The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-07-09
APROFESSIONAL A SKIPPER
The Trials OF Deserter as Told
by Himself

Desertion was and is, the open sore
Of the American army. Like all other
evils, 1t has its causes In the old days
/ wnen the frontier was the frontier,
/ harsh treatment, bad food. hard service
( in the field, the rIonotony of garrison
/ life and the lack of amusements and
recreat atoms in the isolated and shabby
little posts were among the caCses that
impelled men to desert their colors.
Among the enlisted men desertion
was regarded as very venial offense;
and II was held that men who were III
treated had righ. to desert; men who
were discontented ought to desert; and
men who were found to be rogues were
encouraged to desert by public senti-
ment and certain rude but significant
hints
This constant depletion OF the ranks
by desertion, and the great expense ia
transporting recruits to distant sta
tious. as well as the difficulty OF OBJ
tanning recruits for the hard and unro-
mantle service Of the plains, made the
evil very serious problem for the war
department to solve.
Fort Wingate, situated On the slopes
of the Zuni mountains in Cempbell's
pass, New Mexico, being without teie-
graphic communication with the inner
world, suffered great deal from deser-
ton.
After each visit Of the paymaster
there was decrease in the ranks and
20. 3 10
were used TO it; the men expected it;
aud the flight OF these military birds of
passage became one of the pleasing ex-
elements of the post. They furnished
a weeks holiday for i pursuing party.
which chased the fugitives as far as
San Mateo, where they remained TO
have good time with the daughters OF
the town as long as their cash lasted
and then returned leisurely to the post,
to report that the deserters had es-
capped.
In the ease and safety of skipping
as it was termed IN army slang, the
cavalryman had the advantage over the
mere infantryman. While the poor
''doughboy' deserter was hiding in the
hills by day and tramping over dusty
trails by night, with heavy "long
Tom on his shoulder. the cavalry
skipper" was riding gayIy to freedom,
careless Of pursuit, able and willing to
stand of any tco-officious civil officer,
confident that his comrades would not
bother him unless he ran into their
arms, and certain that his good troop
horse was worth 4 hundred dollars in
the settlement, when he had cunningly
burned out the L. 5. brand with d red
hot currycomb.
The experience of Fort Wingate was
duplicated in every western post, and
soldiers deserted in parts Of the country
and reached civilization when il was
deemed hazardous for armed trains to
travel. Strange as it may appear, men
never deserted in the field during an In
dian campaign; it was garrison dull
ness that made deserters, not the fight
ing and hard riding of plains and sier-
ras-
In 1873 Gen. Grant issued a procIa- !
nation pardoning all deserters who +.
surrendered TO the military authorities |
and returned to their colo.s The /
president wisely concluded that this /
would bring back number OF men in /
to the army and stop the outflow for /
awhile; but he hardly realized .the /
story it would tell in the army itself. /
At Wingate the proclamation was the /
universal subject of talk in the coIa- /
pany quarters, and conjeetures were /
made as TO the number of men who 1
would avail themselves Of its clemency. |
Out of total strength of eighty men
In my own company. some twenty re-
ported themselves as shippers.
Then we began to hear from posts in
Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Texas, Dakota
in fact from all parts of the American
military world, from men who were
getting in out of the rain, and. per
contra, there was a constant demand
for the records of elusive soldiers who
n times past had slipped away unos-
and were now willing to
return to their first love.
The most interesting of all this host
of prodigels, to me. was quiet. smart,
lean, well set-up fellow in my own
named Dick Brandon, who
admitted tweaty-three de-
Dick had evidently been on
The move for years and had a nervous
objection to remaining long anywhere.
Is hat trou bled Dick, now that his de-
5ertions were wiped out. was the haunt
ng dread of the big charges that went
With his skipping"
The captain of company in the
army is responsible TO the government
or every piece of property IN his care.
md he must account for it ali or pay tor
l Now. the most peipstaslng officer in
he world loses things. and unless they
Ire covered, some way. the unlucky
,Eicer would never draw u cent on his
,ay certificate. Hence the military
arcasm hurled ct a soldier when he
oses a cartridge or anything else:
Lost it, did you? Well. you'll find it
n Your muster roil.'
Now 4 smart qUartermSster sergeant
ound q convenient outlet for aIl losses
Z deSertion. When man skipped he
vas charged with not only all he a.
ually took. but with ali that the frugal
sergeant had lost. This
- SkAAz JAL st.4t NLttALfC - * ~
nd variety Of property alleged to be
tolen by deserte-s would st2cger any
.ody except al experienced company
u2rtermaster sergeant or Z dull DE-
artment auditor. They knew from
xperieace that dssertCr vas capable
+ stealing anything from a raa.rud 70
battery Of artillery.
u /
cunts came in. VIC figured it out tIIat