army, came a series of ad-
ventures which would fill many books
and some day Dixon may write
them, if he gets time aud the world
quiets down enough, so that he isn't
being continually dragged from one
corner of the earth to another, to join
in the next scrap. When he left the
American army Dixon taught mill
tary tactics for time, but he was
too interested in the thing to con-
tent himself with theory. He drifted
|southward, in the good days, that
was, when a bit of good running was
a hazardous and joyous occupation.
In New Orleans he fell in with Lee
Christmas, the daredevil of the Ca
ribbean, and took part in the wild ad-
venture which sent a ferry boat laden
with guns careering through the Mex