New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-26
RECR UITS FOR THE ARMY.
THE STRANGE LOT THAT DRIFT ISyo THE NETWORK
OFFICES.

THE STRANGE LOT THAT DRIFT INTO THE NETWORK
OFFICES.
AMEN wanted for tue u. = Army Is the le-
ernd which flies tackled 10 tbs end Of the Stars and
Stripes. from windo~ Of each OF the three recruiting
stations In this city The invitation looks 80 general add
aembracng. standing as It does without qualification
OF any KIND that n IA not 10 be wondered at that the res
pon,e. come from men OF all kinds aud from almost
every class OF life All day long sergeant lies In walt
nj the Dce the fishes that drop In one by
one attracted by the bait outside and when the captain
comes down In the morning he hnds days catch OF
from nys TO and-twenty men-a miraculous draught
drawn from all the natonaites that 10 to make ny
Ssg-York I'm fortunately. however. IL Is much easier
TO get men get good and though the plao
ard outside Is generously catholic. there are various
small formaties TO be through before recruit can
he accepted which result at the best or times In the re-
lection OF four candidates out OF every i've II IL not
only th-t has to be between certain limits OF age
and height and weight TO I've nc for seryce but almost
every supernuous encunibrance, from vile 10 tooth
ACHE suC disquaify him. Besides moreover. pass
ing through searching medical ninaion flor re-
cruiis have 10 all kinds Of cmaes be must have
had 40 ID aseerainable. respectable past But
though captains and sergeants land above all the
examining dootorl have by long experience become eI-
pert detectives many queer characters pass through The
O Hoes aud succeed In keeping their past mystery
Each Of course assigns protession trade or employ
ment 10 himself with great show Of candpr and In the
official lists almost all formally labelled coming
from this or that craft Thus OF the thousand
.sysn hundred ard odd recruits last year two thou
sand are accredited with being aborcrs quarter that
number through every calling. how
ever sedontary and unmaral till the tale winds up with
one saniaker and caker. After the most careful
sifting however. there still remains residue OF 445
miscellaneous from whom might probably be culled
n. odd O collection OF biographies as ever novests in
vented.
Now and again young fellows OF Enthusiastically good
birth and breeding and do all they to pretend
they are nothing OF the sort Only few days ago one Of
the CAPTAINS found waiting for hun among motley COLI
pany of weels young Kenuckan Of good fam
ly and we'll dressed. had through his money on
visit to New-York and was asian ed 10 apply TO MS
estiys. FOR more 20 e5urn noes aot s
ne-whcn he did and mas not come back to the once
the service from deliberate cholct and have every
eat OF dong their duty In IT, But moro nuner-
bIe class OF oafers-men who have tried most OF
living and found they all involve 100 much hard WORK
A. a last SQUIRE they enlist, for there IL common
faiacy ao t that soldiers lie IN those piping times
ehsny one OF idleness And TO this de.uson may prob
sSy he ascribed the otherwise xpcable number OF
run up to As many as thousand an
puay, Many are doubtless TEMPTED away by tAe
pc sitions ON the farms and in the mines which they
omen TO when they sent out west, from which
spce TO eep them back on soe Of the most nve
loafers, indeed. the imprisonment seems TO act
her US nducement than otherwise, and convicted
have been known to write from Leavenworth
Prison eIhortng her former comrades 10 40 sewse
when the easy life OF jail within their reach
No few however do not walt TO wi at the life
ia like but disappear nysteriou ly the very day after
appying-so forcing upon the officers the melancholy
con yicon that they have been hoaxed and that the
whole process Of application and medical examination
WAS gone through merely with view ~ securing the
one nj rht's lodging and meal Every morning, too
regnary as the Doctors visit the drunken applicant APP
pears sometimes he comes In tipsy; more frequently
Re has only been tipsy night and IL comparatively
sober in the morning; and sometimes he looks so quiet
and digned that only the doctors sEni eye can
ia not the man the Army wants. But thrusng, rs be
spms lines does three or four OF himself In during tho
morning. ne makes no small item In the officers work,
aud mixed up as he Is with miscellaneous collection OF
men OF all sorts and naonaites ho helpso make these
strange morning receptions at the recruiting stations
still more strange.