News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-03-20
ABUSED SOLDIERS.
SOME OF THE INDIGNITIES THEY
SUFFER.
Compelled to Act as Servants for
Their Officers.


Compelled to Act as Servants for
Their Officers.
The case of Dell Wild, writes a
Washington correspondent, the COM
mon soldier, who was so prosecuted
by his superior officer simply because
he objected to being made a nan of all
work, is familiar to verybody by this
time; but if Wild had not refused to
put up the shed and awning, who
would have heard of the case. Does
any one believe that this sort of thing
has not been going on for years?
Private Wild has sprung into con-
siderable prominence, but there are
hundreds of men in the service who
have been prosecuted as badly as he
and have never had the good fortune
to have had their case called to the
secretary's attention. A young lieu
tenant, who is old enough to have been
in one campaign against the Indians,
and who has seen something of life at
various army posts throughout the
country, in a recent conversation on
the case, said:
"Well, all one can say i'll the matter
is that this man Wild is pretty lucky.
Oh, l know all he has gone through,
but you must remember that his case
is. to be investigated and he is to come
out of it all right at last.
''Think of the other poor devils that
have been treated just as badly and
have never had anybody to take the +
part! | can remember how | felt
when l struck q Western post just
fresh from West Point and saw how
some of the private soldiers were
treated.
''There was man who had to wash |
dishes and do the odd jobs for a crowd |
of us youngsters, and vet / know that |
in point of education and breeding he
was at least our equal. Of course he
could have refused, but if he had he
would have had hard time of it.
''The man who is chosen for duty of
this kind and refuses is likely to have |
a hard time of it afterward if the Off |
GERS retain any spite. There are hun
dreds of instances in the army where |
men in the ranks are bullied and treat
ed meanly by their officers. There is |
hardly post that has not at least one
bully among its officers.
"Oh, know it is bad form for me |
to run down my own class, and | |
ought to say that perhaps a majority |
of officers are better toward the men |
than they really deserve; but what |
mean is that the case of this man Wild |
is only one of many which has been
happening for years, so far as petty |
and malicious persecution of men in |
the ranks is concerned"
This brought to mind story told me |
by Col. 7 Ga well known army |
officer, now dead) of an affair which |
happened at a post not a thousand |
miles from st. l. juis. 1t seems that a |
private who had served in the army of |
the rebellion and had afterward mar
ried woman younger than himself, |
was stationed at this post. For awhile |
all went smoothly enough, bat the
man finally got in quarrel with
fellow-soldier and was threatened |
with being expelled from the ranks
His wife, who was serving as laun-
dress at the post, went to the mans |
superior officer, Capt. B., to intercede
for him, and as she was good-looking
the captain took the matter in hand |
and the mans sentence was changed to
some light punishment.
AS the private and his superior Off
Ger had not been on good terms, the
atI1r or hn
officers action, and as Capt. B and
the woman were frequently seen to-
gether considerable gossip was started
over their relations.
Then the man was sent froGf the |
post on some work connected with the |
commissary department and his wife |
remained at the post. After some |
months had elapsed the man asked for
permission to return. The request |
was refused. He deserted and went |
to St. Louis where he sent note to |
his wife asking her to join him. His
wife promptly gave the letter to
Capt. B and the man was arrested |
and brought to the post in disgrace,
when his wife in turn went to st.
Louis and was afterwards seen there
u. >
The man was transferred to post |
in the Southwest and died of chagres
fever, and the woman came back from
st. Louis and became the captains
housekeeper. Everybody at the post
knew the real state of affairs at the
time, but the injured husband was the
one punished, while the only punish
ment inflicted on the really guilty
party was a social one. The better
people at the posts where he was sta
toned refused to associate with him.
The officer had "infiuence at the East,
and if any charges were ever filed
against him (Which is very doubtfuD
they were pigeon-holed.
Another case, which was told bv
civilian, was that of soldier who had
done what Dell Wild had done. He
was asked to become the servant of an
officer at Western post, and declined.
From that time on his life was made
burden. If there was any disagree
able work to be done it was assigned
to him. The man complained to the
ordination. He deserted and was
caught; deseltCd again and was again
brought back and was brand d with a
hot iron. A third time he deserted
and was never heard of again directly
until about seven years afterward {
when a letter was received from
friend of his, saying that he had gone
to Mexico and was then a rich man. {
The man who told this story added: {
"Nearly half the assertions that came ;
under my notice while l was contrac-
tor were caused by ill treatment of the E;
soldiers, and the wonder to me is, not {
that assertions are SO frequent, but
that any man, or at least an American, {
can serve five years term as COM '
mon soldier wit out deserving. Why, t
the men that shovel dirt in the streets {
live better and are better paid and {
used than the man that wears Uncle {
Sans gilt buttons and carries rifle l
-. a