The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-02-18
ARMY WRECKS:
An Ex-Army Officers Chat About Unfor
tunate Comrades.


tunate Comrades.
"You want to know why I gave the
Did fellow dollar?" asked an ex-army
officer on Friday as / questioned the
propriety of the donation that he had
made to a rather rough specimen of
humanity who had asked for money
enough to get him dinner I knew
that my friend was no more able to be
liberal in such matters than thousands
Of men whose first impulse is to help
street beggars. He resented my inn
piled criticism of his conduct, and after
time broke ont with the question
quoted above.
1.-THE case stands this way he said:
''there are men who ask me to help
them who can not get their own con-
sent to ask others. This is not because
am under obligations to them, but
because they know that / know the
stuff they are made Of Now, this poor
fellow was always down at the heel in
the army, but he was an exceptionally
brave man. have seen him do a great
many things that l felt at the time
could not have done. His one good
quality was his capacity to do the right
thing in time of battle or in time of
great excitement, and / have compli-
mented him scores of times upon deeds
of uncommon bravery.
"While he was in the army his
mother died, and his father made a dis
reputsble marriage. In the very last
year of the war his wife ran away with
a, al r.ix fox, J. rc1
| for went to the bad The first thing
this good father did when he left the
service was to use his pay and extra
bounty in prolonging disgracefal
spree. He got into all sorts of trouble
and disgrace, and no body cared to
have much to do with him. 1 found
| him sick and ready to die. Remember
ing what the man had been, and re-
membering the discouragements that
| met him when he came out of the sery-
ice. made an attempt to save him.
| 81 did save him in so far as prevent
ing him from becoming drunkard is
| concerned. but since the last engage
ment in front of Atlanta the man has
not had the spirit of squaw. He has
| worked hard, but nearly always at
disadvantage. When he gets down he
| comes to me because he knows that
| will understand that he is in need. He
is the sort of a fellow, you know. who,
rather than summit to any humiliation
from an old comrade, would walk on
| the pier and jump into the lake. My
| heart is sorely troubled over the ques-
ton of what we shall do with such men.
| "There is another type of the un-
fortunate soldier of a higher grade than
this that ought to be locked after. The
| young man who went into the ARMY
from the purest and highest motives,
who lost his health and strength and
capacity to do in the hard service of
| actual war, and who came out of the
service saddened, proud and high
| spirited, as only thoroughly edu-
Gated soldier can be. and took up the
1 burdens-the new burdens--of civil
life without murmur, with scarcely
| Eope--such man stands for a class.
| There are thousands of men whose
army education stimulated and culti-
waited natural pride that was very
| great. Their experience in the army
contributed also to the growth of sen.
sitiveness that has become morbid
Their struggle in life since the war
has not made them grumblers, but it
has. not blunted their sensitiveness.
| They have never asked for pension or
for favor of any kind. Some of them
are burdens to their family, or are de-
pending for their support upon appre-
ciative friends. They are dropping off
by the hundred every year, going down
without a murmur, without any credit
mark, with simply crooked leg or an
| empty sleeve or an ugly scar pointing
to q record of rare courage in the army.
1t is not strange to me that such men
would ritaer come TO an old conirade
for help than to go to soldiers home
or to the public. I can't explain it,
but can understand it, and SO [ gave
the man q dollar - Chicago Inter
Ocean.