Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1918-06-28
but firm voice, ordered:
"About-Turn 4"

but firm voice, ordered:
"About-Turn T.
We turned about. In the gray light
of dawn, a few yards in front of me,
could make out brick wall. Against
this wall was dark form with white
square pinned on Its breast. We were
supposed to aim at this square. To the
right of the form I noticed n white spot
on the wall. This would be my target.
Ready Aiml Firer'
The dark form sank into huddlcd
heap. My bullet sped on its way, and
hit the whitish spot on the wall; !
could see the spllnters fly. Some one
else had received the rifle containing
the blank cartridge. but my mind was
Mt ease, there was no blood OF n
Tommy on my hands.
"Order--Armsl About--Turnl Pile
Arms. Stand-Clear."
The stacks were reformed.
"Quick - March, Right - wheelr"
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 I'm command:
Return, alone, 70 your respective
companies, and remember, no talking
about this affair, or else II will 20 hard
with the guilty ones"
We needed no urging TO get away L
did not recognize any Of the men on
the firing squad; even the officer was "A
stranger TO me.
The victims relations and friends In
Bllghty will never know that he was
executed; they win he under the Inn
preston that he died doing his bit for
king and country.
In the public casualty lists his name
will appear under the caption "Acci-
dentally Killed or Died"
The day after the execution re-
ceived orders to report back 10 the
line. and to keep still tongue in my
head.
Executions are part of the day'r
work, but the part we hated most OF
all, Enthusiastically the saddest. The
British war department is thought by
many people to be composed OF rigid
regulations all wound around with red
tape But it has heart, and one of
the evidences of this is the considerable
way in which an execution Is concealed
and reported to the relative of the un-
fortunate man. They never know the
truth. lie Is listed in the bulletins as
among the accidentally killed"
In the last ten years ] have several
times read stories In magazines of
towards changing, in II charge, to he
rocs. | used To laugh ut II. II seemed
easy for story-wrlters, but l said,
"Men aren't made that way But over
In France l learned once that the
streak of yellow can turn all white. /
picked up the story, bit by bit, from
the captain of the company, the SEN
tries who guarded the poor fellow, AZ
well as from my own observations. At
first did not realize the whole of his
story. but after week of investiga-
ton Ii stood out as clear I'm my mind
as the mountains of my native West in
the spring sunshine. 1t impressed me
so much that ] wrote It all down in
rest billets on scraps of odd paper.
The incidents are. as ] say, every bit
true the feelings Of the man are true
II know from all l underwent In the
fighting over In France.
| We will call him Albert Lloyd. That
wasn't his name, but Ii will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world
terms n coward.
| In London they called him a Stacker.
| His country had been at war nearly
eighteen months, and still he was not
| In khaki.
He had no good reason for not en-
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 go, while her eyes pleaded for him
to stay.
| Every time he saw recruiting SER
geant he'd stink around the corner out
of sight, with terrible fear gnawlng
at his heart. When passing the 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 Need 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 boarding-hOuse cellar, whimperng
like whipped puppy and calling upon
the Lord to protect him.
Even his landlady despised him, al
though she had to admit that he was
good pay"
He very seldom read the papers, but
one momentous morning the landlady
put the morning paper ut his place be-
fore he came down to breakfast. TAX
ing his seat he read the flarlng head
line, "ConscrintlOn Bill Passed." and