The Washington times., 1894-10-12
lHEIR ARREST Is ORDERED
TKenty-eiQht Members of the Fifth
Battalion in Disgrace.
MAJOR SUEsS TAKES ACTION
He Warned Those Who Failed TO Attend
Drills That They Would Be Apprehended
and Dragged Through the Streets Like
Common Culprits-Ee Was in Earnest.

and Dragged Through the Streets Like
Common Culprits-Ee Was in Earnest.
Twenty-eight Of Washington's citizen sol
diers, ''the flower Of her youth, - went TO
sleep last night in blissful ignorance of the
fact that to-day they are likely ''to be dragged
through the streets like common culprits.
squad Of militiamen accompanied by
policemen armed with warrants FOR the arrest
OF these bold soldier boys, viii sally forth
from the Center Market Armory and proceed.
as in wartime days, TO lay hold Of the ones
wanted, whether found in the marts Of com
merce or in the parlor making eyes at their
Guineveres.
Resistance will be useless and they viii be
commanded to "ian in" and guarded by the
squad aided by the finest" they viii be
marched through the public streets of the
City OF Magnificent Distances 10 the intense
amusement OF the small boy the concealed
but present glee OF their more fortunate COM
"a s--in-arms, and their own discontinue.
And all TINS because they promised when
they enlisted under Major Otto J.. Suess. com
manding the Fifth Battalion, TO attend the
regular drills every Friday night. and because
they have been delinquent in this duty. which
the Major thinks they at least owe the tax
payers. who pay the money that supplies
their uniforms and armory.
CREATED A SENSATION.
bomb, not loaded with gunpowder but
,wcontaining this information was exploded
NJ last nieht at the headquarters Of the Fifth
Battalion, District Of Columbia National
Guard, situated in the large hail rooms over
Center Marksl - 4 explosion, WHICH viii
reverberat5 IA military circles for i5hG time
10 core was due to an order issued by Major
Suess commanding the Fifth Battalion. call
ing for the prompt enforcement ofthe head
quarters order Issued by him on September
IS last. The latter was in the form Of COM
munication to absentees from drills, dress pa
rades, etc After calling upon the recalci-
tr8nts to attend TO their duties promptly, the
order reads:
Whenever you have q just cause, your
company commander viii excuse you from
drills. He recognizes the fact that some
times your private affairs make it impossible
for you 10 attend. In that case he must have
an excuse in writing from you. That is all
we require either attend drills or have your
self regularly excused.
''Do not make il necessary for me TO have
you arrested on drill nights and dragged
through the streets like a common culprit,
and that is exactly what viii happen if you
persist il remaining away without an excuse.
/ ask you, do not force me do this.
i am satisfied that you are man enough
after the frank statement / have made 10 you
10 either attend drills in the future or be regu-
larry excused by your company commander"
The dragging through the street feature
Of the aDove order caused no little amount OF
CONSERVATION among the miIitiamen, but few
OF the boys believed that Major Suess would
carry out the threat made so openly They
believed il was only a little bluff game on the
majors part to secure better attendance on
drill nights. In this belief however, they
were deeply and doubly mistaken, for last
night some OF the men Of the Fifth secured
copies of a sort Of warrant for the arrest Of
absenrees which Major SUess had caused to
be issued. The appearance OF these quasi
legal papers caused tumult in the armory
which. perhaps. could only have been equaled
had the great market-house structure been
enyeloped in flames. The warrants read:
COPY OF TIE WARRANT.
HEADQUARTERS FIFTH BATTALION, D. c. n. G.
WAsHINGToN, october Il. 1894.
SIR: You will arrest ---, Company
. Fifth battalion, OF No. - - street,
- at o'clock Friday evening. October y,
1894. wherever found for disobedience of or
ders and absence from drill, and this shall be
your authority for so doing, in accordance
with section 40 of the act Of Congress ap-
proved March !. 1889, providing for the or
ganization Of the militia of the District of
, Columbia. OTTO L. SUEss.
Commanding Battalion.
Copies Of the above order. filed out and
with the names and addresses of all ahseutees
were placed in the hands OF the several cap
tHins commanding companies In the battalion
in whichsthe rule-breakers serve. and they
We're ordered to organize squads Of men as
arresting parties TO serve the warrants on
the offenders wherever they may be found,
whether il be at home on the street. in the
ballroom, church. or theater- Each srresting
squad OF soldiers Is to be accompanied by two
police officers and the prisoners are 20 be
taken TO the armory, tried by drumhead court
martial, il is sald and punished bv c0nfne-
ment OF fine, as the court may direct.
Whether the offenders are TO be marched
through the streets or hustled of to head
quarters in the patrol wagon. has not Vet
been decided. Certain il is though, accord
ing TO the original order. thar they will be
dragged through the streets like a common
culprit" if thai step becomes necessary.
NOTIFYING THE ABsESTEEs.
When the men Of the gallant Fifth heard Of
ia issuance Of the warrants last evening.
may ofthem scurried away to notify the ab-
sentees. and put them on their guard against
the modification OF public arrest. Excite
ment ran high in the armory, and while some
Of the boys censured Major suess for his ac-
tion, others uttered words Of praise and de-
cared that the only way to be a soldier is to
practice punctuality in attending drills and
obedience to the commands of their superior
officers
They say If the warrants are served and the
order carried out, this evening viii witness
some exciting scenes at the armory.
Major Suess although young. is an old reg
ular Army soldier. and he evidently believes
in the iron-cad regular Army discipline. He
was born in Baltimore, August 8. 1863 and as
the military instinct was strong within him. he
enlisted when but nineteen years OF age and
was assigned to Troop L, Fourth United
States Cavalry. He participated in several
stirring border wars, including the famous
Geronimo campaign.
Owing Ia his perfection in drill and general
soldierly conduct he was promoted before
leaving the service in 1883 to the highest non
commissioned rank that Of sergeant. He has
since resided in Washington. and was par
ticulariy active in organizing the District
National Guard. On February q. 1ss4 he
entered Company A. Second battalion. ID. c.
n. c., as private. and passed successfully
through the grades until he reached his
present high rank. he ls also lieutenant
colonel OF the First regiment. Uniform Rank,
knights OF Pythias. Of this city.
Another picrshyEsld Divorce Suif.