The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-25
GENERAL SNOWDEN
GOT MUCH EXCITED
Then He Lost His Head and Did Several
Foolish Things.
APOLOGIzED TO MAJOR BARNARD
Ordered Several Officers Of the Thir.
teenth Under Arrest, bnt They Were
Subsequently Released When FIX.
plantations Were Made.. Generals
Action Generally Condemned..Wet
and Muggy Day in Camp.

Camp John GibbOn, LewistOwn, Pa,
July 24-Captain Kambeck. of Com
pany b, and Lieutenant Smith, of Com
pany +, who Is also prothOnotary OF
Wayne county. were placed under ar
rest by General Snowden personally at
IL o'clock last night. There offense, II
such word can be used to describe the
trivial cause of their arrest. was in con-
nectiOn with the visit of Company B to
Company b, of the First regiment in
the Second brigade, and Lieutenant
Smiths action as commander of the
guard in permitting the company to re-
turn into the Third brigade's lines after
camp. The Thirteenth's officers are in
dignant over the affair. and the same
feeling is being evidenced throughout
the brigade as rapidly as the circum-
stance is being made known.
A lively and interesting feature of the
case was added to it this morning when
the presence Of Captain Kambeck and
Lieutenant Smith was ordered at divi-
sion headquarters. Meanwhile an or
der had been received from General
Goblin, the brigade commander, not to
send the officers to General Snowden
except on an order from brigade head
quarters. This was construed In the
Thirteenth's camp as reputation ~
General Goblin of the well known mar
tinetism and peacock sOldiery of Snow
den. 1t complicated the case and
showed that General Goblin did not
countenance his superior officers ac-
ton; at least that was the. opinion in
the Thirteenth's camp.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
The story of the arrest is this: Com
pany b and a Ninth regiment COM
pany were returning to the Third from
the First brigade after being enter
tained in the First regiment. The
Thirteenth's and the Ninth's drum
corps were along and the latter was
playing during the beginning Of the
march across the field. 1t was two or
three minutes after taps. 10 O'Clock. At
the same time a First regiment COM
pany with drum corps was returning
over the field after a visit to the Third
brigade. This drum corps played all
the way across the field into the First
brigade lines.
Captain Kambeck gave the counter
sign and secured the entrance Of his
command into camp. and Sergeant Ma
jor Harry Coursen did the same for the
drum corps. The Ninth regiment party
passed around the Thirteenth and en-
tered camp at a point along their own
lines.
About twenty minutes later two
horsemen, General Snowden with ma
jor for an aide, came galloping over
the field from division headquarters.
They were halted by the guard, COM
PEELED to dismount and on giving the
countersign were permitted to enter.
General Snowden asked for Major Bar
nard, who yesterday was brigade off,
Ger of the day, and after complaining
of the noise told Major Barnard to
consider himself under arrest.
ASKED THE, MAJORS PARDON.
A moment later he withdrew the Or
der and asked the majors pardon.
Meanwhile Colonel Coursen and Lieu
tenant Colonel Mates had Joined the
group and in response to the division
commanders questions were trying to
convince him that the noise complained
OF was not made in the Third brigade
lines, but was by some returning First
1t was then that General Snowden
asked for the regimental commander
of the guard and was led to Lieutenant
Smith at the guard tent. After ques-
tioning him about admitting Company
Il on Captain Kambecks countersign.
General SnOwden told him to consider
himself under arrest, and after being
passed over the line by Major Barnard.
galloped off toward the First brigade
lines.
In about twenty minutes he returned
and had Captain Kambeck brought be-
fore him. In response to the generals
question as to whether or not he (the
captain) had countersigned his men
into camp and on receiving an attirma-
tive reply the captain was told to con-
slider himself under arrest.
The two arrested officers were merely
removed from duty, occupied their
quarters and had the same freedom Of
the camp as before. Lieutenant Reel,
supernumary officer of the guard. sue
ceeded Lieutenant Smith as guard COM
mander.
In Lieutenant Smiths case the charge
against him is that he had no right to
pass the drum corps as body on the
strength of Sergeant Major Harry
Coursen's countersign.
RELEASED FROM ARREST.
At o'clock this afternoon Cap
tain Kambeck and Lieutenant Smith
were released from arrest. Col
onel Coursen, accompanied by Major
Barnard went to brigade headquarters
in the middle of the afternoon and af-
ter reviewing the case with General
Goblin, reported to General Snowden. at
division headquarters. There the three
men were in consultation for about ten
minutes, during which time General
Snowden told Colonel Coursen to re-
instate the arrested captain and lieu
tenant to their commands. Captain
Kambeck and Lieutenant Smith were
at division headquarters during the
talk with General Snowden, but the
latter did not ask to see them.
All during today General Snowden's
action in arresting the officers was con-
demned in language that was more Ian
emphatic and which cannot very well
be reproduced in print. 1t was the COM
mon opinion of officers well posted on
the United States Army regulations.
under which the National Guard is Or
ganized that no breach was made on
which the arrests were warraned or
justiflable. The whole thing Is looked
upon as a trivial circumstance which
gave SnOWden q chance to display him.