St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-27
WHY HE rs A BACHELOR.

WIZ dbl lS a BAUAELOR.
HIS name is not Smith. It does not
sound anything like the every day and COM
mon name, but it will answer every purpose
10 call the hero of this little tale Smith,
and by this verbal masquerade brave and
popular officer of the United States army,
VINO. once upon a time, was stationed at
Fort Smelling. will escape the unenyiable
hotoriety which might follow the publica-
ton Of the facts in a very peculiar ey-
perlence at West Point. For the same rea-
son the name of the second most important
actor in the little drama will not be given.
but Will figure as Brown. With this pre-
urinary flourish of fiction so far as the
real names are concerned, l begin with a
true story OF q series of unusual occur
FENCES at West Point and the result.
Along III the sixties, after the close of
the wal, class of ''Plebs'' entered West
Point, which included in its membership
TWO young men, OF boys, who were the
perfect opposites of each other in every
respect. One was handsome, manly fell
low, with blonde hair, blue eyes and lorid
complexion. The other was most decided
brunette. One was tall and slender. The
other was short and heavy set. The first
was from the South. The second claimed
New England as his home. One was
named Smith. The other was called Brown.
Smith was hail fellow well met with
everybody and became very popular.
Brown was schemer and sought to get
everybody with whom he came in contact
under obligation to him. He sought to
rule. The two men were in the same mess.
Brown became very jealous of Smith and
c
! many ways that tended to strain the other
wise pleasant relations of the bows in the
mess. Things went on this way for some
time. or nearly half the first year. when
several little articles of clothing and Jew
elry disappeared. They were not Of great
value, but were in daily use and were, there
lore, missed. Everybody seem to lose
things but Smith. Brown commented on
this and. as might naturally be expected, a
| light took place between them. in which
Brown was most numerically whipped
Just before going into summer camp, one
OF the boys lost a ten-dollar bill. and it was
found by Brown during Smiths absence
| in Smiths book. or rather i'm the cloth COW
ering to one of his books. Smith came in.
| and the loss and discovery were made
| known to him. He appeared confused,
but protested his innocence and said that he
had never seen the money, and had not
| placed it in the book. The boys held a
| species of court-martial, and found Smith
guilty of stealing and of lying. They adj
yiSed him to resign from the academy, as
! they considered his conduct unbeco Ning a
gentleman and an army officer. He re-
fused to resign. Right uanfulIY did he
stand up and face the accusers and the bad
| looking state of affairs. and admit that ap-
I, h,,4
said that he was guiltless. .'If 1 resign. %
| he said to them, sit will be all acknowl-
edgement on my part that [ have been
guilty of stealing-Of being a thief-and
through life that will hang over me. | will
| die before l will resign"
The fact became known to the other
members of the class, and they all cut him.
An outsider does not appreciate the full
significance of the s'eut." 1t virtually
means that all his classmates refuse to have
anything to do with him. They refuse tc
even speak with him. When official duties
required communication, they addressed
him as ''Alr." Smith.
For three long years Smith remained at
West Point During all that time he never
| conversed with single member of his class.
In camp. in the barracks and in the mess
roon,3 he was stranger Hardly had he
the opportunity of using his voice, save in
recitation rooms, as the ''cut'' was most
| rigdly enforced, and no member of the
| class permitted himself to ask question of
Smith or notice an Interrogation propounded
by Smith. The latter suffered, as would
any boy OF spirit. Many times he felt like
| reslgning and giving up the fight, but the
thought that it would be an admission on
his part OF his guilt, restrained him. lie
| or I, i.
| the matter to the attention of the authori-
ties, but fearing that an official inyestiga-
| ton might result in his dismissal from the
institute, he gave it up.
Graduation day came at last, and he and
| his classmates were presented with di-
| plemas. The others enjoyed the closing
hop and german. They had their friends
and sweethearts there to enjoy it with
them. Although passionately fond OF
dancing he took no part in the festivities.
| at his earnest request his parents came not
to the exercises. He disliked to have them
see their son Stunned by all his classmates.
as he had purposely refrained from inform
ing them of the facts which resulted in his
ostracism. The saddest young man on the
grounds that beautiful June day was Smith.
who graduated in the artillery CORPS one
of the leaders of his class. AS soon as Dos
sible he left the Point without receiving a
! farewell or handShake from single class
mate.
| His commission arrived at his home in
| due time and he was assigned TO regiment
| in the Far West. He dreaded to go to his
new post lest the news OF his ''cut" should
have reached there. Sure enough the Off
GERS at his post had got wind of it, and a
| very chilly reception was the result AL
most desperate, the young officer longed for
| some Indian campaign in which he could
either retrieve himself OF be killed, and at
| times he cared little which result followed
He fell in love with young lady who
| was visiting at the post, the sister of fell
low officers wife, and had every reason to
believe that the feeling was reciprocated on
her part. He never had an opportunity of
ascertaining, for the young girls brother
in-law, his superior officer came to him
one day and in as polite language as posi-
BILE told him that under the circumstances.
referring of course to the old ten-dolIar
bill at West Point, it would be better and
more agreeable to all concerned if ''Mr. -
Smith would not call at his superior's quar-
tiers during the visit of the young lady.
Resignation again suggested itself, but
the reasons that impelled him to remain at
West Point prevented him from leaving the
army. An Indian campaign soon gave him
a chance to distinguish himself, as no off
Ger was drawer or took more risks than the
same unfortunate Smith. His life appeared
to be charmed, as he was in the thickest of
the fight and came out unframed. His
bravery was mentioned in the dispatches
and was read by Lieut. Brown, who was
on his deathbed in his old New England
home. Brown died.
Cbort1,, oftar bio lootl C,n;41,
long letter from him in which the writer
admitted that he (Brown) had stolen the
$40 and placed it in Smiths book, as also
the other articles which it was intended
should be found in Smiths possession. The
writer continued by saying that after the
affair had assumed such serious phase, he
was afraid to confess. as he knew that it
would result in his expulsion from the
Point 81 hated Youn continued the