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About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1899)
THE ORDERLY'S CAPTURE. A STORY OF THE Landfleld thought for a few hours that he had captured the town of San Ildefonso all by himself, and the last time I saw him he was still muttering Imprecations against the Irony of fate, which made him a bully-ragged, abus ed volunteer soldier, and against army Officers in general, who, because they Wore straps on their shoulder and tripe on their trousers, thought they bad a right to treat a soldier like a galley slave without a soul. It seems that Captain Berkhelmer, on Lawton's staff, who had been directed to feel and develop the position of the Insurgent General Oregorlo del Pilars force, with a handful of scouts and two companies of volunteers, had for his orderly thla fellow Landfleld. Now. Luidfleld, la a volunteer with a mind of his own and a supreme confidence that there are some good things In which bis opinion Is quite as good as his cap tain's, and then, too, he Is sandy haired, With a bit of Irish blood In his veins, which assists him in his assurance. Captain Berkhelmer, on the other ha.id. Is an old dyed-ln-the-wool regu lar, whose thirty years of service In fighting Indians and living the circum scribed life of western garrisons be tween times have left that anomalous Impress which creates genial hosts of friends, lion-hearted fighters, rather narrow intellectually, and, lastly, an Aristocratic and sometimes patronising bearing toward the enlisted man which forever forbids his near approach. In fact, ao inflexible have his ideas respecting the private become that he aspects and Insists that a common sol slier shall be ready at all times and In all place to jump to his feet, click his heels together and stiffly salute, even If he pass a hundred yards away across the square. He had felt the military pulse of his captain and learned his lesson with bad grace, but he found it more satis factory to cuss the captain behind his back than to hold out before his face for the Inalienable rights of a free-born American citizens who was fool enough "to be shootln' d d vipers and chawln' dry hardtack In the Philippines when he had a steady Job at home." It is only fair to say that he liked the cap tain In one corner of his heart, for, as he expressed it, "He's the dang grittiest man under fire that you want to see, but he's the devil on discipline." To go back to our story, the captain had Just started out to develop the In surgent position with his 25 scouts. which means nothing In the world but ' xpoaing yourself enough to draw the nemys nre ana moving nrst toward ; valley and over the next ridge, ana the left and then around to the right! still no soldiers In sight. In some way tank until the . whole line have taken I Landfleld never understood how him pot shots at you or flred In solid, roar- Beif, he got lost among the undulating Ing volleys at the straggling line of men low hills, which all looked alike, and hundred fet apart, who crouch behind every tiny cover and run doubled up. III sprints, to drop again behind brush, tone and clod of earth, returning at random, but with the deadly aim of sharpshooters, the tokens of steel cased 1 lead. His first move was toward the left, and thla time he dismounted and left bis orderly holding the horses In a safe place, under the shelter of a sand bill, but on returning he struck out In the saddle with Captain Case, of the Oregon, across the road to the right and over the paddy fields, with Land fleld close behind, after the lone aklr saish line of scout between him and the silent trenches of the enemy, a thousand yards away. For two officers and an orderly, all on horseback, to be audaciously riding over open fields In conspicuous view of their lines was be yond the pale of Filipino endurance, and they let things go. The bullets psssed over as a shet of rushing wind and landed with a loud, craunchlng noise In the cane brake beyond. The orderly took a hitch In his spine. but the captain never, by so much as a twlch of his body or a blink of bis eye even Indicated that he had heard any thing more ominous than the laxy rus tllng of the gracefully curving bamboo swayed by a tropic breath of air, or the low chirping notes of uneasy birds seeking the cool, shadowy cover of the dense thickets. He rode steadily on, unseeing appar ently, but really watching the thin line of scouts, whose rifles were an swering the curious double pop of the Mausers with the sharp, defiant bark which again distinguishes them from the low, thundering growl of the Rem ington's and Bprlngfields. The horses were uneasy and switched their tails, snorted and seemed Inclined to run as the bullets swept past with the stinging buzz so suggestive of great green-head-d bottle flies, but the Captain reined his pony in with a half Irritable yank n the bit. as the animal shied from a scattering puff of dirt cast up by a well directed shot, and watched the scouts. . There Is one 40 yards away on his stomach, with his head and shoulders propped up on his right elbow, drawing a bead on the spot whence came the last little flash of Are and the faint blue puff of smoke. He fires cautiously, rolls over on his back, draws a cartridge from his belt and loads. An insurgent bullet passe through the rim of his battered slouch hat and ploughs Into the ground beyond the toes of his up turned feet. "God!" he mutters ."that was a close shave," and rolls over on his stomach to return the compliment. The captain rides on, finding here and there a half-concealed scout, firing a few shots, then creeping forward dlag pnally toward a low ridge of hills, which will somewhat protect them and par tially flank the Filipino position. The riders reach the back of this ridge first, and the bullet have almost ceased to come this way or pass harmlessly over their beads. "Dismount!" and Landfleld gives a suppressed sigh of relief. "Land fleld, you stay here with the horses," th captain orders. "Ye, sir." Three hours have passed and Land fleld stands anxiously gaslng over the landscape of low rolling ridge behind blm, then to th right, and Anally at th silent town of Ban Ildefonso, from which not a sound has come for a food two hours. "Where the devil did they go. n' way?" Landfleld audibly queries. "Thai a nice way to leave a fellow out I the enemy's country all by blmself.wltt three pestering horses." Landfleld ca tend the oppressiveness of dead ellenr no longer, knowing that h 1 severa mile from the army In the rear, whlli r all he knows, the scout may alv have returned several hours ago. I meditates: "Damn these fool regul.. army officer, anyway; they're so puflv up with their Importance they can take time to tell a common volunte eoldler what they want him to do. Oh rats; they haven't any sense anyway It's lost because the volunteer soldlc knows how to slug those devil thm they haven't bees, wiped off the Islam long ago! What a blathering Idiot Baa Is to come to the Philippine (Landfleld pronounces It pines) thlnkln he's goln' to win reputation for him self a a soldier, and then And out he a etable boy. a hired girl and wash srwoenaa for some eranky old captain wewAefu tftllah. I'm oeh on PHILIPPINES. the job at $15 a month? 'Landfleld! get my horse, quick!' 'Landfleld! make me some coffee! 'Landfleld! make my bed 'Landfleld! why can't you wash out a few clothes for me?" He expects you to De on tap every minute of the 24 hours, never to sleep and never to eat any thing but dry hard tack and drink wa ter, while he swells around headquar ters on good living. "You get the devil If he thinks any- mings gone wrong, and you never get a word of praise for workln' like a horse. I'm dead tired and sick of sol dleiin', and if I ever get back to Mln nesota I'm goin' to stay there the rest of my life. Minnesota's good enough for mei Poor Landfleld! He was rapidly get ting way down in the mouth; all the real wrongs and a myriad of imaginary ones welled up In his lonely heart, and his feelings almost strangled him as he thought of his own far-away home, where his mother took care of him with solicitous tenderness, and of the little village where a blue-eyed girl, with hair a few shades darker than his own watched and waited for him to come home a soldier hero, while here he was In a worse condition than a day la borer, dubbed with the euphonious designation of an orderly. Well, he would be a hero to her, whetever he had to do here, and then there were many tnings ne never need mention. Having threshed his wrongs out In his mind, he came back to what he had bet. ter do. The sun was half way down, and perhaps the captain would not come back at all. or possibly he had been shot. That was It. A man who would ride a horse around under Ore and never take to cover ought to get shot. He would hunt htm up. It might be that he had tried to come back to the horses alone and had fallen badly hurt somewhere. No! He wouldn't leave the scouts as long as they were fighting. But where the deuce were the scouts? They had passed off to the right, fir ing and being fired at, and then tne noise had stopped suddenly. They had probably withdrawn and gone back to camp around the hill behind him. He made up his mind to go forward, at least as far as the point where he had heard the last engagement, and, If he found nothing, try to get back to Maa sln, where our troops were quartered. Over the ridge he passed, riding one hose and leading two others. Not a soul In sight, and nobody took a shot at him: They must have gone further than this, and he pushed Into the little the heavily clouded sky of the after noon, which threatened Immediate rain and presaged the near approach of the rainy season, obscured the sun so that he lost the points of the compass. He finally started for Maasln, as he thought, though in reality he was making for the enemy's country to the north. Two hours later, after zigzag ging back and forth through mile of country, the storm broke just as L,ana fleld had at last found the road that must lead to Maasin. It poured down in floods, which stood ankle deep on the white surface of the road, and rush ed In small rivers down the deep gulch es on either side; then, as suddenly as it began, the storm cleared and the sky brightened up and the sun burst through ragged holes In the heavy clouds, reflecting a blinding light from the waters of the flushly filled pools of the rice paddles. The sun was setting on the opposite side of the sky from that which Land fleld expected. Either he or the heav ens were wrong, and he turned with his right hand first toward the sun and then away from It, trying to re. member, Just a he had done at school, whether hi face wa to the north when hi right hand wa pointed to ward the rising or sinking sun. It was settled; he was going In the wrong . direction, and the realization that he had made a mistake and was miles out In the enemy's country whit ened Landfleld's face perceptibly. His first thought was not so much the fear of being caught by the Filipino as what a row the captain would raise when he found that his orderly had been captured with all the horses and government equipment. It was Impos sible to travel over this deluged rice fields now, so It was back to the road or nothing, but whether the road ran to Maasln or somewher else he did not know. Added to all these doubts was the startling fact that he was most likely In the rear of the town of Ban Ildefonso, supposed to be held by 1,600 men. He would go ahead cautiously and lo cate the town before sunset, then go around It during the night and try to get Into our lines without being killed. For three miles there was not a land mark he recognized and the sun was very low. The road was hemmed In bv tret and hedges for some distance, and, swerving suddenly to the left and round the bend, he plunged Into a row of deserted nlpa houses. He had acci dentally struck a town before dark, and It might be San Ildefonso. It was odd that the houses were all empty! No, It wasn't, because the non-combatants were probably expecting an attack. This must be the otwn where the Ta ..u .uiri Ivlni In Innr lnnrhti on the other suburb. In some ways unique. He aia not n io . open w" r7h.wa. courages' eflt. but on foot he was e courageous bT.re enable and began a stealth, advance on the -pt.ln. I 'wa.Ud't'hree hour. rre.2hedrhrcen.W7h': X ' nS 1 thuht 1 U'ht l "nd through the closely grown bananas and you. .. ... v. mtinua .Ve staved trvx:n:irt wh.hr.rtn: r svto-tttft& th;r..ordeM :,ri" M k1 ing around a pretentious structure of "Yes, lr," said Landfleld, meekly, bamboo and grass, he crept toward the , with a strong IncllnaUon to cry; then, road, from which he wa screened by , remembering that he had captured San a high fence of Interwoven split bant- Ildefonso by himself, and thinking that boo, whose gate swing on crude lanla the captain might be mollified If he hinges which emitted a loud pitched only knew that the nsurgents had de squeak If touched ever so lightly. He camped, he added: 'Captain, I ve been pushed the gate gently ana u seni ran its song. From the other side came a ft sharp words of Tagalo, evidently a ur prised query, and an am I go In whit' I . i . k. r. nm tit nlialtlnS DO- sitlon on the outside of the fence and ! looked Into the mouth of a lx-hooter. Mlo amlgol Mlo amigoi wr rnnbiit. sen or! No combete!" BnUI your mouth! Don't make so much noise or I'll pump holes all through you, you heathen," Lenaneia raspea in ment motioning with his linger against his mouth. The Tagalo understood the sign language and kept silence for a moment, and then whispered, as he dados Filipinos aqult No lnsurreoto aqull Tenemos run away at Ban Mlg- uel." taravMi nil inn uviui .w landfleld knew the doten words o. mJrjZZr 1. k.iHS ant so . Mns4vtly with gesticulations, I DhTooSbtei I that the iSsVrpsntt had iled, and Imagined a rus for the Ta galo's escape and his own capture was In the air. Covering the native with his gun, he solemnly motioned htm through the gate, catching his breath at the prolonged howl it sent forth in the quiet street. Then he marched him through the back gardens with their green groves of bananas, and under the lines of betel palms, and over little patches of thick-leaved sweet potato vines, straddling over the low frail bamboo pole fences which made the Inner divisions of property, until he could see the grass grown piazza rront Ing the odd little nlpa church which Is found In every small village. He could see the trenches now and he knew he was In San Ildefonso. The trenches were empty, what he could see of them, and there was not a living being In sight. San Ildefonso had been evacuated, deserted! But where were the Filipino soldiers? Why had he not met them. "Donde el soldados Finpi noe?" he asked, straining his Spanish to its limit, "En San Miguel, senor! San Miguel, ahora!" hi prisoner re plied with an earnestness Increased by fear of the slowly waving six-shooter. "Well. sir. I believe he's telling the truth. What'll the captain think of this? I have captured the town of San Ilde fonso myself!" and Landfleld blew out his chest a bit as he felt the Importance of his position in being the first Amer lean, and alone at that, to have put his foot In a town which a few hours before, had been held by a brigade of soldier. He walked confidently out Into the square and toward the trenches. Now he knew where he was, for there was the field across which they had ridden under fire, and a little to the right the white road crossed the far hill leading into Maasln. Well. I'll make a careful report of the situation to the captain and go over all the trenches before it grow dark." He carried his prisoner back to the horse, for he did not dare let him go yet, and made him walk in front and lead two horses while he rode the third The trenches were not so formidable nor of such great length as he had Im airined they were from the other side. Far out to the left they ceased, but scattered shells and trampled earth in little rain-cut gulches told where every man had lain. There was a hat with a bullet hole through the crown. It was not blood-stained, but the missile, must have cut a neat groove from the black pompadour of Its owner. There lay a bundle of blood-soaked rags, and near by the little blessed amulet of Mother Mary which had not been efficacious enough to stop the bullet in its course. In the trenches lay a man or two. stiff and stark, and on the road were trails of blood, telling the story oi re treating wounded men, tottering Dy themselves, as Indicated by the larger, red-stained spots where they had rest ed, or carried hastily away by their friends In rude litters, leaving the tell tale marking far apare in broken dotted lines. Landfleld left his enforced compan ion behind at the edge of the town and rode toward Maasin In the waning light of the day, which yet purpled the clouds In the east in a beautiful broad Dana, while over his shoulder toward the west be unceasingly saw the gorgeous red and golden pattern on billows of clouds as they rolled over tne deep wue- black range of mountains. Here was the place in the road where Major Dig gle wa shot through the head yester day, and it seemed odd that a bullet should have reached him behind the hill and below the level of cane fences and bamboo thickets, which stood out In vivid silhouettes against the crim soned sky: but Landfleld was too full of military Information regarding the enemy' deserted stronghold of San Il defonso. and an upward satisfaction over the fact that had at last made a little mark all his own In the campaign, to note details. He had lost sight of the possible movements or me captain, me kou and the supporting companies, and as sumed that they had gone back to bar racks and left him to shirt tor nunseir. He was still somewhat hurt at this cav alier treatment, but the opportunity for his own daring reconnolsance which had come to him outweighed, lor tne moment, all sense of personal griev ance. He would show the captain what kind of stuff he was made oft Jle. was not afraid to walk right into the en emy's lines and come back with valu able Information for his superior offi cers! Perhaps the captain would recom mend him for a commission! Haiti Who goes there?" cried, the sentry in the dusk, hi gun ready for Immediate action. Landfleld got by him safety, but he had only a short answer to the Inquiry as to where he had been. His knowledge was far too Important to be conveyed to a com mon soldier. His first fears that things might not turn favorably for him arose when he rounded the nlpa hut quarters and dis mounted; the cook stirred the Are under the coffee boileor and came toward him, saying: You re goln' to eaten tne aevn: uia Brlcky's mad as blazes 'cause he could- n't find you." Landfleld tossed his head and care lessly replied: "Oh, I guess not," but he felt a little uneasy, for nobody could bank on the Captaln's temper. He climbed the short bamboo ladder to the captain's quarters and stood on the little open platform of lashed poles looklnsr into the single dark room a moment. A half snort and the captain , snarled "Who's that? What do you mean by coming Into my quarters without or- dera. sir?" The captain knew who It was well ewouT orderly, sir: I've come to - captaln." Landfleld said, wUh a slight catch In his breath, i,-d ou to reDort. sir? WhV.d you ordand r. awav beyond Ban Ildefonso and all through the town, and there's not an in surgent there, sir." "Been through the town? Who told you to go through the town, sir? Who asked you for information, sir;- Ana then, fearing that his orderly might not appreciate the fact that he had cap. t "" ' - IZrtJZZZL OI Birmivsr ll" TuutiiMi - lion I captured that town ana arov the enemy back to Ban Miguel, and you would have saved us a walk of five miles by staying where you were order ed to stay!" Once more the Infamy of Landfleld' conduct swept over him he attempt ed to move his stiffened ana weary ,lmbS Knd realised that he had almost succumbed to the temptation to tell the thrilling tory ot th day experience to his orderly, ana ne snouiea grumy. "Landfleld. you're a fool, sir! Report to your euarter under arrest!" Tei sir." It wa. all Landneld could do to articulate the word as ue salut ed and bolted for the quarters, a mis erably forlorn volunteer soldier. He broke down and cried silently on his blanket In the dark corner of his quar ters from sheer chagrin and loneliness. He so wanted to be a hero, and this was the way bravery was appreciated In the army! At last he quieted down and lay for hours, staring into the darkness, until sleep brought rest to his wearied mus cles, while dreams of the blue-eyed sweetheart at home brought peace to hi troubled spirit. In her eyes his ex ploit would assume its proper proportion. DOG FOR A TOWN MARSHAL Anderson, Ind. (Special.) Aurora is probably the only city in the country that ever elevated a dumb animal to an office of public trust. A movement has recently been put on foot to per petuate the memory of this dlctlnctlon. It is proposed to erect a statue to Bob, a dog. The sculptured form of a noble looking canine mounted on a pedestal will serve to remind the unborn gen erations that Aurora Is the only cor poration In the nation, and possibly In the world, that ever duly elected a dog to an authorized, legal office, the dumb animal defeating a human being at the polls. It was over forty year ago that a pretty Newfoundland dog was taken in Dy Jim Kelso, who in the 60s was well known all over Southern Indiana. Jim was a reckless character, and he and the dog became the truest of friends- even to dramatic death. He named the pup Bob, and Its growth to a dog was marked by the development of a most remarkable sagacity. Bob was trained to a point where he seemed only to lack the power of speech to make him human. One of Bob's training feats was to catch a man, throw him down and hold him until ordered to let go. He would not Injure or In the leasr harm his man but he could handle the strongest. To this one bit of training. couDled with his great Intelligence, are due to a very great extent the honrs which were la ter heaped upon him. He made him self Immensely popular with the con stabulary department of the city, and achieved a great reputation as a thief taker. Spurious half dollar flooded Aurora and Southern Indiana Afty years ago. At that time all of the Southern In diana officers united to round up a gang of counterfeiters known to be op erating near Aurora. It fell to Bob, however, to break them up. He found them one night near where the dies had Just been discovered, and he cap tured them while the were attempting to escape to the Kentucky shore in a boat. He plunged in after them, upset the boat, and then, dragging the half drowned leader from the river held him down until the officers were attracted by his barking. Thus Bob started tne chief counterfeiter toward the long sentence which was later gizen by the government. It was this incident and the reputa tion of the dog for police duty that. In he subsequent election, caused him ;o be voted tor at the polls. It was the city election of '69. His name appeared on the balota of "Bob Kelso." The elec tion was held In due form under the laws of Indiana, and Bob's name was legally entered and is so recorded in the old state registers. The election was a very hot one. The dog's oppo nent wa Clint Teetge, and the office wa that of town marshal. When the ballot were counted it was found that Bob had defeated hi opponent by 31 vote. Old Captain Weaver and. several oth er prominent and wealthy citizen of that period promptly took ateps to have the dog Invested with the rights of the office to which he had been elected by a decisive majority. Weaver prepared in legal form an official bond In the sum of 15,00, signed by numerous citi zens, and, with a properly Indorsed cer tificate from the election board stating that Bob had received a majority at an official election, he appeared before the president of the council and asked that the oath be administered. That day Is deserving of becoming a part of election history. The entire town turned out. There was a parade and a grand hurrah all the way down the line. The people presented them selves before President Spars of the council, with the dog, wearing an offi cer's star on his breast and carrying his bond In his mouth. Kelso ordered htm to stand up on his hind legs and hold up his right paw In a position to take the oath. President Sparks was requested to administer the regular form, which binds the officer to faithful discharge of the duties of the office for ,-hich he has been duly elected, as re- quired by the law, under penalty of jeopardy of bond, Sparks positively refused to admlnls- wr the oath, and would not consider the matter In any other light than a great Joke. The backers of the brute inserted their sincerity and insisted upon the animal being sworn In, which' Sparks still refused to do. They then swore to defeat him at the next elec tion. The entire town rose In arms over the affair, and Sparks was defeated a the result. The matter wa taken to court and It was decided that a brute could not take the oath of office. The fight embittered many and made Kelso and Captain Weaker many enemies! A few months later Kelso met with some reverses and committed suicide. The dog found Kelso's dead body and mourned over him until he was buried. He then tok up with Tom Watnscott, who enlisted in the army when the war broke out and later achieved mark ed attention In the Eighteenth Indiana under Caprtaln Jlesse L. Hblman, a brother of the distinguished Indiana congressman who died recently. He took the dog with him, and Bob became the "son" of the regiment, always faith ful to his master on the march and In battle. It was at the battle of Pea Ridge that Walnacott was killed and hi body lay on the battlefield many long hours after the light had ceased. The gal lant dog had been under Are also, and he lay down over hi dead master's body and watched over the shattered corpse, licking the blood away from the face. When, the next morning, the sol diers went on the Held to bury the dead they found the dog still there, and no effort could Induce him to leave the body or allow any one to touch It Finally one of the soldiers seized the oorpee to drag It away. The dog attacked him with such ferocity that hi comrades, fearing the dog would kill the man, ran the animal through with a bayonet. Wounded to the death, Bob crept back to the corpse, took up hi watch, and died. A a recognition of hi highest duty to hi master, the soldier burled him with Walnacott, and togetner mey n in. -' since lost under ma mwn . Ridge. TRUTH REGARDING THE BOERS. The people of the Transvaal have been duped and scoffed at so much by the foreign population that many are losing those splendid Christian quali ties for which they are famous, said Itev. H. S. Bosman of Pretoria, in an interview a few days ago. Rev. Bos man is a native Afrikander and has been a pastor in Pretoria for twenty four years. He is in the United States to attend the Presbyterian council, which meets In Washington and is one of two representatives of the church In South Africa to visit this country. He is personally acquainted with President Kruger, but the president Ib not a mem ber of the church. There are three sec tions of the Dutch Reformed church. the Hollander, the South African Re formed and the President's church.The president left the Dutch Reformed in 185 9and Joined a small body of seces slonlsts. The Dutch Reformed contin ues the leading church In South Africa, and it is this section Rev. Bosman reo- resents. The above emphatic words were said in speaking of the religious life of the people. "The Boers- are a hospitable, kind neighborly Christian people," he con ued. "Their dally life is an eempliflca- tlon of the golden rule. Vice and crime were unknown until foreigners came them, and even now the great body of the people are pure, morally and spir itually. They live the quiet life of the agriculturist, till their farms and herd their cattle and sheep. They do not like to live In villages and cities. They prefer the farm and the Independent home life. At Johannesburg there are some 10,000 Boers in a population, of 60,000. These were drawn there from other points In South Africa by the high wages offered. The remainder at Johannesburg are birds of passage who came with the discovery of gold and leave as soon as they have made somem oney." "I understand these foreigners have brought in the saloon and the brothel with them. Is this true, Mr. Bosman?" I asked. "Yes; In spite of the government, these vices have been Introduced. In the case of the brothels, vigorous meas ures have been taken to crush them out, and they have been broken up and the Inmates forced to leave the state, but one by one they have either re turned or new ones have come in and the government has been forced to do Its work over again. There Is a standing law In the state against such houses. Repressive measures have also been ta ken against the saloon. Intemperance among the Boers is unknown. When the army of 60,000 men is mustered into service you will not find an ounce of liquor among them." "This will be a Christian army, will it not?" "Yes. very much on the order of Cromwell's guarde, who fought as they prayed. They will go Into battle, if they must, to defend thilr homes and pre serve their independence. They will fight for the purity and the freedom of the state. They seek nothing more than this by such a conflict" "How was it that differences arose between the Transvaal and England?" 'England set up the pretext that the British subjects were deprived ot the voting franchise and demanded that a shorter residence be allowed for full naturalization. A residence of fifteen years was, at that time, required. The English wanted it to be only Ave years. Three months ago the Transvaal gov ernment passed a measure making It seven and one-half years and now are CORPSE SAT UP From the Dallas News: "Near Ilfra comb. In the southern portion of Eng land," said John Tapecott, from that country to a News reporter, "a lady of great wealth and social position was burled some time prior to 1820. By the way, she was cousin to my mother, from whom I learned the somewhat re markable story I am going to tell you. When the lady In question was burled there was upon her finger a large and valuable diamond ring. The sexton who officiated! at the funeral was aware of this fact and It excited his cupidity. He reasoned that he was poor, the lady was dead and the valuable Jewel could be of no possible use to her down In the cold, dark tomb, but could he pos sess It the cash It would bring would buy many comforts for his wife and little ones. He resolved to disinter the body and steal the ring. About the hour of midnight following the burial he stealthily exhumed the lady, opened her coffin by the pale glimmer of a waning moon and, lifting the white, dainty hand, attempted to take off the beautiful ring. It fitted so tight, howev er, that he could not remove It and, desiring to get through with his grew- some task as soon as possible, took out his pocket knife. Intending to amputate the Anger which refused to give up its precious Jewel. "No sooner had he made an incision than the supposedly dead woman sud denly sat bolt upright in her coffin. The startled sexton, frightened almost to death, fled with the speed of an American cannon-ball train. 'You see the lady was In a cataleptic state and supposed to be dead. The moment the sexton's knife entered the flesh her nervous system responded with the rapidity of telegraphy, the cir culation started up and she began to breathe. The cold night air soon re vived her enough for her to get out of the coffin and walk to her home, some eight miles or more away. Ringing the door bell, her husband looked down from a second-story window and was startled to see a ghostly, white-robea figure standing oa .the porch below. He was too frightened to come down, but after repeatedly ringing the bell the door wa Anally opened by a servant. After the consternation of the moment was over a most happy reunion follow ed between the lady and her household. The Door sexton was not only not prosecuted for grave robbing, but the grateful lady presented htm with the coveted ring, while her husband gave him a large sum of money. His greedy desire for the lady's ring had been the means of her rescue from a horrible death, and her gratitude know no hounds She lived a number of years after this tragic event and bore several children before she died In fact 'Another case occur rea in iwgiana about this time," the gentleman con tlnued, "In which an 1-year-old girl was- put Into her coffin, but before It was closed a lady present fancied she saw a very slight heaving of her breast A mirror was held to the child's face, which was soon covered with a faint cloud of moisture. Restoratives were applied and she soon revived. After she grew up to womanhood this same person was twice rescued from a living death. She Anally died at the advanced age of 17 years and was put into ner fourth and last coffin. "It la thine like these." the Engiisn gentleman remarked In conclusion, "which make me tremble at th fear of being burled alive, and to avoid such a horrible fat I will leave a provunon In my will tor th embalming er th willing, if need be, to make it Ave years to avoid war." "What else did the English govern ment ask?" . "They wanted the English language) taught in the schools. We said: That Is ridiculous. When you come among the Dutch people you expect to be taught the Dutch language and be subject to Dutch laws. However, we will go this far with you, we will teach English above the third standard.' This grade Is for boy and girls who have attained a certain proficiency in reading, writing and arithmetic. The English were not satisfied and insisted on having the whole thing or none. "We have heard some complaints of the taxes." "Yes, the English government thought we taxed the foreigners too heavily for dynamite used in the mines, and that other mining taxes were too high. Yet I have talked with men who were engagt ed in mining in Australia under Eng lish laws, and they told me the Trans vaal government's regulation were ex tremely liberal in comparison. The min ers are taxed according to the value of their propertiee, Just as any other are taxed. If their taxes are high it 1 be cause their property Is valuable." "You think, then, that these different complaints of England are mere pre texts to start a war and overthrow th independence of the South African re public?" "Undoubtedly. For three years, from '77 to '81, the Transvaal was annexed to England by that government's ac tion, but secured its independence by the war of '80 and '81. According to th treaty signed at that time England acknowledged the right of the Trans vaal to enact laws and make whatever regulations it saw fit for all internal affairs It withdrew from any Interfer ence whatever in local government. Th only stipulation was that the republic should not conclude treaties with other governments without the consent of England. The whole trouble has arisen by England breaking that treaty in try ing to regulate Internal affairs which belong to the Boers." "Coming back to the religious life of South Africa, what Is the condition of Orange Free State?" "The Orange Free State is made up almost entirely of people of the same general characteristics as those ot the Transvaal, the same language, religion, customs and manner of life. There are almost no saloons, none In the agricul tural sections, and but one or two In the villages. These few are carefully regulated, and no man employed there by another can get a drink without a written permit from his employer." "What are the conditions in the Eng lish colonies?" ' "Conditions are bad. The colonies along the coast are made up, largely, of adventurers, and you And among them all the vices and temptations to lead worldly, dlssoulute lives. England Is dong little for true reform in her colo nies there. Liquor Is plentiful on every hand, and with it the usual attendant evil." A remarkabe case of salvage is that o fthe steamship Milwaukee, which last autumn went ashore at Port Errol.near Peterhead. Finding It Impossible to float her, as a large part of her for end was Inextricably Jammed, she was cut In two with belts of dynamite cart ridges, no less than 320 pounds of dyna mite being used. IN HER GRAVE. cremating of my body. Either of thess methods would Insure one against a living burial." WANTED HIS GIRL. A black-eyed young man came pant ing Into the barge office the other day, says the New York Commercial Ad vertiser. "Is this the place where they keep the Immigrant girls?" he asked In Eng lish so broken that even to the inter prefers of the establishment It seemed to be made up of rolling r's and b's. Receiving an affirmative nod the man turned about and beckoned In the di rection of the open door. Four other men, all as black-eyed as the first.made their appearance. ' "They are my witnesses," the lead er of the party said, by way of in troduction of two of the newcomers, and then in turn he added: "And this one is the clerk, and this gentleman is the priest. So give me my girl and I'll marry her at once, so that you need not be afraid there Is any hum bug about It." The Interpreters' sense of humor is drawn upon to heavily for them to laugh at a scene of this sort. They got angry Instead, and asked what he was talking about. He essayed an explana tion, but all that he succeeded In mak ing understood was that he was an Armenian and that his English consist ed in rattling r's and booming b's. "Why don't you tell your story In Armenian?" said one of the interpre ters in the young man's native tongue. The young man took offense. He had been three years In America and he spoke English better than Armenian he said. Finally Mrs. Stucklen, the "mother of Immigrants," came up and shed light on the matter. The man's name was Vahl Krlhorian. He was 24 years old and made a comfortable liv ing. At home he had a pretty girl who now came to join him. Her name was Toshkowht Gobedlan. She wa four years younger than he was, and very bashful ex bashful that when she spoke ot her love for Vahl and hU promise to marry her, her olive cheek gloved and her black eye gazed at the leg of the matron's chair. "Have you got any money?" 'th clerk had asked her. "No, sir. I have a sweetheart" "But how do you know he'll marry you?" "Because Ood would strangle him If he went back on me." When the two were brought together Vahl offered to kiss th girl, but sta blushingly held back. "Don't you want me?" ha. asked la despair. "Yes, but there are so many princes around. I am ashamed." The wedding took place outside of the barge office, a clerk of the Immi grant station being present to see that the ceremony wa really performed, and then the girl wa declared Vahl't wife and free to "go out Into America," In creating the Legion of Honor Ns poleon I. did not contemplate the admis sion of women. He was, however, on several occasions so impressed by tb devotion of women, always la the) olrsa tlon of oourag. that In UN h gar tag cross to three women, oa ot whom was Josephine Trinquart, a oastlBisra, who bad shown oourag baforo th rsv emy.