THE ILLUSTRATED DEE.
Jane 12, 1901
Thb Illustrated Beb.
subllshed Weekly by Ths Bm Publishing,
Company, liee Building. Omaha. Neb.
Ft Ice, so Per Copy-Per Year. t2-00-
Entered at the Omaha Postofflce aa Second
Class Mail Matter.
For Advertising Rates Address PubllHher.
Communications relating to photographs or
articles for publication should be ad
drwwed. "Editor The Illustrated tea,
Omaha."
The Corporal's Secret Service Gang
H
Pen and Picture Pointers
EOROB B. CORTELTO0 la to be
I cbnlrman of the republican na
Vy I tlona! committee succeeding M.
r"VJ A. Hanna- In that poHliln. mis
Ir simple announcement merely re
cites a fact, and doesn't carry with It any
idea of the Immense business undertaking
assumed by Mr. Cortelyou In accepting; the
position. Politic Is business nowadays,
and a national campaign to be successful
at all mast be conducted on strictly busi
ness principle. It must be managed with
the same close attention to details aa any
other great enterprise, with the difference
that an the affairs of the business are put
through in a few months, and the busi
ness is practically wound trp when the
votes are counted. The organisation .la not
ended, but its activity for the time being
ceases, and its faculties in effect II dor
mant until another presidential campaign
carta It to action again.
During the time that etapres between the
adjournment of the national convention, at
whteh the several states announce their
members of the national committee, and
the day of election, the committee Is about
.the busiest organisation known to the bnsl-
'ness life of a nation thnt has won a world
wide fame for hustling atl.lty, and its
chairman la the butest man of the kit. He
falls heir to a splendid organisation, but
on him rests the duty of getting tt Into
.operation and keeping it moving smoothly
throughout the four months that ran be
tween nomination and election, tho suc
cessful issue ef the campaign depending
largely If not wholly on tho sagacity and
expedition with which the campitgn is
managed by the chairman. He Is the cen
ter of a great army of workers. Under the
natlona! committee come the rta'.e commtt-
.tees, then the congressional dlsfrlot and
county committees, then the ward and r re
el net committees, and this enlists an cad
leas number of active men In the work of
furthering the cause of the party. All most
work In harmony, local differences must be
adjusted and tho whole must be kept Mov
ing as a nnlt In order that the full strength
of the party may be exerted at tho po"
Thls is the outline of the organisation at
the head of which Mr. Cortelyou h is been
placed. To be sure, the state, congre
stonal, county and ward committees have
their independent functions, but they are
subservient to the whole, and o er tho
whole Is the chairman of the national com-
. mlttee.
The minutiae of the campaign involve aa
enormous amount of detail. Campaign
work from the tours of the sneak era of
great repute, who vole the sentiment of
the party nationally, down to the employ
ment and direction of the workor who can
vasses his precinct In taking the names of
voters and their party affiliation, moat k
looked after ta detail and with exactitude,
that the information obtained may be de
pended nponv In the concrete the result of
H this effort in found in the office ef the
chairman of the national committee. From
bis office emanate tke orders that direct tbe
movements of all the various force) em
ployed in prosecuting tke campaign, and
back to hia efltc com the report that
akow itn progress. Kuay days and sleep
less nlgkta are tkoee of the chairman of
the national committee, and Infinite
patWnce, unlimited capacity and unending
perseverance -must he have to successfully-'
carry on the business entrusted to htm,
Ifuch Is said in these days about the
machine" In polities, but without the row
rhlne no party could exist as such. "Ma
chine" merely means organization, and or
ganisation In absolutely essential to sue
eesq at the pelts. Organisation means the
presentation of tke party's claims to the
people, tho awakening; of public Interest In
the 'issues Involved In tbe vieeUeo, tke
looking up of voter for the purpose of
getting them registered and then to gut
them to vote, and the duty of watching
the opposition for any trickery or fraud
that Might be practiced or undue advan
tage thnt might be seised upon. And over
alt the organisation must secure the money
neceisry to carry on this work, for its
expenses are considerable. Clerks, messen
gers, speakers and other workers must be
paid; halls must he hired, trains secured,
printing and other supplies must be pur
chased, and a general bnatness dono, the
magnitude of which Is far beyond the com
prehension of the average cltUcn. who
sniffs when he hears of the "mirMne" In
connection with politics, and oeranlonalry
rushes t the polio and easts Ms vote In
favor of an "antt-maohlne" candidate.
George B. Cortelynn is to he the head of
the republican machine the enclneer. as
Mark Hans. so tersely put tt four year
ago. of tke repobUcnft party.
iOW the Corporal first cam to the
military hospital at San Ramon
baa never been authentically re-
v. corded. Stories of his coming
vi " vary. Borne say he appeared in ti
streak of blue flame and a whin? of sul
phur smoke; others believe that he simply
dropped In to give the place a bad reputa
tion. There are some of us who think It
most probable that he came to renew a
previous acquaintance with Pedro Querol.
Pedro was wounded and taken prisoner
In n skirmish some miles out of Ban
Ramon. , Those of the boys who found
him crippled, with a shot through both legs
and hidden In a bamboo hut, declare that
they saw' a small black object disappear
out of a back window as they entered the
door. Later they heard that dry, hard
cough outside which they afterward came
to know an tbe Corporal' vocal expression
of disapproval when things did not pleas
him.
Pedro was carried to the hospital and
put Into our ward. He was a boy of less
than 10, and hi mother up In Cagayan
should hare spanked him Instead of letting
him Join the Insurgent army.
It was the morning after his arrival; he
wn sleeping quietly on the cot to which
the steward had assigned him. The day
was fin and the shell blinds were thrown
open to let In the freak breese that swept
down from the mountains. Just strong
enough to rustle tbe bamboo top and
banana leave of the Jungle that crept up
almost to tbe balconies. Most of us were
awake, risteotng to the piping of birds out
side and the drowsy hum or Insects.
Suddenly w were all startled by a sound
that did not chime In with the low murmur
of nature outside. It was a brusque, raicp
mg couch, almost a bark, but human
enough to convince those who heard It
. that It voiced the discontent of some one
with things a they were. We all raised
our heads and looked out to the ledge of
the balcony outside the windows. That
waa how we first saw him, and I can
vouch that he was unaccompanied by
blue flame or sulphur smoke.
There he sat; a small, black-faced
monkey, bis feet clutching the railing,
his smaTI paws holding; a huge banana, so
mellow that be had squashed most of tt
, over his face. Evidently it wn the stick
tnesa of tke bensna which vexed tils soul.
, for with another of his hoarse grunts, ho
fltm tke half rotten fruit In on our pol
ished mahogany floor, where U struck with
n soggy squash end made a nasty brown
spot. Next, be wiped his mouth with his
hairy arms, then wiped them tin bis hand
on n patient's white shirt spread out to
dry on tho balcony railing.
Having done this to his apparent eatis
f action, be sat up again and took In his
surroundings with a quick: Investigating
eye. Then be gave n leap and landed ha
nkie on top of the bedpost of the first ser
geant of Company C The sergeant raised
an emaciated hand as n friendly greet log.
but the little imp on tbe bedpost rodely
disregarded the advance and leaped on
the next bed, where lay the wounded Fili
pino boy who had been Brought In the
evening- before.
The jar of b landing awakened Pedro.
The monkey set on the bedding before bun
ad the boy yellow features spread out
U sickly smile. Those who saw the look
of recognition that passed between the two
firmly believe they had met before. Pedro
always denied any previous acquaintance
with that littl bundle of pure ewssedaess,
and never would own up to the respxud
kllity ef bringing hia there, but the evi
dence dearly points the other way.
skyway, the monkey never couia no got
rid of. He stayed and Became ae much a
part of the stabllshmeat as the head
steward himself. Like aa bed Characters,
he was known by various names. Tke na
tives In the casualty ward named htm first,
Xa Cnbo, which means, tke Corporal. be
on" h wan such a peppery little ens
nn4 wen n natural bora leader ef hi kind.
Mont of the Tanks boys, whom wound or
ether troubles had made Inmates of the
hospital, referred to him as the Corporal
at once as being the literal translation of
his native title in a military sense. Now
in Spanish "el cabo" nlxo means "the end."
and some of the boys took that sense of it
and caned him The Limit."
Well, the Corporal, alius tbe Limit, made
himself a fixture In the second division
hospital of San Ramon. There was no part
of the premises too sacred for him in which
to Introduce his pugnacious , little pereou
aJlty with a familiarity highly obnoxious
to men of military training. The chief
surgeon and the head steward Uaued de-
crces beyond number for his expulsion, but .
the Corporal evaded them with an Indif
ference bordering on oontempt. He paraded
up and down tbe aialea between-the cots
of all tho wards, usually erect, his should
ers hunched up, his eyes roving About to
all comers on the lookout for all possible
trouble, and heralding his approach with
aggressive mtle coughs. Even the doctor
could not keep him out of the dispensary,
vheje he found him one day apparently
playing marbles with some quinine pills.
We thought at first we could tame the
torpors! and make a general pet of him,
but that was n mistake on oar part. The
only one to whose call he ever responded
was Pedro, and then ho only came If his
mood was agreeable. Not that he was
afraid. - One ef the boys threw some water
at the Corporal one day In a Joking sort
of way, but the Corporal landed on that
man and didn't leave him until he had '
snatched several handfuls of hair from a
pate none too thickly covered with hair
anyway. Any of us could induce tho
Corporal to accept some tempting bit of
fruit from his hands. He was never too
bashful to com p and .take it. n fact. If
ha saw a man eating some .article of food
that particularly appealed to bis chronic
appetite he did not hesitate to make a
dash for It and carry it off, and then if the
morsel proved deceiving In appearance he
took It as n personal grievance against him
whom he' had robbed, and would hurt it
back at the offender as a missile. The
moral makeup of the Corporal was the
weakest thing about him.
One day a big Mi'asourlan was brought
to Jhe hospital. He had been wounded in
one of the frequent skirmishes with, the
prowling yuerrila bands up in the moun
tains. It chanced that he bad had a- pet
monkey over la the . barracks, and the
heed steward weakly allowed blm to bring
the beast along. Perhaps the steward had
a sneaking; hope that the new monkey, a
big. husky fellow, would kill the Corporal
In combat, or at least chase him off the
premises.
But that was where the head steward
miscalculated. The big monkey tried hard
enough to oblige the steward, but when tbe
Corporal got through with him the build
ing was filled with cries of a beaten bully
and loud, broad swear words as they are
sworn In Missouri. There might even have
been a persona encounter between tbe big
sfiesourlan and tbe Corporal had the rest
of ns not Interfered.
The result of that fight was not at all
gratifying. Missouri's monkey recognised
one who could lick him. and ho truckled to
the Corporal ever afterwards. The two be
came as thick as all bad characters usually
are, and combined In warfare against pub
Bo decency. Of course, the Corporal . was
always the leading spirit, bnt In his new
companion he found an ever-willing to
nompUce in all his nefarious schemes
gainst oar general peace.
Where those two scamps spent their
. nights we never knew. They always dis
appeared at dusk, and only' showed up
again with, the dawn of the next morning.
The natives said they roosted In a big
Kongo tree that stood in the ptasa, but we
never knew one who could confidently stats
that he had seen them there.
One morning when the shell blinds were
opened the two rascals bounded In. but not
lone. They had with them a third mem
ber of their tribe, big; black, obstreperous
looking fellow with; shaggy white whisker.
Where he hailed from we never knew, but
we all felt convinced be had been ban
ished for bis misdeeds from some com
munity of bis kind np the mountain side
where the Jungle was especially thick, and
that he liad come down to Join fortunes
with the Corporal, whom be had evidently
recognized as a fellow after his own heart.
It waa only week after this that the
Corporal's disreputable band was increased
by another recruit, who looked every bit ss
ruffianly as tbe rest. W named him the
Rake, because he kad tke permanent ap
pearance of having been out all the night
before, given him by kis mangy coat of fur
and one eye gone. Then he had rolUnjf
sort of gait which suggstd a chronic stst
of inebriety.
Mor did the Corporal cease t Increase kls
follow lug hero. On by one more monkey
of various' atees and kinds appeared, alik
nly In their on quality of being disrep
utable, troublesome characters. We thought
when the number reached seven thnt t he
Corpora I would have enough regard for
military rule to put tke limit there, but
they kept en coming vntil they numbered
nine. There were monkey everywhere: in
the trees outside, on the fenoes, In the bal
cony, on the roof and on the stairways. It
is true thut only the Corporal til motif and
Missouri had the audacity to make them
selves at home In the wards. The others
kept at least a respectful distance, bnt
they were ever within hearing distance.
The hospital soon became known all over
northern Luzon as a resort for outcasts
of the monkey tribe. When our chief went
down to Vigan for medical stores, they
asked him there if he hadn't better apply
for a license to keep a thug's drinking re
sort, which his hospital establishment
seemed to he. He couldn't convince them
that the Corporal's crowd was abstemious
in tho matter of hard drinks. They seemed '
to have the Impression down there that
we all Indulged tn nightly carousals and
that wo men were not a bit more rerpect
able than the Corporal and his gang, Thus
the rumors grew aa they spread, until the
reputation of. our establishment suffered
considerably.
Let me tell of one of the many Incidents
wherein the Corporal brought us all Into
disfavor with the citizens of Ban Ramon
and obliged us to undergo the Indignity of
having our personal honor assailed. It
came about thrtmrh one of the CorporaTg
raids on a local storekeeper. '
This was at a time when I had suffi
ciently recovered to go down Into the
plaza sometimes and sit on the big
stone .bench by the bandstand. It was
late in the afternoon one- day, and I was
sitting there breathing in the fresh breeze.
I had a fine view of the hospital gateway
and the corridor leading Into the stairs
Suddenly from a small side entrance I
saw a figure appear In the gateway. It
was the Corporal and ho stood alone, erect,
alertly surveying the .plaza before him.
Then he advanced cautiously, and behind
him appeared first a face, then the figure
of Missouri, and after him came Whiskers
and then the Rake, and one by one the rest
followed In single file, ever alert, uttering
low, conversational grants. I knew their
methods well enough to realize that they
were about to carry out one of their many
plots against the public happiness of Ban
Ramon.
They advanced across the plaza sheltered
by a row of bushes, passing within a few
feet of me with an utter disregard of my
presence that gave me painful sense of
complicity. They went slowly along In
single file, the Corporal leading, until they
bad crossed the plaza and were hidden In
cramp of tiger lilies that stood opposite
the fruit ttenda of Jose Ram Ires. There
they remained some time, so quiet that I
wondered what their tactics would be. Now
and then the- shaking of a Illy stalk told
me they were still there,
Suddenly two of them leaped oat, the
Corporal and Whiskers, and advanc?d
boldly across the road and made a dash
for the ttenda. Each grasped a ripe banana
and with loud cries retreated down the
road. Old Jose, attracted by their noise,
rushed out and after them down the road,
yelling in hie high falsetto and 'shaking a
big stick.
Meanwhile 1 had kept an eye on the tiger
lilies and presently I saw the seven other
of the band emerge on all fours snd with
shrill screams make a dash for the fruit
stand. Some grabbed eggs, some bananas
and mangoes and nuts and oranges. From
Inside the tlenda came a woman's scream
and Jose's old wife emerged with a broom,
desperately trying to beat off the maraud
ers and shrilly crying for help from the old
man, who by this time had been Inveigled
quite n distance down the road. Hearing
bis wife's screams he turned and came
pelting back to her assistance, but not be
fore the seven thieves bad successfully
made off with all they could carry and had
upset basket of eggs in the ska-mien.
The way those rogues scurried across the
plana Into the hospital grounds was sur
prising', and the last, I saw of them tbey,
were disappearing over the. gable of tbe
tile roof to security beyond. "Then; I got
back to my quarters as soon ns pooBlkie
before old Jose should see men snd accuse
me of complicity in the robbery.
It was one night about a week after this
that I could not sleep. The air was humid.
Through the square shells of the blind
enme a mellow flow of tropical moonlight.
I started for the door to the balcony, think
ing tbe air might be fresher there. In do
ing so I passed Pedro's cot. It was empty.
I was a Utile surprised, as he was. still
quite crippled, but expected to find blm
out on the balcony.
He was not there, but I soon forgot Pedr
In tbe beauty of the moonlit aoeaery so '
briLiant that the birds chirped where they
roosted. Every leaf of the big mango tree
close by shone out clear n the yellow light
sgatnst a black background of deep shadow.
The whole had a dreamy, somnolent effect
on. me. snd I think I drooped ever the rail
ing, dosing, when suddenly a. sharp cry
woke me.
From far out in the Jungle came tke cry
again. Then a rustle of leaves, and on tha
fsr side of tbe mango tree I saw a black
object shoot up out of the shadow into the
lower lfarrbs. I heard tke snap of twigs,
the boughs nearest me shook and the black
object flew out and landed' on the railing
beside me with a thump. It was the Cor
poral. "Hello; Corporal; what are you doing eat
at this time of night T" I asked.
- But he was too busy with other things to
answer my greeting. Taking- a seat firm
on the railing with hie hand-like feet, he
began industriously to examine and analyse
some object he held In his hand. ' Be bit it
--then swore, monkey fashion. It was
hard. I reached out and grasped a long;
narrow black tape which hong to the cor
poral's prise. With a crisp bark he dropped
It, turned once to me, then shot upward
and outward into the black shadows of
the tropical foliage. II was gone.
I examined the thing I held In my hand.
It was a birch waterproof cloth hatband.
Attached to it was n three-cornered piece
of brers, with cloth trimmings like
rosette. . It looked familiar. I had seen
something similar before. I tried to re
member. Then I knew.
It took me less than two minute to
reach the major's quarters, and In another
I had him up and he was looking at what
the corporal had given me. On the black
band. In big yellow letters, we read: "BrV
gad a do Tlno."
It Is a fine sight to see men respond to
(Continued on Pag Btxtsw),)