The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-26
STATE SOLDIERY.
Fraud Charged i'm the Target
Practice Returns.
Smoking and Breaking Ranks Before Parade
Is the N, G. c, a Luxury7-A New
Staff Position.


be that Court of Inquiry may follow. For
three years in succession now there has
been a scandal in connection with these re-
turns of the target practice, or the manner
of the practice. The alleged fraud this time
is in the Fifth Infantry Regiment
1t appears that in general orders from the
Adjutant Generals Office, dated December
Is. 1890. and giving the list Of members of
The n. G. G., who having made the required
scores for the year are entitled to the pre-
Scribed decorations, the champion shot in
the division is stated to be Corporal A. A.
Berlin of Company Petaluma) Fifth In.
fantry, with the score of 43. points at the
qualifying or first shoot and As at the sec
ond.
The fact is first claimed that there is no
man named "B0rlin' in the company, but
there is one holding such rank and his name
is "Barlim." But this circumstance is a
triaing one and may be accounted for on
the theory of a typographical error, which
1t undoubtedly is. But more serious cir
cumstanc6 in connection with the matter is
whether one or the other, or either of the
scores credited to him Was ever made over
a range
Neither the name of Berlin nor Barlini
can be found of record as that of man who
the final target practice; and presumably
not having qualified by shooting in the first
contest necessarily is not entitled to the
champion place, which would indi>putably
fall TO the lot Of Sergeant A. A. Smith of
the same company and regiment, with I'M
questioned scores Of AZ and 4S.
ORDERS NOT MGsCoNCEIvED.
There is no misunderstanding of the
l,-t III oh,
and score 90 per cent to qualify for entry in
the second competition, so that the man
who is absent from the preliminary has
counted to him "a string of misses" and
necessarily cannot appear to compete in the
final shOot-thht is TO say the score made at
the second shoot, if he has not qualified at
the first, will avail him nothing.
General orders issued in August, 1890,
with the names of those who have made
the best score III each organization during
the preliminary target practice for the year
1890, puts Sergeant Smith at the head of
the list for a silver medal, but nowhere
names Berlin or Barlini. This is also the
list OF the qualified from which the list of
medalSls on the final ShGot must be made
". This preliminary shoot was held in
the Fifth on the 22d of June, 1890, but the
five certiticattd returns Of the shoot sent on
BY the regimental Inspector of Rife
Practice say nothing of Berlin or Barlini;
yet Berlin IS CREDITED IN general orders with
43 points al such preliminary practice. -
lhe hual shoot was held on the 21St of
September, and an examination of The first
certiticated returns of the l. r. I. again
tall to show the name of Berlin or Barlini,
yet 10 and behold, not having apparently
qualified, nor made a score 1T the final he is
published III general orders as the champion
shot in the \. G. c., and general orders are
popularity supposed to be based ON the GER
titleated returns.
Speaking outside of the record, however,
1t has also been learned that Corporal Bar
I'M was, as matter of fact not present at
the preliminary practice, but twenty-fO
hours after the report had been sent for
ward he did shoot two strings (whether
under supervision or by authority appears
not ana that a report of this shooting was
forwarded to regimental headquarters. GER
tilted and sent on 10 superior headquarters.
NO RECORD OF THIS.
There is no record of this transaction at
regimental headquarters, or if there is il has
been withheld. However, certain it is that
in none of the returns received Dy the Bri-
gade Inspector VI Rl1e Practice witch oa,no
from reglmental headquarters appear the
names OF the champion, nor are they re-
ported by him to division and then to gen
eral headquarters, so that as far AS Colonel
Kellogg is concerned with the returns up 10
division headquarters his skirts are clear.
If, then, as claimed, special permission was
given to Berlin or Barlini to shoot at one or
both practices on an occasion other than the
one set III orders, another unWarranted de-
parture from orders must have been made.
The result is just what was predicted
when II lnYelghed some months ago against
the practice broken into by one battalion OF
the Second Brigade in arranging Tor an ad-
dltlOnal day on which those might go and
shoot qualifying score, who on the day
first set ia regime ntal orders were too lazy
or Indifferent to comply, or perhaps had
previous engagement with their Sunday
girl or some other or no reason at all why
they did not do what was required of them
to have been done. Why BOrliu or Barlini
or any one should have been at all privi-
legged to shoot on an extra occasion does not
appear.
Lieutenant T. 4. Kuhls. l. r. p. of the
Second Artillery, and crack shot, was in
Europe when the preliminary shoot in his
regiment took place. lie returned before
the final and made a score of a., and asked
that the same be accepted on which to
award him decoration. While no one for
moment can doubt that he would and could
have scored more than 80 per cent on the
preliminary, yet his request was denied and
his absence from the preliminary counted
him as zero, AID he was kept out of bar
to his string of bars because under orders he
had not qualified. There are other instances
/ similar to that OF the Lieutenant's.
SMOKING AND BREAKING RANKS.
On the day following the funeral escort
the following was published in an evening
| paper: Yesterday, while the funeral was
| going on, a company Of militia stood in dis
order on Post street, many of the men smOk-
| ing cigarettes. A Colonel came along on
| horseback and ordered the smoking to cease.
| One of the privates then struck a match, lit
| cigarette and laughed in the Colonels
| face. The Colonel asked for the Captain
commanding the company. He could not be
| found. What did the Colonel do? What
| did the company do? Continued to smoke.
| 1t was very impressive display of discip-
| line" The above might have been infinitely
| more definite. On the occasion cited there
were two Colonies ON horseback and one
dismounted, who might have ordered the
| smoking 10 cease in a company OF the Second
! Artillery or Third or Fifth Infantry, the
| First being i'll command of a Lieutenant
| Colonel But the statement that after this
order had been given zone ofthe privates
| tlen struck a match, lit cigarette and
| laughed in the Coloneps face" should be ac-
cepted not with grain but without about
| pound of salt 1t is true that in all the bat
talons named in the brigade smoking cigar
! cites while waiting tor the command to ad-
! vance was general, and commissioned off
GERS were equally guilty in this respect as
the men in the ranks. 1t is also true that
while thus waiting and while supposed to
| at "in place rest" the ranks were broken
10 indulge in cigarette smoking and to dart,
| with or without leave, across the street for
| liquid refreshments. Tue Second Brigade
makes this show of itself upon the occasion
| Of every parade.
| BADLY NEEDED WHEN WANTED.
The Oakland Tribune had this edtorially
the other evening: The San Jose Times
| thinks the National Guard of California an
| expensive and useless luxury, which might
well be dispensed with. 1t is true that the
guard is little top-heavy and runs too
much TO c0l0nels, but for all that we are not
willing to part with our brave defenders so
| lightly. Ii is a good deal like the case of a
man with gun. We do not need them very
often, but If we should need them We would
| need them bad.
Battalion drills have been the order dur
! ing the week in the First Infantry, but the
| attendance at those during the latter por-
| ton of the week was something disgrace
| ful-alnlost as bad as some companies which
were represented in the parade on Thurs
| day by IS men-a platoon of II files front,
lacking one guide, with a lieutenant in