The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-18
SULLIVAN'S COUP.
Strategy Secured Him
the CaptainCy.
APPROVES OF DISCIPLINE.
How the Election in Company
D Was Managed.
FITZPATRICK'S FRIENDS TALK.
A Compact Not to Enlist New Men
Till After the Election.
Feared the B1ackball.

transfer OF twenty-One men from Company
ID to Company F of the Third Infantry
Regiment on the very eve of the annual
election of captain has not yet subsidized.
The friends of Captain Sullivan. who
| carried his reelection by the votes OF the
| twenty-One newcomers. and the friends of
Lieutenant Fitzpatrick, who was defeated
| by their advent, both have a great deal to
| say on the matter, and all efforts at pour
ing oil on the troubled waters have so far
proved unavaiIing.
Il don't care TO make any strictures re-
spectinR my superior officers" said Lieu
tenant Fitzpatrick when seen by a CALL
reporter. Indeed, | attach blame to no
one. but the facts of the case are SO well
known in the regiment that there can be
no harm in repeating them. Captain Sui
llvan and made an agreement that no new
men should come into the regiment till
after the election. This seemed fair and
| square and l and my friends abided by the
| agreement.
What Captain Sullivan did was to gather
! in his friends from round town and en-
list them in Company +. They entered
with the consent of the commander, Cap
| tain Warren, that they should be trans
! terred to Company D. Most OF them have
| only been few weeks in the regiment. A
| man can only be transferred with the
| consent of the commanding officers of
both companies. Captain Sullivan and
! Captain Warren arranged 1t between
| them, and the men were transferred from
| Company ID to Company + just in time to
carry the vote at the election. Those are
the facts OF the case. and L have no COM
| meDt to make upon them"
There were ffty-one regular members
OF the company yotsd-bOna-fide men,
bers. L mean." said John Conan, one of
the stanchest supporters OF the FltZpat-
rick cause. II do not call the newcomer S
bona-fde members" be added emphat-
ically, land OF those ffty-one who voted
Captain Sullivan got twenty-fOur votes
and Lieutenant Fitzpatrick twenty-seven.
That shows the real sense OF the company.
Why, FltZpatrick'S friends put up six
new members a few weeks ago, and Sui
livan's two, but they agreed TO take them
all down again, and enlist no new men,
bers until after the election. And then
for Sullivan to spring all those transferred
men uDOn US! Well. L think the way he
did 1t speaks for itself.
THAT was not all. though. They tried to
get ria of friends of Fitzpatrick; they
transferred me out of the Company for
instance. protested on the grounds Of
no cause for transfer, but Colonel Barry
SAID it was not necessary 20 have a cause.
l suppose the colone! likes Sullivan be-
couse he can handle him just as he likes.
There have been number of causes of
| complaint. Now, was one of a commit
! tee of five appointed to Investigate the
! Worlds Fair fund, which the men paid 80
| cents a month TO raise and which has
| never been accounted for. That inveSti-
CATION has been hanging fire in the com.
| pRuy for some time, and it won't all be
| smooth sailing till il is all cleared I'D
! Captain Sullivan took possession of the
| books between the March meeting, when
we were appointed to investigate, and the
! April meeting, when we bad TO report; at
| least the books were brought back too late
for US TO make our report from them.
After that | was reduced to the ranks and
transferred. Yes, there are good many
| things that the men are not quite satisfied
with" and the speaker shook his head
daTkly.
Captain Warren of Company T, when
! questioned respecting his enlistment OF
men Tor the express purpose Of transferring
| them TO Company ID. frankly admitted the
| fact. Il did II 10 help Captain Sullivan
| out" he observed, with a smile of salts
| faction at the success of his effort. "They
were not giving him a square deal, and
the only course he could take was 10 get
some other captain to help him. He is an
old comrade of mine and l know him 10
| he deserving fellow and good officer.
| The whole Of the twenty-one men did not
! enlist with the intention of being trans
! ferred. Thirteen of them did tn OuGh, and
L have no hesitation in saying that SulIi-
van arranged it all. A captain must de-
! tend his authority against malcontents
| 'One thing | can state mphatically,
! thought was not a surprise to Lieu
teDat Fitzpatrick and his friends when
| those men were marched in last night.
| They knew that they were going to be
! transferred some days ago. Why'd FitZ-
! patrick asked me himself about il last
| week and L answered him as frankly as
anna King tn and fold him "
| were doing it to help Sullivan out"
| Captain Sullivan himself, when seen by
q reporter. made light Of the dissensi0ns
| in his company. at is just this way" he
| SAID. There are five or six men who
seem TO have taken for their motto rule or
| ruin Now three are sufficient to black
ball recruit. / did not want 10 sacrifice
| good men who were willing TO Join the
regiment, and SO l got them 10 the best
| way l could-by having them transferred
from Captain Warren's company"
lis il true that you agreed with Lieu
| tenaBt Fitzpatrick not 10 put up any new
| members until after the electlon?" was
asked.
Eyes. that's So" replied Captain
Sullivan unfiuchinglv, then he added,
with a smile; What was the use of put
ting them up? They would only have
Fair fund, whenever the proper authori-
ties demand an account of that l shall be
only too glad to give it. 1t must go
through the regular military channels,
though"
CAPTAIN Delany. the adjutant of the
Third Infantry Regiment. n. q. c., had
very little to say about Wednesdays cleo
ton. not having been present There is
one thing that might be explained" he
observed. The order for tie transfers
was dated the 10Th. That was a printers
error. The order was made out before the
19ts and sbould have been dated the lst -