St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-01-13
why the Boys Deserted.

A reporter of the New York Sun has
been interviewing some of the com
rades of the 3S boys who deserted from
the government training ship, New
Hampshire, at Newport, the other day
''HOw did they come to desert ~ the
reporter asked.
"The boys had short furlough on
shore, and they did not come back
that is all. They were on three ships
the Portsmouth. the Saratoga and
the Constitution, and they had sepa-
rately decided to leave when they got
"a chance, without conspiring together
at all. Nobody complains against
Commodore Lewis of the New Hamp-
shire. He was a regular father to us
all. But we who were on cruise of
the coast of Maine on the Portsmouth
last summer had tough time of it un-
der Capt. FAINT and Lieut.. Selfridge.
At anchor off one of the ports in Maine
the captain had some high h-toned Wis
itOrs, and when they came to see us
and asked who we were, he said, 'Oh,
they're wharf rats and at another
time he called us 'beggars' and
thieves AT Portsmouth four of us
broke our liberty and staid II hours
over time. Some others who were re-
fused permission to go ashore jumped
off and staid as long as they pleased.
All these were punished just alike.
We had to take two hours on and two
| off all night on deck and it was freez-
ing cold. Almost all the officers like
to show their authority before us, and
we are ordered about as though we
were cattle. If we had more privi-
leges we would be encouraged, but
we've only the position of warrant
officer to look forward to as the very
best thing to be obtained, and to be IA
bOatswain OF sail-maker is not the
most wonderful thing i'll the world to
live boy"
"Well, you knew about what you
were undertaking when you shipped,
did you not p
"No, we didn't, sir" broke in one of
the boys, fine, athletic fellow, with
flashing eyes. "There is the yacht
Wave, which sails up the Hudson, or
some other river, drops anchor, and
lies there for boys to admire her. Then
the officers talk so sweetly about some
of us coming some day to be a com
mander of such Il beautiful craft, and
it makes us wild to go to sea. We've
got Il nickname for the Wave-we call
her the Coaxer, or the Boy Catcher.
1t is supposed, too, that boys not un-
der Ii years old are taken on, but some
of us are only 10. Almost all of the
boys who ran away at Newport were
under I5."
The reporter asked the boys if they
had any brutal treatment to complain
of. "Well," said the leader, "there
was smart young fellow named Ike
Mason, from POughkeepsie, on cruise
with us two years ago from Fayal to
Halifax Oh the training ship, and he
was taken sick. He went to the doc
tor three times and was refused medi-
cine. A day or two afterward he died
of typhoid fever and was buried at
sea"
"ls your food satisfactory 2"
Satisfactory ~ exclaimed boy who
looked as though he might be a good
trencherman. II haven't had enough
to eat since I've been here. What's
mush and milk, hominy and salt pork
packed in 1862 You can smell il
half mile when it is unpacked. I've
lost 10 pounds since ! left the MinnesO-
ta."
''What do you consider yOur great
est hardship"
"Our debts, sir" instantly answered
half a dozen voices. .'Our uniforms
cost us S2l.50 when we go on board OF
the training ship. Our pay is small
and what through fines and cutting of
our money for little offences, some OF
us who have been two years in train
ing haven't a cent coming to us on the
ships books. A boy gets discouraged
when he gets so much in debt. He be
comes reckless, and we don't blame the
fellows for deserting."