The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-07-20

With MS Skipping.
The captain of a company in the
army is responsible to the government
for every piece of PROPERTY in his care,
and he must account for it all or pay for
1t. Now, the most painstaklng officer in
the world loses things, and unless they
are covered, some way, the unlucky
officer would never draw cent on his
pay certificate. Hence the military
sarcasm hurled at soldier when he
loses cartridge or anything else:
Lost it, did you9 Well, you'll find it
on your muster ROLL"
Now smart quartermaster sergeant
found convenient outlet for all losses
In desertion. When man skipped he
was charged with not only all he ac-
tually took, but with all that the frugal
quartermaster sergeant had lost. This
was simple and effective. The extent
and variety of property alleged to be
stolen by deserters would stagger any
body except an experienced company
quartermaster sergeant or a dull de-
partment auditor They knew from
experience that deserter was capable
battery of artillery.
When the last of Dick Brandon's &C
counts came in, we figured it out that
he owed Uncle Sam about four thou
sand dollars; and, as he ruefully
scratched his head, Dick guessed he
would be ready for the soldiers home
by the time the bill was settled. He
began to grow uneasy and was about
ready to skip, when the blackboard
from Santa Fe brought ease to his mind
and balm to his soul. A letter came
from the adiutant generals office stat
ing that the attorney general had given
a decision that wiped out old scores and
gave the deserter chance to begin
again with clean record.
That evening after retreat Dick
and sat on our hunks, polishing belts,
cleaning brasses, furnishing our saber
sca bbards and getting things ready for
guard mounting next morning, for
Dick was a great fellow ''to run for
orderly"
AS we smoked and talked and pol
ished l wormed some of Dicks ex-
perience out of him.
''Say, Dick" asked; what was your
first enlistment?"
WELL" said Dick, with laugh. my
first soldering was sailoring. l listed
| In the marines and was sent down to a
flyblown hole in Florida. The heat,
the bugs and the style of the marine
| officers sicl<ened me, SO l resigned.
"Resighed?" queried.
''Gave them a French resignation,
you know. | struck New Orleans in a
Cuban banana boat, dead broke, and
joined a company of 'doughboys' at
Baton Rogue. L hat place was worse
than Florida. The first pay day set
tied me, and took a trip up the river.
They charged me with two rifles, a
dozen brooms and wheelbarrow on
my muster roll, when skipped. Handy
thing for descrter, n wheelbarrow! l
often wondered that they did not charge
me with Tom Gorman's wife, who lit
out with coon about the time | re-
tired"
"Where did you CO. Dick-St. LOUISE"
"Yes! Thought I'd take flyer In the
cavalry. Got sick of old Bully Welch
there, and was glad enough to go with
a detachment to the Third in Arizona.
Well, that's lovely country to get
away from. If there's hell on earth,
! Arizona is the place. I was stationed
at Verde, and the malaria, bad grub
and Apache chasing changed my views
of the cavalry. Three of us skipped
the first time the paymaster got round,
and we worked down through Apache
pass into New Mexico with our hair all
right. We struck the settlements, sold
our horses, and separated. l worked
down to Ell Paso and went broke on a
monte game. Invent over to Fort Bliss
and took another blanket. / liked
soldering there first rate and got the
chevrons; but the captain broke me
for raising row down town and
humping u greaser. That made me
mad and went on the retired list once
more. That quartermaster sergeant
was daisy, and, as | was chum of his
he socked it to me-charged me with a
six-mule harness, a grindstone, two
spades, long Tom and hundred
rounds of ammunition. just think OF
me hoofing it across desert between
Quitman and Davis with grindstone
under my arm! Must have thought
wanted 1t to sharpen my appetite.
got job as teamster at Fort Clark, but
l ran across a fellow knew at Bator
Rogue, and he was always hard up anC
had an idea that | was a bank, and
concluded to go east"
And then?' l insinuated.
"Then," resumed Dick, II guessed
had all the west | wanted for awhile, sc
l honored the artillery. made mis-
take. l was in fort where you coult
see nothing but sea and sand, ant
where it was cold enough to freeze {
brass monkey. Lord! but the artillery
is tough and dull, all guard duty an(
polishing; no mountains, no plains; al
buttons and drill. That heavy artil
lery made a flying artillery man of me
l waited for pay day and left withou
leaving my address. Well, my muster
roll caught it, They landed me on tht
pay roll for caisson and fifty rounds
of fixed and strapped ammunition anC
| ~ har trifiaS