The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-02-19


try, passed through yesterday ON his
way to Omaha.
Capt M. q. Wilkinson, Sd infantry,
stationed at Portland, Oregon, was an
east bound passenger yesterday. He
was accompanied by his wife, and des-
tined for Washington.
Lieut.. Schwatka has offered to place
at the disposal of her majesty's govern
ment the Franklin relics recently dis
covered by him.
A retiring board is now in session at
Fort Omaha. The board consists of
Brig. Gen. George Crook, Col. John II.
King, 9th infantry; Lieut.. Col. r. Will
liams, assistant adjutant general; Lieut..
Col. J. E. Summers, medical director;
Surg. W. II. Forwood, and Capt. C. S.
Roberts, 18th infantry, aid de camp to
Gen. Crook, recorder. Capt. c. b.
Western, 14th infantry, is before the
board for examination for retirement,
in consequence Of a wound received at
Fort Douglas last fall, in a private quar-
rel. Several officers from Fort Douglas
are ordered before the board as wit
nesses, and the probability is that the
whole subject of the quarrel and the
consequent shooting will be fully inyes-
tigated.
NGen. Crook has recommended the
abandonment of Camp Sheridan, Neb.,
and Fort Hartsuff, Neb., on the first of
May, 1881, as no longer useful to the
service. 1t is very expensive to main
tain so many small posts, and in the
above cases no adequate benefit is OBJ
tanned. Forts Sidney, Sanders, Steele,
Bridger, Fetterman, Hall and Cameron
could all be dispensed with, that is, con-
solidated into large posts at Fort d. A.
Russell and Fort Douglas, and thereby
make a great saving to the government,
besides rendering the troops more
available and more efficient
Cultivation OF Ambition Prevents
Drunkenness.
To the Editor of the Leader:
l have read an article in the LEADER
Of the 18th, from the Washington Re-
public, about army punishment, and
would ask leave to propose a remedy
for the prevention of drunkenness. 1t
could never be prevented by flogging,
and such cruel punishment would dis
grace not alone the army but the union.
l know from observation years ago
when this remedy was frequently tried
in extraordinary cases in the Swedish
army, that As a general rule a soldier
who had been tortured by fiogging
was considered unworthy of remaining
in his company, and was therefore
granted a discharge s'for his future
welfare.n At the present time such
punishment is not in use in the Swe-
dish army; barbarism has fled before the
tide of civilization, although that
country is not a republic but a mon
| archy.
The American soldiers are not slav-
ish subjects under royal rulers; they
are, in my opinion, citizens of the
United States who have been trusted
to serve as protectors for the frontier
sections of this great republic, and they
are supposed to perform their duties,
"not as slaves but as knights" That's
what the general of the army says. And
history does not speak of a single case
where a knight was sentenced to be
logged DE- having been subjected to
such disgrace, not sven by any of the
most tyrannical rulers.
l Joined our army in the month of
May, '76. 1 participated in every bat
tic fought by my regiment since, hay
ing been u daysin the service, and it is
still fresh in my memory how, when
duty demands it, the American soldiers
are ready to freeze, and starve, and
bleed and die in honor of our country
and its beloved flag. Ask the children
of our fsllen heroes if they should like
to see an English ''cat' or a Russian
"knot whip" as emblems in that stan
dard which their fathers swore to fol-
low TO victory or heaven" \
But II the government want us poor
fellows to go on a little spree
times, will sombody please tell us why
not abolish post traders saloons, and
thereby remove temptation from our
postsp These whiskey shops are gen.
orally kept by some livery r~eligious)
friends or relatives Of men in high
standing. We don't want any saloons;
such places are erected and kept on
our reservations, not TO our benefit but
to u ruin, and are just the very s'root
Of all evil" and because of that, many
an old hero after the expiration of his
term Of service can easier count the
few dollars on his final statement than
his months Of true and faithful service,
while these Druidical gentlemen, who
are keeping bar every day In the week
Except the day for Sunday schooD have
the benefit of the poor old mans drudg
cry.
1t is. Of course, impossible for such a
man to recover what he has given the
sutler, but it would be a very good way
to induce sobriety, and would be tene-
fetal to the service
If any man who had been sentenced