Then the talk was shifted to the war and other things. The chief tried to explain to Uncle John the problem of raising the army. He tried to bring home the war, across the thousands of miles of sea and land, to this old man sitting on a log in the western North Carolina mountains. He pointed out the purpose and the manifest fairness of selective service, taking all alike from all ranks.
Then they talked about the weather and the crops and the soaring price of corn “likker” and the growing scarcity of good white oak timber. The Chief went away. Uncle John, when he said good-bye, understood perfectly why the visitor had come to his cabin.
Several days later Uncle John appeared in the office of the Chief. He drew up a chair and remarked, “Howdy,” and sat gazing at the other man with about as much animation as an Egyptian mummy. Only his little snappy eyes under the bushy brows told of his alertness. The conversation was again about the weather, the crops, the soaring price of corn “likker” and the growing scarcity of good white oak timber. At length Uncle John hitched his chair closer.
“I kinda tho’t you all mought wanter know ’bout Tom B——,” he said. “I’ve done been out whar Tom is a-settin’ back, an’ he seed how hit is—an’ he’s a-comin’ in!” The Chief of the A. P. L. nodded. The thing was settled. They smoked for a time, discussed the weather, the crops, the soaring price of corn “likker” and the growing scarcity of good white oak timber. Tom’s name was not mentioned again. The Chief spoke quite casually of a few details that would naturally attend Tom’s “comin’ in.” Uncle John said he would attend to those matters. A little later he went away. And by and by Tom B—— came in and joined the Army.
These Southern leaders understood the mountain people. Their method of work was infinitely more simple than sending a posse out into the brush to round up a desperate man who knew how to shoot to kill. There were characters who needed other methods; but among the boys in the mountains, ignorance and aloofness were the common causes of their “stepping back into the brush.” To have called any one of them afraid to fight would have been the deepest insult possible to men of their race. Once in the army, they did fight—the records of the Army will speak as to that. There never were better or braver soldiers in the world, nor men more loyal and devoted to their country.
Olympia, Washington, had an interesting case of a deserter named G——, whose father made the statement that anyone who took the boy would have to come shooting. The house was searched but the boy was gone. The A. P. L. operative later became a game warden, and while traveling in the country ran across an empty cabin. As it was known that the boy’s father had taken out a trapper’s license, they thought that perhaps this cabin might be occupied by the deserter. It was in a swamp, built under overhanging trees, so it was almost impossible to find. There was no trail to the cabin, as the boy did not go in and out in any regular way but took different paths to avoid discovery. The operative and an associate went into the woods, found G——’s line of traps, followed them up and captured him in the woods. This deserter’s family would not buy Liberty bonds but said they would save their money for ammunition. The prompt and vigorous action of A. P. L. closed a case which was notorious in the vicinity.
A study of the reports of operatives engaged in League activities at the busy Birmingham Division, and indeed all over the country, shows an astonishing lack of anything like personal violence. It never could be told, however, where such an instance might break out. Only two or three cases of killing in the course of duty are recorded in the thousands of cases handled. One of these comes from a quiet little farming village, Morris, Illinois, about the last place in the world where anything of the sort might have been expected. It resulted in the shooting down, in the uniform of our Army, of Private A. J. K——, Company D., U. S. Infantry, a deserter from Rock Island arsenal. K—— had escaped from confinement at Rock Island with Corporal George S——. Acting Sheriff S——, who also was Chief of the A. P. L. at Morris, accompanied by Chief of Police A——, had been advised to be on the lookout for two deserters who were reported to be bad men.
The two men were on top of a box car when a train pulled into town, and were accosted by the Sheriff. They claimed to be government guards, and were asked to show their papers. A weapon was seen in S——’s pocket. The other man, still on the top of the car, covered the two peace officers and ordered them to keep away or he would shoot. At last the Sheriff managed to get the drop on him before he fired, but meantime the train began to pull out, so no shooting ensued at that time.
Morris wired Joliet to arrest the soldiers when the train got in. The man hunt now was on, because other officers down the valley reported the men wanted for desertion. The two fugitives left the train at Durkee’s Crossing and hid in the woods near the tracks. The Sheriff got a posse and following down the track, located the men and surrounded the wood where they were concealed. The chief got up to S—— unnoticed, covered him with a rifle and told him to come along, which he did. He then asked S—— where the other man was.
Just then, K——, who had not been seen, called to the officer to drop the gun or he would shoot. Some threatening talk ensued on both sides and K—— advanced, the officer still commanding him to drop his gun as he was under arrest. K——, in turn, demanded that the chief should drop his rifle, holding him covered fair all the time. The Chief then called for his men to fire. Patrolman Wm. M—— fired on K—— with his rifle, and K——dropped. He did not die immediately, and was taken to the hospital in Morris that night. The patrolman’s bullet passed through his left shoulder, cut through the lung, and lodged near the heart. K—— refused to talk. His companion talked more freely, and said that K—— was bad and had had a shooting difficulty in West Virginia. They had both been in confinement, and had escaped with the intention of going back to West Virginia. He said that K—— “was the best shot in the regiment, and was a ‘killer.’” That the A. P. L. Chief was not himself killed is nothing less than a marvel.