Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-03
A PARALLEL TO IhMS.
Swift Punishment Followed a Breach
of Discipline.
SHORT SHRIFT AND A LONG ROPE
Recommended BY the Secretary of War to
Quell Disturbance.
A STORY OF WAR TINE IN PITTsBURG

interesting topics of discussion throughout
the city. Wherever one may 60 he hears
it, and the conclusions drawn and COM
parsons made are frequently interesting
and instructive. OF this class was an
apropos story told among group of old
residents yesterday, which illustrates the
condition of affairs in this city during the
war, and the circumstance will no doubt
be remembered by thousan DIS who are now
living.
The time OF the story was in January,
1868 The calls for volunteers had nearly
exhausted the supply of willing fighters;
the draft was in active operation and was
very unpopular in this locality. Nearly
every man who was qualified to go to the
front was notified or drafted into the
service. Those who for various reasons
preferred to stay at home had the alterna-
tive of paying other men to 60 in their
places.
Substitutes Came Pretty High.
The men who went under these circum-
stances were called substitutes, and the
money they were paid was called bounty
money, which was paid in addition to the
regular monthly pay of the Government
At the time in question substitutes were
scarce and bounties were high From $500
to 81, 600 was being paid for men in various
parts of the country. In this city the rate
was $500.
Such big inducements led to rascality as
a matter of course, and it was not long until
there was a class of men called bounty
jumpers They would 60 to Boston, for
instance, and offer to go out as substitutes,
accepting bounty OF $500 or 5000 in cash,
After enlisting and getting their money
they would take the first opportunity to
desert the army and then proceed to New
York, 60 through the same course and
follow it up by going to all the principal
cities of the country, collecting bounties
and deserting as soon as they received the
cash.
Pittsburg was victimized in this respect
as much as any other city. Colonel j.
Heron Foster was Provost Marshal of the
city, with headquarters in old Philo Hall,
on Fourth avenue, just above Wood street.
Captain James McHenrE, since deceased,
had charge of the guard, and the recruits
were quartered in the upper floors of the
building. One day there appeared at head
quarters as substitute q handsome, we'll
proportloned young man, who gave his
name as Williams. He was sworn in, re-
ceived $500 in bounty from a subsequently
prominent citizen. who had been drafted,
and with the next batch of recruits sent
out went to the 'front.'
Williams Was Promptly Identified.
About three months later Williams reap
peared. He was taken into the Provost
Marshal's headquarters by young DR.
King, who drifted into tn, city stranger
some months before and who had established
in his Office adjoining the headquarters a
sort of substitute brokerage business, col
lectlng commissions from men who wanted
subs as well as from those willing to act as
such. Williams was not recognized at first
and, being of strong physique, had no diff
Guilty in finding purchaser for his services.
He was sworn in again, received his bounty
and was placed in the guardroom with the
other subs until the next day.
On the following morning, however. the
Sergeant of the provost guard, John Meix-
ner, recognized Williams and reported the
bounty jumper to Captain McHenry. The
latter jumped to his feet in Indignation,
and, after pacing up and down the room
several times, turned abruptly to the wait
ing Sergeant and commanded:
$50 buy a rawhide, tie that fellow up
and give him 40 stripes across the bare
back"
The sergeant proceeded at once to carry
out the command. The terrified bounty
jumper was tied up by the wrists in the
guard room in the presence of the other re-
cruits and received his sentence He was
badly bruised by his punishment, but the
skin was not broken, and he would have
been all right again in few days had he
been left alone.
Colonel Foster Took the Responsibility.
The matter was kept quiet until the next
day, when E. S. Morrow, the present City
Controller, who was chief clerk in the
Provost Marshal's office, went to the guard
room to select the men to be forwarded to
the front that day. The first man he saw on
entering the room was Williams, the
bounty jumper, sitting with his lace buried
in his hands as if crying. Morrow called
the sergeant aside and ordered him to send
Williams to the front at once.
And for fear he jumps again." con-
tinued Morrow, ''pnt him in irons"
well, L guess he'd better not be sent to-
day. said the Sergeant, 'I've just given
him 40 stripes and he's hardly ft.''
Morrow was Mortified He realized that
owing to the public prejudice against the
draft, this incident would cause an uproar
when it became known and that those who
were opposed to the course of the admins
tratlon would seize upon it to inflame the 4
public mind to the fullest extent As soon
as he learned who had ordered the punish
ment he reported the whole matter to
Colonel Foster. The Colonel was quick to
perceive the probable consequences and in |
stantly ordered that the matter be kept as
quiet as possible. He assumed the entire |
responsibility for the act himself and in |
structed Captain McHenry not to breathe a |
word duplicating him with the matter.
putf
During the day Williams sent for DR..
King and was permitted to see him private
ly. 1t was believed that the deserter was
afraid of being shot, that being the popular
punishment for desertion in those days, and |
that while the doctor was with him he |
rubbed some kind of acid or poison on the |
fellows back to make it verv sore At |
least ii broke out in few days in a terrible |
running sore, and the efforts of the sur |
geon to heal it were for long time in |
effectual, and they could account for the |
mans condition in no other way
In the meantime DR.. King had circulated |
the story, with livid coloring, outside the
headquarters One or two of the city news
papers took it up and the story lost nothing
of its brutal features by their way of telling
it Pspers all over the country printed the
story. 1t was harped on from day to day.
here and elsewhere, just as the Iams case
has been. Such Was the condition of public
sentiment that a tremendous excitement |
was produced. In this city there was de-
mand for the execution of the sergeant who
had inflicted the punishment and the i'm
mediate discharge from Office of the provost
marshal, his clerks and subordinate officers.
On several occasions mobs gathered in the
city and there was momentary danger of a
general attack on the marshals head
quarters.
Along. Strong Rope Becommended