The herald., 1895-06-30
It's Against Regulations
But Cadets Raise Old
Nick Sometimes
EDGAR ALLEN POE A CADET
But He Was Not as Much q Success
as Soldier Student as Poet-.A
Fire That "Old Vets" Could
Not Stand

When destiny, or whatever it is that
prompts one to line of action, started
Edgar Allen Poe writing, it made good
poet out of bad soldier. He was a ca
det at West Point in the early thirteis.
There are probably more traditions of
Pce's cadetship at the academy than that
of any other student, no matter how high
he may have risen in the service of his
county. There is jealously preserved at
the government school the first poem
that Edgar Allen Poe is known to have
written. 1t is far cry from that halty
four-lne verse to the noble rythm Of The
Raven, but crude though the first effort
be, it lacks not in wit nor in promise.
Poe was constantly IN trouble with the
authorities. He had no love Cor disci-
pline and his breaches of the black books
regulations were many and not far be-
tween. He ran the FISK of dismissal time
after time by fracturing rules for which
dismissal was the penalty. He kept his
hold on his place, though, for two years,
simply because he was lucky enough not
to be caught-''hived" the cadets call it
at offenses for which he would have
been brought to trial by court martial.
Poets are rarely good mathematicians,
but Poe managed to figure out, after the
observation of mouth or SO, just when
there was likely to be an inspection of
barracks between taps and reveille. If
he came to the conclusion that on any
particular night the officer of the day
with his dark lantern was not going
through the cadets quarters on search
for empty beds. he wound quietly steal
out. strike the road that skirts the base of
old Fort Putnam, and in a half hours
sort of Benny Havens at Buttermilk
Falls. Benny served poor punch and
rare old stories. For fifty years he held
his own and defed the authorities. More
cadets, probably, were dismissed for Wis
iting Benny's place than for any other
one cause, barring deficiency in studies.
There is perhaps not an officer in the
army whose graduation dates back thirty
years who can place hand on sword hilt
and swear that he never drank Benny
Havens' punch. Between Poe and the old
vern-keeper there was the greatest
sides Of Benny's slate, and then the whole
thing would lie sponged off and fresh
start made.
While Poe was not caught for long
time at anything for which he might be
dismissed. he was piling up demerit
marks at the gait.of cavalry charge. 1t
was this fact that led to the first attempt
at rhyme. There was an instructor of
tactics at the academy named Joseph
Lock. He reported Poe on any and all
occasions when there was show of rea-
son, and in truth there was generally an
list was read after parade Poe's name al
ways led all the rest. The cadet went
over to the library one Sunday. and read
John Locke's essay on the Human Un-
Outstanding. A day or two afterward
there was circulated through the barracks
this quatrain-in Edgar Allen Poe's hand
writing, and apropos of the constant re-
ports which the author was receiving
from Instructor Joseph Lock-
"John Locke was great name,
Joe Lcck was a greater in short;
The former is we'll known to fame.
The latter we'll known to report"
Poe later scratched this into a window
glass with glaciers diamond, and the
pane and its poem are treasured today.
Lieut.. Gen. John NJ. Schofield will
shortly retire from his position as rank
ing officer Of the army. When the battle
of Franklin. OF which Schotield was the
hero, was fought, he was for an hour or so
persoally exposed to calling fire. He
stood it absolutely cool and with the dig
nifty becoming good soldier and an Off
Ger of high rank. There was another fire.
and that in the proverbial piping times of
peace, to which the general was exposed
which sadly rutfled his dignity, as it did
that of other officers equally exposed. In
truth, there could be no question of dig
hity uHocI Luo ClTCuInStanCcS. III was
midnight, Jan. /, 1880. General Scho-
field was superintendent OF the military
academy. The class which was to gradu-
ate IN June of that year was one that was
not particularly noted for being traight-
laced. Its members wished in some way
to mark the advent of their gradu atng
year. The outcome of this desire was the
commission of the greatest breach of dis
cipline in the history of West Pont.
About twenty cadets received Christ
mas leave that year. When they came
back they lett IN the woods back of the
post enough fireworks to start a store.
These were taken gradually into barracks
between supper call and call to quarters.
They were distributed among all the
rooms in the building and were sewed up
in the cadets mattresses. For five nights
the boys slept on slumbering volcanoes.
len yearling cadets were told off to go to
Trophy point under cover of darkness
and bring an old Mexican cannon over to
barracks. They did it unobserved. and
with the aid of a dozen more cadets the