Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-11-03
General SkoDeieH.

Skobeleff's care of his men, his personal
anxiety for their welfare and comfort, and
MS ceaseless activity in securing fer them
every advantage that can be wrung from
the horde of spectators in the supply de-
partment, were almost phenomenal. He
personally inspected their raiions and their
clothing, and sometimes when public funds
were wanting he secured comfort for them
by large expenditures of his own money.
in return for his care of his men he de-
manded of them, first of all, unhesitating.
untiinching, unQuestioning obj dence to his
orders. Ii he ordered a man TO do any
thing, whether immediate death was as
certain as the sun in heaven, he expected
to be instantly obeyed, without even so
much as a look of question or surprise.
Himself man of wide reading, speaking
many languages, and having travelled in
many lands, he gathered about him, IN mis-
personal staff, as rough and uucullured a
lot of men as lever saw in officers uniform;
bnt they answered his purposes for car
rying orders, and, as he said. If he ordered
one of them to ride his horse against the
muzzle of discharging cannon he would
do it Instantly. One morning that | Was
with him on a reconnaissance We came to a
small brook; an officer of Lis staff, with
whom he had had some cause OF dissatis-
faction just before, rode forward to try its
depth; while he was cautiously feeling the
bank another oificer-a Cossack-rode
towards it, and, as his horse dr:w back
piled both spurs and the whip with all his
force; the horse sprang forward into the
middle of the little stream, and as it was
very deep, though very narrow, both horse
and rider disappeared under the water.
There" cried Skobeleff to the other,
'that's the way | want my officers TO do
things"
''The first officer, greatly nettled, then
put spurs ID his horse, and though Sko-
belief, seeing his purpose, yelled at him to
stop, in an instant he aud his horse disap-
peared under the water. Both men were
then dragged out, dripping from their cold
bath. Every one laughed, and Skobeleif
was in tie best of humor.
Snow go home and dry your clothes.
You're both fine fellows (Vee Molode zee.
But, = turning to the first one, latter this
never hesitate in what you have TO do
''On another occasion Skobeleff heard
one Of his colonels, just as he was going
INTO action, trying to make speech TO his
men, but hesitating and stammering and
breaking down in it. He relieved him in
stantly. If at such moment" he said,
"a man can't find a few simple words to
tell his men what he expects them to do
then he don't know 1t himself. At that
moment a man can't lie; his heart will
speak If he have heart for fight, and if he
can't find words it is either because he is a
coward or because he has no notion in his
head of what he is going TO do"
Again, he punished his men without mer-
cy for the slightest depreciation on unarm-
ed inhsbiiants OF their property,
Not that care anything for these mis-.
cradle people-their sufferings are nothing
to those of my mer-blt they had no or
ders to do it. II it served my purpose, l
would give them village to plunder and
burn without a moments thought But
they must do it only on my order. want
them to feel that they are merely my crea-
tures-that they exist SIMPLY by my Will. !"
His personal bravery was not only Of the
most reckless character, but at times 1t
seemed to partaks of the mertkibrsvado,