Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-08-12
AS 10 IAMS.
An In dole Mt, lnsubordinate Character De-
serving of Pun ishment.

scIsiDS
Nashua, N. H., Aug. 9.-The Evening
Telegraph today prints a letter from Capt.
Alfred E. Hunt, commanding battery E at
Homestead, in reply to recent editorial
in the paper charging that the punishment
Of Private Iams was unjusti6able, brutal,
etc. Capt. Hunt says:
Private Iams was not tortured in his
punishment by Col. Streator, as the sus-
pension by his thumbs did not throw the
whole weight of his booy on those mem'
bers. Aftir FIVE minutes suspension he
asked for chew of tobacco in the same
arrogant, insoient manner which was
characteristic of his entire conduct in
camp, and also through his services in the
guard. He purposely swallowed some of
the tobacco to make himse sick, accord
ing to his own self confessed statement
afterw ard. He was let down from the
ridge pole of tbs teat after twenty min
utes' suspension, suffering from nausea
occasioned by his having swallowed the
night after this punishment, the man
treated the matter loosely and made no
complaints of having suffered. The fol-
lowing morning the one-half of his head
was clean shaven, the only real corporal
punishment the man endured and of which
he complained while in camp. By the
&c 4l,o &C
division he was discharged from the guard
| for the good Of the service His uniform
belonging to the state, was stripped off
him and cheap, coarse, but clean new
clothing placed on him. He was then
drummed out Of camp to the tune of the
'Rogues' M arch in the presence of the
entire brigade, drawn up in line.
GAS to the further statement that the
offense was nothing more than thought
less exclamation, let me say that Private
lams, whose previous record has been ex-
ceedingly bad, had been a soldier long
enough to become conversant with the du.
ties and discipline of the guard. He knew
full well the dangerous position occupied
by the guard and the liability of the camp
to be shot into at any time by the lawless
strikers, yet the day before he had carried
a rail for being detected asleep on his
post as a sentinel, quoting The words OF
Gen. Snowden, in the face Of rebellion,
treason, murder and anarchy.
Among mass Of iron workers num-
bering many thousands, who were then
striking and amid the open rejoicing OF
the then supposed assassination of Mr..
Frick, this man proposed three cheers for
the assassin right in the presence of his
colonel. And when expostulated with
and reprimanded AID earnestly requested
to Withdraw his exclamation, he logged
ly and persistentently refused to do it.
He Was entreated not only by his colonel,
but by other officers of the brigade to
whom the matter was referred, not once,
but many times, and the sumo logged,
persistent refusal was made. Ger
tainly this could not be called a thought
less exclamation. When it is considered
that the peace and good order of this
place was only restored and is now main
tanned by the armed guard of the state,
that the strikers only through fear of the
troops are ke!d in subsection, and when a
large proportion Of the guard has been or
dered home, it will be appare Mt, I think,
that the situation here has been and is yet
one of uneasiness and anxiety. The news
papers alone are responsible for the state
ment that Private Iams was disfranchised
and robbed of the rights of tizan
This is not true. No such results follow
the military sentence in this caee. The
position taken by maj ority of the news
papers of The country has not aided in
settling the present difficulties nor will it
aid in the lesson which striking laborers
should learn from the his tory of the
Homestead riots; lesson which if not
learned thoroughly by the events here will
have to be learned probably at a greater
loss of life and property in the very near
| futura -