BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 491, 23 September 1899, Page 1 (Supplement)

BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

A FEW years ago a mob surrounded the courthouse in C , a Western American town, and did {considerable damage ; among other things setting fire to a part of tho structure and destroying valuable records. Tho State militia was hastily called out, and Company A, consisting of CO men, was hurried by special train from adjacent city.

The citizen soldiers arrived in C just after fork. Tho mob had heard of their coming, and rushes to tho station to meet "the boys" with sticks and stones.

Tho column was formed in tho car shed, but when tho soldiers got into tho street they found it blocked with a raging mob, and were m et with a volley of sticks, stones, and bricks. The captain feared to advance, called a halt aud finally ordered a retreat. Tho company scattered in all directions except towards the mob, and oaruo homo in any sort of train that rolled in that direction. Only two men remained-.the first lieutenant and a small diummerbay scarcely 1G years old.

Ai'tor the flight of the captain the command passed to the young lieutenant. He tried to rally the others, but to no purpose. He told the drummer boy that his orders were to report to his colonol at the county gaol, and ho proposed to do .so, even if he had to go alone. The drummer declared that he was ready to obey orders. The lieutenant then dew his sword and ordered his " company " to advance. Tlio li' tic fellow made his drum fairly rattlo as the two inarched out into the face of the crowd. Whether tlio mob disdained to attack so small a "oumpany" or admired its courage -will never "be known, but the facts are that they actually escorted tho lieutenant and his " drum corps " to tho county gaol, giving them tho eafest sort of convoy. After the trouble wag over and the lieutenant had returned home, a friend asked the young officer how he over found tlio courage to do a thing so foolhardy, liia reply was as follows. " To tell you tho truth, I don't deserve all thia credit for bravery- I was just as big a coward as the rest of tho boys, only in a different way—l was more afraid to go homo than to face tho mob. Father is an old regular-array man and knows only duty. If I had shown tho whito feather, disobeyed ordors, and sneaked back, father wouldn't have done a thing but take me out into the back yard, tie mo fast to a tree, step oil' about ten paces, draw a 32 calibre revolver, and simply shoot mo full of holes. 1 preferred to take my chances with tho mob. I knew what father would do. "