The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-11-16
PRIVATE LAUFER.

LO1 IA II LA u IL lLlls
l remember well the day we all met
at the adjutant's office to receive our
portion of a big batch of recruits who
arrived on the previous day Recruits
are sent out without assignment except
to the regiment in general, 1850 re-
cruits to the Tenth cavalry, for in
stance.
Then the colonel, a stiff old West
Pointer, from the general list assigned
to each troop the number required to
fill up the gaps the last campaign had
left We were all standing around the
porch as Church. our adjutant called
off the names of the men for each troop,
A, B, G, D.
As each mans name was called he
stepped one pace to the front and a side
step to the right, so that they would
form separate squad when the list was
completed. When my troop, j, was
reached, l naturally had general in.
terest in what manner of men might
fall to my lot, but confess l was not
so absorbed as would have been if 1
was receiving 90 horses instead of re-
cruits
However, | was short of good timber
just then and was struck by the appear
ance OF the man who stepped out as
Church called George Laufer. - His
crisp, distinct Here" in reply to his
name made me think that it was his
own and name he was proud of. The
vast majority of enlisted mems names
IN the army, like those in the peniten-
tlary, are fictitious and run from Chris
tlan Scripture to George Washington,
with only one rule seeming to govern
their selection-the better the name the
worse the man. Christian Scripture was
the worst soldier, drunk or sober, ever
knew.
Laufer, however, had every mark of
well bred man about him, was of an aver
age height, with light, strong frame,
weighing l65 or ITO pounds; young
with brown eyes and hair, small dark
mustache, clean, well groomed face and
complexion that dissipation would
have ruined in a week, but which was
now clear and healthy
My sergeant took the squad and
marched them down to the troop quar-
ters, where with my lieutenants, 1 in
spected them, listening to the stories of
all the rest-the same old story had
heard a thousand men tell and vary only
in detail-as to where they lived, wheth-
er they were married, why they had en-
listed, etc. Laufer promptly told me all
that it was reasonable l should know
and as promptly showed his manhood
when any irrelevant question was pro-
pounded by declining to answer.
was satisfied that he had told the
truth and that l had luckily picked up
jewel of man. l made up my mind
that should he fulfill my first impress
sions during his setting up" and grad
uation from recruit to a private he
should be a corporal after one or two
tours of guard duty
The colonel frequently came around
from one troop to another during the
ceremony of stables. Morning and even
ing cavalryman's horse is thoroughly
groomed, fed and watered, each private
and corporal grooming the horse he
rides, the extra horses being taken care
of by the recruits or by the stable guard
when there were no recruits
That afternoon was right glad to
walk down with the old man., as we
called our colonel He was harsh one
and swift in his punishments, yet not
slow in his rewards-just but cold
blooded and almost unmerciful, a man
in many ways cordially hated by us all,
yet in many more ways idolized by
every one who knew him. We turned
into my troop stables, and to my utter
astonishIhent found my stable sergeant
standing with Recruit Laufer, ready for
my order TO put him in the guardhouse
Dressed now i'll his white stable frock
and trousers, he looked a typical caval-
ryman, but there was that in his face
NOT defiance, rather determination
plainly showing that he had made his
decision
Whats the matter, Sergeant Cars
well?" asked the colonel.
Recruit Laufer refuses to groom his
horse, sir, . reported Carswell, with his
hand at the visor of his cap
Refuses to groom his horse, eh?''
the colonel asked, with that twang in
his voice which every soul from the kid
bugler to the lieutenant colonel knew
meant mischief. Then, turning to Lau-
fer, i'll manner to make stout nerves
culver, he asked:
Why won't you groom your horse?'
Because am no groom, sir, and be-
cause such was not explained to me as
part of my duties when enlisted, % said
Laufer, saluting, but steady as a veteran.
'The-you say, roared the old man,
now mad beyond all hope of calming
Sergeant Sergeant Carswelll Ser
geant" he yelled
Yes, sir, said the sergeant, who
had stepped aside to look after the 9TH
er recruits.
Sergeant Carswell, have the saddler
make halter for this man, tie him up
in this vacant stall when it's ON him,
feed him in the trough, lead him out to
water and bed him with straw until
further orders. +"
''Yes, sir" Carswell saluted and led
my good timber away to obey that Or
der, from which there was no appeal
Rather a bad beginning for a man
had picked from the batch to make a
corporal smilingly said when we
were alone again.
"Oh, you can't tell, - the colonel re-
piled, and then we talked about the
Whit saddle and the new carbine we
were trying and other post subjects I'M
til he left my stables.
Knowing that his order would be
obeyed, / paid no attention to it and
really forgot all about it among the de-
tails of life more affecting my welfare.
| wondered if we would get scouting or
ders just as my next years leave of alb
sence became due; if there was really
pay I had dropped in the little game
last night; if she meant what she said
she was laughing SO l could not make
out at the time; if the mail would bring
me the check which my kind old dad
sometimes sent.
Meantime the day was done and an
other was begun. In the semidarkness
of morning stables l saw Laufer lying
on his straw in the stall. l believe did
wonder if he was cold, but knew if he
had been l could not in any way remedy
it, and so two or three days and nights
passed, one very like the other.
Again | walked down to afternoon
stables with the colonel He had not
been in my stables since he had ordered
Laufer tied up. We slowly sauntered
down the long side-opposite the one