The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-04-02
JOYS OF ARMY LIFE

Sans LtVery-brlet out NARROWING NJ
count of Hard Work, Dreary Expert
enoe After Desertion, Arrest and Dis
charge.
New York Sun.
The following story was told by a
young man who had deserted the Unit
ed States army;
II was born and raised in New York
City. | ran away and became q
tramp. The summer OF 1888 found
me in Chicago, and oneday | made up
my mindt to quit tramping and join
the army. On the 18th day OF Sep
TENDER, 1888, | enlisted in Troop d,
First United States Cavalry, and q
happy boy I vas that day to think of
the glory Of brass buttons, sabr6s, car
bines, drills and battles that was in
store for me, to say nothing of $13
per month and my rations. In view
OF the fact that | had been strapped
and begging for some months, l con-
sidered I had struck a gold mine.
81 got my uniform and accoutre-
ments in Chicago, and hung around
there a couple OF weeks, feeling good
and waiting for orders. l went West
on the 10th day of October. ! al
rived at Fort Ellis, Montana, and
there | stayed eight months. II live
q thousand years / shall never forget
my experience there. The fine notions
l had formed of army life yam
ished in a jify. How long do you
think a plain tramp like me could be
happy getting up at daybreak and
grooming horses two hours every
morning before breakfasts Yes, sir; it
is a cold fact that /, heretofore a man
of leisure, a hungry one, to be sure,
but yet a man of leisure, had to go to
the stables every morning after re-
veille, and groom horses about two
hours. / have had this thing to do
many a time on an empty stomach
when the thermometer was twenty
five degrees below zero. We break
tasted between Z and 8 o'clock on
hash, bread and coffee; the fare was
always the same-hash, bread and
coffee for breakfast, pork and beans
for dinner. I'll bet I've eaten enough
hash to run a clearinghouse a year.
But I don't complain about the ra-
tions; l had Jared worse before /
turned soldier. After breakfast we
were ordered all hands out to police
which meant to clean up quarters,
rake off the snow, and straighten up
things generally. Then came the time
for saving and hauling wood. Wecut
all our own wook by mulepower. The
mule worked a treadmill and cut the
wood that way. At last / sefrom a
groom to the more aristocratie rank
of a scullion. ! washed the dishes in
which the hash had been perpetrated.
But my mental duties as a soldier
were not relaxed. Just why / had to
stand guard over a haystack two
hours at night, when it was 40 degrees
below zero / never knew. But Ididit.
But | had one consolation-my relief
Jared worse than | did. He wore
heavy underclothes, afatigue uniform,
a blouse and a big buffalo o%vercoat,
two pairs of wooden socks,
army boots and fur-lined over
shoes, gloves and ear muffs;
he walked constantly during his two
hours watch, and drank a quart of
whisky to keep his blood in circula-
ton, and yet his ears and feet and
hands were frozen as hard as iron.
~ had been in the service four
months before / received a cent of
money; my clothes lad cost all my
pay. Then / received SIT. That was
In January, 1884. The next pay | re-
ceived was in May. Then / received
$24.5O, my full salary for two months
less fifty cents for the Soldiers Home
and 81 for & broken bowl. During
eight months service l received SAL
&C. made up my mind 20 make
room In the service for some other
patriot. On the night of May z,
1884, shortly after taps, / leftthe
Fort and the army forever. The
snow was falling thick and fast. 1t
was very cold. | went direct to Boze-
man and bought some citizen clothes.
/ met a cowboy who gave me an old
sombrero for my soldiers cap. Then,
with only So in my pocket, / began
my long Journey to New York. / be-
gan to climb the Rockies at midnight
and walkedforty-ive miles through the
snow. ! stopped at a hut next dayand
gotsomethingto eat. Then / thought
would try the railroad, and bribed q
brakeman on q freight train to let me
ride in q box q to Fort Lincoln. A
negro regiment was stationed at this
place. Our troop had passed
through there on its way West, and |
did not care to show myself at day.
light. So ! went o couple OF miles out
OF town, and slept llday under a hay
stack. got very hungry toward night,
and went to a house and asked for
something to eat, offering to pay for
It. The woman OF the house told me
could have supper il / would