The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-17
rHE sroKANE MILITIA MUrISY.


Few Members DisioyAh
Spokane spokesman
Ccrnnan q Is on the verge OF beng
| purified oy four or i've eourts-martiai. anu
then. il Is said, both By IT'S own members
and BY the regimental officers. It's only bar
TO complete success will have been re-
moved The courts-martial will be held
within short tine, IL is probable, and the
incidents Of the recent journey nome rom
the encampment will furnish the basis OF
the publication process. Impartial OBJ
servers agree that the Tacorna incident
was occasioned BY internal dissensions
and the efforts of q few talkative members
There is not . single allegation OF coward
ice on the part of Company @.
The FIRST authorized and authentic ac-
count OF the affair was obtained yesterday
from Brig. Gen. A. P. Curry. he said;
THE truth of the whole matter Is that
. few agitators have made great deal OF
trouble. They are, personally, good lei
lows and lively takers. and have had
good deal Of influence over the younger
members. They have always. thus lar,
been ready to do their duty.
During the encampnent, II IS proper to
state, they were on their good behavior.
| think, perhaps, they were the best be-
haved company in camp, st least they
were as good as any.
ION the trip from Woodland to Tacoma
the boys had been led TO believe that IL was
| unsafe TO travel with such a crew. To
add TO the annoying situation, We were
from 10 p III. until 10 a. N. going thirty
miles The water tanks had been trified
with. There was soap and saisoda in the
water, and the water mysterlousiy ran
out at inopportune times. | guess the en-
gineer wasn't the best in the world either.
| mention these incidents to show what
frame of mind the boys were in.
"'Just before We left Edison a committee
| of Company G, of which Corporal Munter
was spokesman waited on me, saying the
company didn't want to travel with that
| kind Of crew. They said then and there
they would not go over the mountains
under such circumstances. l was much
astonished and hurt, OF course, to hear
them talk that way. At that moment the
| first section started and the boys broke
for their car, and went on to Tacoma
ahead of me.
after arranging for transportation st
Tacoma | went up town to lunch and was
gone forty minutes. On my return | met
Lieut. Col McCartv, who said a committee
of Company q had called on him and
made the same statement that was made
TO me. The majority OF the company was
in line. He questioned them and they re-
piled that if ordered 10 go they would re-
fuse. He disarned them, but did not
place them under guard.
II ordered Lieut.. Brooks to take his
company into the car. They obeyed a.
once. | entered, closed the doors and
gave them reprinand as severe and
harsh as language could make 1t. L be-
came satisfied from the expressions OF
many of them that they did not intend to
disobey any order OF mine. They seemed
sorry for what they had said to Col. Nc
Carly and anxious to hush the matter up
and regain their standing In the Guard. l
left them sitting in the car, without orders
| except TO remain there
''Pal sing out met the deputy marshal
in charge. who said he wouldn't allow the
| train to move unless Company u was
| placed under arrest. l told him he
| shouldn't dictate to me, as | didn't pro-
| pose TO direct him. lie replied that his
| orders were from superintendent McCabe.
| | hunted McCape up and told HIM l was
| going to call Company G out and exact GER
| tain statements and pledges from the boys
| in public and invited him to be present.
| If he wasn't satisfied then | said. | would
| do as he said about it. lie then rescinded
his former order, but came down TO where
the company was ordered out The boys
came readily, although not knowing for
what purpose. A large number of specta-
tors looked on. | asked them:
"'Are you still loyal to the state and
national government above all other or
ganizationsp
'sThey said: we are as with one voice.
II asked if they would obey all orders
given them, by me or any other officer, at
any and ali times while in the service.
They answered the same as with one voice.
"Ihen | required them to answer that
they regarded their oaths as guards men
paramount above all others They also
said that those who had talked to Col.
McCarty didn't represent the sentiment
of the company. and that the state or the
guard would never have cause to complain
of them again.
II knew so many of them personally
that felt secure and ordered them to their
car, restoring their arms before We lett
Tacoma | had the car switched next to
mine. From the time the train pulled out
no company of men ever did better service
than Company G. They seemed ready
and willing at all times and anxious 10
wipe out the stain. At Sprague they were
in many trying positions and l watched
them closely. They did their duty ike
men.
cone example of their individual work
was furnished by Walter McCallnm, who
dragged his gun through the Cascade tun-
mel TO make sure that the track was free
from distractions and perfectly safe. The
large majority is as good material as
there is in the state. Tie agltators who
have caused the trouble will be weeded
out and dismissed in disgrace"