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. CHAPTER XIII