The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-02-06

that is, all those who have served
three years or thereabo land some
of them have served nearly thirtyySS
let us see how they live, and what
theysdo. Reveille is sounded ct 9. .89ss
in the morning, and bfeakfast issst ~ 4 81 4
The drill hour comes some time be-
tween and 70 o'clock, according To-
the schedule laid down tot each troop 4
and after drill comes dinner. Az 430 !
in the afternoon s.sstabl lis soundeds
and every man NOT on special dnty
or on sick report, must groom his
horse to the satisfaction OF the Officer
in charge. At $50 or 6 O'Clock, ac-
cording to the season 1.-THE year, sup
per is served in the mess hall, and
after that the men amusei themselves
in their quarters, playing cards, check.
ers, chess and other games until bed
time. ~ B 81 81 4,
Some OF the troops have literary as
sociations and libraries. Books, nov
els, periodicals and magazines are to-
be found here in profusion. and in the,
society or amusement halls are billiard
and pool tables, boxing gloves, fencing
foils, dumb bells, etc. which are IN
constant use by the men. OF coursei
other duty is to be performed other
than the routine work. About every
fifteen days the soldier is detailed ior
guard duty, and he may be detailed
by the officers for special duty ct any
time. Some Of the men, ii most cases
Swedes or Germans, work for the sofS:
ifcers during the hours they are free
from duty in their troops. These mem
are in many cases looked upon with
disfayor by their comrades for doing
menial service, and the soldfers call
them .'dog robbers" There are.some
excellent men, however, who are not
averse to earning almost double pay
in this way, and it is o question
whether their Judgment is not better
than that Of the other men who look
down such work as menial. y ssls BY
The barracks are roomy, well venti-
lated, clean to q degree, and very
comfortable. The cots are Of iron,
with good mattresses and plenty OF
blankets. The rooms are all heated by
steam, and are supplied with wasb and
bath rooms for the use of the men.
Each barrack is under the charge OF 3
first sergeant, who is responsible for
the cleanliness of the rooms, as well
as for the property Of the troop
These non-commissioned officers have
room to themselves, in the same
building with their troops.
Troop messes were abandoned some
years ago at Fort Riley, and o COM
solidated mess was substituted. This
derives some income from the canteen
and store, but nothing very magnif-
cent in the way of menu is served.
There is beef and substantial food In
plenty, and the men all admit that the
quality is of the best, but q system Of
cooking by steam, is in use here, and
roast beef Is unknown. Steam beef
is to all intents and purposes like
boiled beef, and boiled beef 365 days
in the year is monotonous to say the
least. The men have sweetened
coffee, without milk, and bread with-
out butter; at every meal The oni-
GERS agree that the Government ration
should be 80 changed as to feed the J
men at least properly. The old
ration, established for field use in war
times, is still in vogue, and the men
are allowed only about eleven cents q
day for subsistence. There can be noa
doubt that radical changes are needed
in the department, and ought to be
made, if the sentiments and opinions
of both officers and men amount to-
anything. AS matters in the mess
hall now are, the men frankly admit
that no cause for desertion in the I
army is 80 strong as the mess hall
Many of the men take their meals at z
the restaurant in the canteen, as long
as their pay lasts. These men there
fore are simply soldering for their
board, and not the best board at that.
Aside from this one point, Fort
Riley is an ideal military station. The
buildings and everything in them is
of the best, and the location OF the
post. is one of the most delightful in
the United States.