The sun., 1891-07-12
DEsERrroNs OF ARMY oFY1oKRa
Only Twenty.one Descrtions IN Twenty-one
Yenrs-Cnnres of Ussertion.


Only Twenty.one Descrtions In Twenty-one
Years-Cnuses of Desertton.
WARRINGTON. July l1.-out Of the thousands
OF commissioned officers Of tho army who have
served during the past twenty-one years there
have been only twenty.one dosertets.
The last dosertion was that Of First Lieut..
BENJAMIN Samuel Viewer OF the Tenth In.
fnntry. His eopement with woman from his
post on tho Pacific coast was reported In the
press dispatches q few days ago. Almost in-
variably the root OF all evil" or woman has
been found at the bottom OF those desertions.
In Viewers case 1t was both. This was not his
first offence. He was court martialled In 1887
for conduct unbecompg an ofilcer and gem
tlemnn." The charge and specifications against
him were serious. and the sentence dismissal
from the army. Among the offences named
was giving San Francisco hotel man
nger bogus draft for 500 on bank
at PlattsburGh. N. Y. He was charged
with giving other such orders for money where
he had none to his credit and with gstting
money on his pay account when there was
none duo him. Ho also raised money by bor-
rowing from soldiers under him. and left his
post with woman of doubtful character
representing to fellow officers tha, no was of
on leave. and registering the woman Mt n hotol
In Vallejo. CaL rs his wlfe all these things. as
the military indictment has it, ito the public
scandal and disgrace OF the service" On April
z. 1887. the proceeding, Of the court martial
were submitted to President Cleveland. aad
set aside on grounds. nrst that the discharge
OF two members OF the court during the trial
was IN unauthorized proceeding. and could OF
be treated as n mere irreSularity; second. bo-
cause the testimony IN tho case tendeh to show
such absence Of wlful in'ent t. oiiend thut q
sentence loss severe should have been i'm
'ln, n htAr nf nun N n
rosre rciespe I" Ss rresdont re- COSeiana d was sn
the eXcus ng of two members. one on account
tho testimony. In tho latter case tho re ord
does Mt sn6w what excuse tn. member had
he as @ ns sua ned
for that reason resulted in his discharge. This
narr9w "seane does n2t seem @ to hase been m
deserted. leaving his ncconnts in nn uncertain
condition. The officers oil the army stationed
Of the .c,rrs. and they decline to discuss
Lieut. Viewer and mis- ehortcom nEs. ie Is
aGs ed on hs
Chill whore tho chaotic condition OF things in
forget how he has eXii.d himself II report is
true. lie will meet anot her American exile
uiSt. Major E. <. BnrEe. who is said id 10 have
le his gold hunting In Honduras and gone to
Chill. whore he has become l'almacedns right
gressionui rarty.
As the simple act OF resignation Is enough to
less and rrprehensible tor him to desert OF
the twenty.one Ieserter. n the twenty.ons
on se ns o gnE bsns
the south who dssiauItsd def in isss Fl B. HIT HIT.
ter Of the United states Army recentiy re:
The dsfauItins n oiiicer. making inquiries as 10
gwen As the oTenee was computed At dis:
man male his way into Mexico.
Twe,ye Of the twentyoue dcserters served
promoted TO- gallant or meritorious service:
One OF the most peculiar Of the cases was was that s
served creditahly in Tho war. He was nt his
. 81 holding mn honorable position. socially as
ws a' aSa Ses when wRs " hs him
be found for his iii. appearance. He was nd
that be Mau,iias S ho SHst OF AZ AZ
embarked on a whaling vessel bound for tho
southern Pacific. The. poor, follow was de-
msnted although ho is said to haze Az, made Gsr
%seaa!e s,S ssrk w in II tho Was Department ut
The statute on deserti.n says that an officer
absent from his post ,hrae months without
las
ty has taken the SUPPOSED destrter out o! the.
sight q 4 4 fellow men. through NO fault fault Of
hnxe pss bsss .ho 0fsves fs,o e' wn Mcc
Nss,steryi!le, who was dropped on June 2:
believed to have been, drowned. Ono Of tho
deserters was chief clerk Mt the army hend-
theatre. Hs was involvoI In debt and ho CON
clud,d to Quit the army without ceremony
Another: son OF clergymHn. obtained money
he'd lied from discirline: tys anit The army
Indifferent 10 the manner Of severIng their
connection with 1t. One Door follow fed out OF
e on &c cool e.shs s
land. where no Forwarded his resignation after
4 strange case was that OF n Lieutenant who 1
died in Warrington few years ago: lie had
,ss war and and had goo record "ter the war var
until 1876. when he was dropped for absence
bis post I coasse h
Without. saying word on the subject.
The deserters not % %enumerated ne forfeited
because OF "ruro cussedness or because
they were black sheer: Ihsy might have be:
very creIltabe to the army; Army officers
strongly obIect to any discussion OF the sub
sS ne M o e With
cases OF desertion. The facts IN the wever
Gaze were sn nppresSed for q long time and were
from army men,
But a. cities compare their mortality lists.
ono bo oastlng 1t ha. fewer deaths per thousand
States army Will make creditable compari-
son IN the matter Of desertions with any other
do not always end badly. 1t Is known In the
War department by few who have served
there q long time that there were four Gem
had deserted from the army before 1861. Ono
OF these was q Major -GeneTn There is moro
n g.
serted during the war and who became after.
ward tho Governor OF q State.
RAIDED By HIS FATHER.