Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-29
UNDER A SCORCHING sun.
The Life OF the Trooper at Fort
Robinson Hot One.
OLD SOILS MeRcILEss RAYS.
A Coat of Tar ana Feathers Admin
istered by the Citizens of
Barneston to n Disrcpu-
Couple. ~
A Warm Engacement.

NtutD kNuBuSb lN,pCOiahoO hhN'Shhsl
An August sun is beating down to-day from
a cloudless sky ON Camp George Crook.
Dickens description OF the heat in Mar
seilles, with which he opens .sLittie Dor
ritt," would family picture the effect of the
sun on the treeless valley in which the
troops are camped. The ground is like q
frying pan as the infantrymen, tramp across
the cracking grass with perspiratlon on their
brows and profanity in their hearts. Even
Colonel Blunt, perennially cool, looks flushed
and uncomfortable as he puts hrs command
through the evolutions of brigade drills, in
which they have shown such efficiency. As
for the captains, they growl in subdued tones
and wish that Camp George Crook was in
well, anywhere else than where 1t is. The
buttes reflect the glaring sunlight and the
white canvas sends it back to the buttes.
The brigades are now dripping mass. The
black faces of the cavalry shine like polished
ebony and the horses reek with sweat as
they gallop with their riders in the Intricate
evolutions of regimental drill, Four hours a
day of this work with the thermometer so
high that the and Of a step ladder is needed
to read it Is binding business. But in addi-
tion there Is the daily routine of camp work,
beginning with reveille and ending only
with taps which, comes in with dawn and does
not close with dusk. 80
The camp has now settled down to its work
and the machinery runs smoothly, At de-
partment headquarters, which the stationery
informs us, and correctly, Is "in the field,
General Brooke and staff issue and deliver
orders with as much sang froid as IL they
were occupying their elegant quarters inTHE
BEE building Major Vroom occupies a tent
adjacent to General Brooke on the right and
DR.. Bache flanKs the department commander
on the left. Each of them are six feet tall and
so is Captain Richards of the Sixteenth infant
ry, who is quartermaster for the camp an d
in general demand everywhere. Leutenants
Roe and Truit, aides-de camp. complete
General Brooke's official family at division
headquarters. The ladies at the post pro-
nounce it a remarkably fine looking military
aggregation, and so it is, from the soldiery
and handsome commanding general down.
But that Is something none of them can help,
| and lit has to go'' even in a camp where
looks and starch and frills are not expected
to count General Brooke's headquarters
are as simply equipped as those Of any off,
Ger in the camp. His mess is as plain as the
plainest. He is rarely in the post but re.
mains on the field and transacts all depart
ment busnes amid the surroundings of the
camp. Chief Clerk Davis and his assistants
find enough to do to keep them busy and are
agreed that camp life is no picnic.
Major Dallas Bache, the medical director,
is comparatively new in the department but
is well known to the entire. medical corps,
His name would introduce him to any Phla-
delphian, where the Dallas and
Bache families have been sF F's" for
generations Hospital duties and daily in
| spectons fully occupy his ttme While not
such II fluent talker as Major Vroom, DR..
| Bache has fund of quiet humor and quaint
expressions which make him "a most compan-
| ionable member of General Brookes family
! and which will win him many friends in
a1,1 ,,sr 10 ilny iy, . a f,,fy
There are rurnors that the brigades IN sue
| cession will be ordered out of camp next
week to engage in warlike maroeuVres in the
| adjacent country. If the weather continues
| as hot as it now is there will be some grumb-
| ling soldiers and disgrunSled officers before
| the camp closes. Many already begin to
wish that they had staye1 at home and were
! as fortunate as those VINO succeeded in skip
| ping the hard work which they themselves
| are now undergoing. OF all the regiments
| here only two have anything like a full COM
plement of officers. None are quite as badly
| OFF as tho Third cavalry, which is said to
| have only one captain present for duty, but
| several are decidedly skeleton. Quite a num-
| Ter of officers found pressing reasons for
| foregoing the pleasures of camp life before
| the marching began, and like the invited
guests at the scriptural wedding, with one
| accord began to make excuse" Leaves
| of absence came out rapidly on the
| official tree, and excuses for 'family rea-
| sous" blossomed like flowers in the spring.
1t Is sale TO say tnaJ There are dozen cap
| tans and lieutenants absent from their com
| panies here who ought to have been present,
| and who would have been forced to be pres
ent in time of actual wars. That should be
the criterion of attendance in camp of
military instruction, and another year it is
| likely to be made so. One Of the strongest
arguments in favor of such gatherings is
| the opportunity afforded to test the efficiency
of officers. The theory of the army is that
permanent disability for duty can not exist
on the active list. A retiring board is the
| remedy. When old veterans like Captains
| Garritty, Worth, Bailey, Earnest, Van
Horne and fifty others who could be named
tramp and trudge uncomplaininglY through
| the wearisome marches and drills, there is
| no good reason why others at, least eg ually
| fit for duty should not join the procession.
OF course, there are adequate excuses under
| orders for a number of the absences. Officers
| must be left to guard the deserted fort and
| the sick reports show the cause OF absence
in several cases. But by, common consent
| there is considerable needless absenteeism
| One has only to look at the severe work
which General Brooke isgivIng his command
to understand the reason.