The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-09
THE REcLUsE or BEDLoE's ISLAM
His Army Record. Habits. and Oddities-How
he Once stopped Duel.


The most eccentric man in the United
States army is Col. Martin Burke. an officer on
the retired list, who occupies quarters on Bed
loe's Island. "od Martin Burke" az be has for
many years been called In the service, IL de-
crepit, little man, with stopping shoulders, a
round, rudy face, a grizzly gray beard, and a
bullet head, wbttened with yeats Of pat lotto
service. His military record reaches back nearly
TO the organization Of the army. He was pro-
NOTED from the ranks to a second ueutenancy
IN the Eighth Infantry In the beginning Of the
year 1870, and was transferred the following
year to the First Infantry, and In lS23 to the
Third Artillery, In which he became First Leu
tenant In 1923, and Captain in 1893. He dis
tinRuished himself In tue Mexican war, and WIS
specially mentioned for his behavior at the bat
ties Of Cero Gordo, Contreras, Churuousco, and
IA Molino del Rey, receiving the brevets Of
Major and Lieutenant Colonel In 1Sf7 In 1861
he was promoted by seniority to Jieutenant-Col-
onel of the Third ARTILLERY. and In 1896 received
| the brevet Of Drigadier General IN the regular
| army.
| In 1853, when Fort Lafayette was selected by
| the War Department as a military prison, Col.
| Burke was assigned to lis command. The duty
was exceedingly distasteful to the old gentle :
man, but no better man could have be u select
ed for the place. He - strict oonstIuctonist,
| embodyipV his notion OF military emciency IN
In Washington that he would inhexibly ex-
ecute every instruction he received, aud thai,
| Whatever might be bis personal liking for any
particular ptive under his care, he would treat
him precisely "a he was ordered to-a point
quite important to gain at n time wnen 50 many
| Irlmiuent men, Including nunb ers OF old army
officers, were falling under the GOvernments
| sus piCiOn.
| The Imprisonment at Fort Lafayette Of the
| Baltimore Police Commissioners marked an i'm
| pot mt epoch IN Col Burke's experience. An
| q
| habeas corpus, nut the War Department IN
| structed Col Ijurke not to allow tue writ TO he
served. FROM that time he held himself In as
| close custody as any OF the prisoners under his
| charge. hie mind was con-tantly on the rack
| lest he might be entripped into allowing the
| Shenn tn land at the fort unawdres in Urder TO
serve the writ. ana he mel her rested quietly
during the daytime nor SLEPT soundly at night
| under tue strain. In tue spring of 1853 he was
allowed to t.ke quarters in Fort Hamilton, 81 III
| retaining his functions az commandment OF Fort
Having been many years widower, his habits
| In garrison we're as simple as when serving In
| tue held. Tue furniture III his apar tments con-
| sisted uf camp cot, "a coversss table. and a
wooden seated onair. lie always cauped cut,
| whether lodging IN or out OF doors.
| The hi monthly muster day was the season OF
| his greatest glory. Tue troop, were generally
| assembled Tor ulster ~ A. NJ, but the
| doughty old Colonel woulJ be- out ON the parade
| busting aboutus earlv ~ u'c'ock. dressed tfor
those occasions onlv) IN bis iuil uni otm. lhis
was chiefly conspicuuus for being sufmounted
| with "a dress coat which he had worn in the
Mexican " r, and the blue cloth OF which. under
"
color. On tue front Of nis shoulders. almost To-
visible from the SIDE OF rear, he wore poir "
| equally q iaui1ated epauIettes. tie was marked
| aiscter IA every way, ana no person VINO ever
saw D. Will forget his little bet nxufe tto tinx
i'm ~ along the ra'ouarts as lie cautiously
scanned the horizon with his ncld u IFS IN search
| OF SheIins and sherlns' officers. lie was . blt OF
aw IN H. ose days, and not only reiisned joke
| Out could NJ ke one himself.
| On one occasion two officers Of the Twelfth
| Infantry became engaged In a hot quarrel
which apparently could not oo appeased vii h.
| out bloodshed on ono side or the other. Col.
| Burke managed to have tue uelllgereui c IL at
| his quarters, separstely where he exhibited to
| e8cn visitor with great unctiOn handsome pair
| of dueilipg pistols, which be asserted never
failed 10 Kill their man! LAYING the weapons
| down carelessiy, the ColOnei announced M, IN
| tentioB Of being absent tor the ext twenty-fOur
| hours. and did actually establish himself ia the
| the pistols b d not been rem owed from where b.
had placed tbem-and the quarrel was IN d fair
Sherman, Ia his - Memoirs," says: "old Mar
thu Burke used to declar. tnat many "A good fel
low had been ruined in lie by the habit VI pay
| ing his de " u
Col. burke continued to reside at Fort Ham
iltun until Just after the New York riuts OF 1883
fui " volunteers retain.d for guard duty. one
d,y as the only officer ON duty at tue post was
passing out OF the fort he encountered fOuI
uuriy Ied-iaced men, who asked to see Col
II .rhe. Requesting Them 10 wait until the Col
| ouel could u nuIi1ed, tue officer stepued inside
| and doubled the sentiies al all tns entrances Ia
| the fort. The visitors found themselves unable
To enter, and one OF the party said tnat he was
| tue Sherln OF Kings county, and that he should
20 into that fort n IL required the whol,
| rec Of his county 20 effect an entrance. lie
apparently oooisd Oh afterward. rs the next da'
| De made n earn that he hal examined the AZ
| pro cues To Font Hamilton and was convince,
| that Tue power OF Kings county WAS made Quat'
| to force an entry. Meanwhile tue Oh or tele
graphed the occurrence to Gen WOOIs head
| qIafteis Ia this city and = oespatch was instant
| liz returned ordering Col Burke back to For
| LatayeLie. lie had not heard OF the Sherin'
| attempted visit, but wien ne received the de
| spatch he started forthwith to oheN II. We RIM
torn calico dressing gown, atkull cap and Flip
pers, and leaving bis orderly 10 prlng over, later
hi- camp cot uniform coat AMI can.
Siuce the cluse Of the war Col Burke has re-
sided continuously at Fort WOOD. On IL Il loe'
Island, snd when be was permanently re- tired b.
obtained PERMISSION frOm the War De- artmen
to remain there IS long AS lie chose. lie seldom
leaves the island. He lives almost entirely b
ntulself, his only indugences being his pIpe an'
an occasional tOddy lh- French sta u- OF iib
| erty which - to I've erected on Beuioe's Islam
viii occupy the site Oi the present furt, an
| should Col. BurAe ave un.il that work l. begu
| no vii PROBABLY lie turned out 81 that yaI
ticular spot. but no will sNll be able ~ live v
as beloved island.
INDIAN TLRRITORY NEWS
IIowOur More Tractablc Wnrds are Gettin