The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-24
HONEY AND SOFT SOAP.
The Captain Stood BY the Boys and Got
ITEM Out of a Bad Scrape.

4Ae1u Oub Oh a Da0 SCTapts
During the summer of 1862, while the
One Hundred and Ninth New York
regiment, commanded by Colonel Ben
! jamin T. Tracy. was guarding the Balti-
more and Washington railroad. with
| headquarters at Laurel, Md, the men, or
rather boys, would skirmish over the
country and would frequently return to
camp with fruit, chickens and young pigs.
| The pigs were nicely skinned and went for
rabbits. Soon complaint from the in
habitants reach headquarters and Colonel
Tracy issued an order forbidding the
| boys foraging We knew the order must
be obeyed or else we would suffer the con-
sequences. We mustered 1000, and the
majority were constantly bent on mischief,
and it seemed quite impossible to prevent
stuff getting into camp.
One night soon after the order was issued,
a squad of Company A went out and con-
fiscated two skips OF bees. After killing
the bees the skips were smuggled into
camp and taken to the squads quarters,
which consisted of a log pen covered with
canvas and large enough to hold ten men.
There the honey was squeezed out and
strained into the company's iron camp
kettles, the hives burned, and every par
ticle of evidence wiped out. The kettles of
honey were not so easily taken care OF,
however; they were hidden away under the
hunks
Early next morning the regiment was
ordered into line and Colonel Tracy and
staff appeared with side arms. The colonel
made short speech and intimated that
somebody had stolen two skips OF bees.
These few remarks caused several mem
bers Of Company A to squirm like towards
lodging bullets. / do not recall much of
that speech myself. but my mind wandered
away toward the honey. There seemed to
be no doubt in the colonels mind but that
those skips could be found, and. after or
dering the regiment to remain in Line, he
proceeded TO search quarters, as no one
volunteered to produce the skips. When
Colonel Tracy reached our company and
requested Captain B. 4. McAllaster. a
brave man, good soldier and who always
stood By the boys, 20 lead IN the search of
his company. assure ron the patriotism
of those members who were in is oozed
out
They finally reached the disobedient
squads quarters. and were not long in
finding the kettles. which were brought
cut. Colonel Tracy asked Captain Meal
laster, VINO, up 70 that moment, had be
lieved his company innocent what thoss
kettles contained The captain took ia
the situation and saw that sonsthing muSs
be done 70 save bis company from disgrace.
poked his finger into a kettle and tasted
the contents, and, instead ot answeriug
Colonel Tracy. rushed to the door and ex-
citedIy told his orderiy sergeant thAf be
had told the men in that squsd for the last
time 70 take that sinking soft soap out o.
those camp kettles. and oroe-ed them g
the guard house The colonel seemed %
Be perfectly satisfied and smiled a, Cap
tain McAllzster VIZ face. AID prooeeded
on ais tour - inspection TIE boney wa
rot found, eonseo zsntly the tssfs %as lad
70 some other regiment suf5es e 20 ssY
that Captain McA1isster was pge-ente,.
with a portion q That hooeY. Ithaca jour
IA.