Gunnison news-champion., 1918-05-03

.rOrdsr-Arms aoour-7Ea, Pile
Arms, Stsnd-Clear."
The stacks were reformed
Quick - March, Right WHEEL
And We left the scene Of execution be-
hind Us
II was now daylight After march
Ing about five minutes. we were dis
missed with the following instructions
from the officer In command:
Return. alone, TO your respective
companies. and remember, no talking
about this affair. or else IL will 60 hard
with the guilty ones."
We needed no urging 10 get away.
did not recognize any Of the men on
the firing squad: even the officer was
stranger 10 me-
Tn. victims relations and friends In
BlIghry will never know that h. was
executed: they will be under thr i'm
preston that he died doing his BIZ fUr
king and country.
In the public casualty lists his name
will appear under the caption "ACci-
dentaIly Killed" or Died"
The day after the execution | re-
celyed orders TO report back 10 the
line. and TO Keep still tongue In my
head.
Executions are a part Of the days
work, hut the part We hated mo- Of
all, | thluk-certaiuIy the satdesr The
British war department is thoughr Jy
many paopl. to be- composed of rid
regulations all wound around viii red
tape But II has n heart. ana on, Of
tha evidences Of this Is the consid"rn'e
way In which an execution Is concealed
and reported to the relative of tn IN
fortunate man. They never know the
truth. lie il listed in the bulletin as
among the accidentally killed"
In the last ten years ! have ssy"ral
times read stories In magazine Of
towards changing, In IA charge. 10 he
rOcs. | used TO laugh mt IL. II sern"d
easy for stnry.writers, but / said.
Men aren't made that way But over
In France ] learned once that the
streak Of yellow can turn all whit.
picked up the story. bit by bit, from
the captain OF the company. the sem
tries who guarded the poor feilov. as
well as from my own observation. At
first did not realize the whole of his
story, but after week Of inves ga
ton 1t stood out as clear In my mind
as the mountains Of my native We~t in
the spring sunshine. 1t impressed me
so much that l wrote 1t all down in
rest billets on scraps of odd paper.
The Incidents are, as l say. ever bit
true: the feelings of the man are true
i know from all | underwent In the
fighting over In France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. That
wasn't his name. but IL will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world
terms n coward.
In London they called him q siaC k er.
His country had been at war nearly
eighteen months. and still he was not
In Khaki.
listing. being alone In the world, hav-
Ing been educated In an orphan asy-
lum, and there being no one dependent
upon him for support. He had no good
position to lose. and there was no
sweetheart TO tell him with her lips
TO 20, while her eyes pleaded for him
to stay.
Every time he saw a recruiting ser
gennt he'd slihk around tie corner out
Of sight. with n terrible fear gnawing
Ut his heart. When passing :he big re
cruiting posters. and on his way to
business and back he passed many. he
would pull down his cap and look the
other way from that awful finger
pointing at him. under the caption.
"Your King and Country NeeS YOu :"
or the boring eyes Of Kitchener. which
burned into his very soul. causing him
to shudder.
Then the Zeppelin raids-during
them. he used to crouch in corner Of
his clearinghouse cellar. whImpering
like whipped puppy and calling upon
the Lord to protect him.
Even his landlady despised him. NJ
though she had to admit that he was
good pay"
He very seldom read the papers, but
one momentous morning the landlRdy
put the morning paper ut his place be
fore he came down to breakfast. TAX
Ing his seat he read the flaring head
line. 'Conscription Bill Passed." and
nearly tainted. EHcusing himself. he
stumbled upstairs to his bedroom.
with the horror of It gnawing into hia
vitals.
Having saved up few pounds. be
decided not to leave the house. and to
sham sickness, so he stayed In his room
and had the landlady serve his meals
there.
Every time there was knock at the
door he trembled all over, imagining Il
Uas a rnltComan vs,hn had rop,o t<p tak =