St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-27
Capt. Pitman Says an officer
Should Never Strike
q Man.
If the Necessity Arose He
Should Shoot Him In
stantly.
A Globe Man Is Refused Per-
mission to See Pris-
oner Bly,.
Lieut.. Steele and Inside Facts
Of Garrison Life at Fort
Smelling.


opposition, and the sharp heel and toe
raps OF a pair OF army shoes in accom-
paniment to the discord, greeted re-
porter for the GLOBE as he entered
Company G quarters at Fort Smelling
yesterday afternoon. The blizzard that
ragged without was Of such ferocity as to
precluds the performance of any outside
duty, and the boys in blue were at
home to their friends. AS the GLOBE
man entered the company reading
room, half dozen soldiers looked up
from quiet game of 3inch in which
| they had been INDUCING, and stimuli
! taneonSly invited him to seat
Inquiries for ex-Priyate Wild, who has
been assigned to quarters with Com
pany G. met with the response that
Wild was in st. Paul enjoying his re-
cecently acquired liberty. he being no
| longer responsible to the officers of the
post for his time. Since his release from
the guard house, Wild has slept in the
quarters. assigned him. but has held
aloof during the day from the
| spot which is associated with
recollectlons the reverse of peasant TO
him. For several days after the OPEN
ing of the Jail doors through which he
walked free man, Wild seemed
scarcely able to believe his good fortune.
! Having realized, however. that he was
free to come and go as he pleased, sans
muSket, cartridge belt and the other
paraphernaIia of the service. Wild
wrote to all of his friends of the good
fortune which had befallen him.
and prepared to await as patiently
as might De the court martial on which
he will be the principal witness. AS
far as can he discovered, no expression
of opinion from Lieut.. Steele, or ex-
| PLANTATION of his connection with the
case of Private Wild, has been received
at the fort by any of the officers
stationed there.
Capt. Pitman, commanding the ord
nance department. in speaking of the
| case, said that he knew Lieut.. Steele
very well; he had been stationed at
Fort Lincoln, fifteen miles from Fort
Yates, and had met Steele often. He did
not care to express an opinion on the
case, as it was to come to trial. and the
court martial would prove who was to
blame. Certainly. if Steele had struck
the soldier, as was alleged, his action
was highly cupable and contrary to
military law. He knew, however, from
personal experience, that a private
could bs extremely. almost unbedrably.
insolent in certain way and still be
within the letter of the law. There was
no excuse for the striking of a man 10y
an officer. Personal violence was last
re ort. If the necessity for any such
action by an officer arose, the officer
should never strike the man with his
hand; he should
SHOOT HIM INSTANTLY.
He knew nothing of the details Of the
Steele Wild affair except as Wild him
self had told or it, and therefore was
not in position to form an opinion,
even in his own mind, as to how far the
officer was IN error. He was acquainted
with the plan of the barracks at Fort
Yates. There was the same long line
of buildings as at the other frontier
forts, and he could we'll imagine the
leaky roof which prompted Steele's
order about that piece of canvas. Wild's
refusal to nail the stuff to the roof of
the officers quarters might have been
an insUleHt one; of course no one could
say that such was the case, still it might
have been. There was still no excuse
for the assault. From what he had seen
of Lieut.. Steele while at Fort Lincoln he
thought the latter good officer.
When spoken to with regard to Bly,,
the soldier WHO was sentenced to one
years imprisonment and fined S120 for
allowing three prisoners to escape
while he was on sentry duty, Capt. Pit
man refused to comment on the case.
Great sympathy for Bly, is expressed by |
the men in the various companies. The |
fact that the prisoners had made their |
escape prior to Bly's going on guard |
should, it is thought, have made his |
sentence less severe. The officers hold. |
however. that the sentry should |
have assured himself that his priS-
oners were in their hunks be- |
fore taking his post Bly, relied on |
cto "a
lieved that the prisoners were all there. |
Events proved that three dummies had |
been placed in the hunks of the escaped |
men, aud it was for allowing himself to |
be thus deceived chat Bly, received SEN
tence.
A visit to Col. Mason's quarters for
the purpose of securing all order to visit |
Bly, in the guard ouSe revealed that |
that officer was absent from the fort |
Col. Jewett, who is in command In the |
absence of his superior, was called |
upon and asked for the necessary per-
init. Col. Jewett replied that he would |
not issue the order. Bly,
WAS A CONVICT,
and he did not think it his duty to allow |
interviews with cOnvicts.
The reporter represented that Bly's |
case had become public affair, that the |
public was interested in it, and that !
press representatives had been allowed |
to see the man last week.
Il know that" replied the command
ing officer, land also know a great deal |
of njustce has been done through the |
press recently. / see that but one side |
of these cases is published, and that |
one exaggerated. Col. Mason is in COM
mand, and il but temporarily absent. |
For my part refuse to admit you to the |
guard house. Col. Mason might SEQ fit |
to do so were he here
In explanation of the fact that but !
one side of these cases has been heard, |
the reporter cited the man.
ner of Gen. Ruger and the officers under |
him when approached by any of the |
newspaper fraternity regarding the |
Wild case or any similar matter.
Col. Jewett replied that lie did not |
wish TO discuss the Wild case or any |
other He had not seen the court mar
tial proceedings. and no opinion could |
be expressed until the details of the |
matter were understood.
The prisoner Bly, seems to have lost |
all interest in life since his confinement. |
He goes about his daily routine Of labor |
in a mechanical way. seldom speaking |
except to acknowledge an order. his |
face bearing an expression OF hopeless
ness such as is seldom to be seen in this |
country. He seems fully to realize that |
there is but little hope of reprieve for |
him. Of all the men confined in the