The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-11-14

years ago, and then. the bull ring punish
ment was abandoned.
1t WIS reserved fer the commanding ON
Ger Of an Arizona post, one-company out
fit, to intlict so barbarous punishment upon
an offending soldier that the whole scale
of punishments in the United States army
was revised and made hard and fast lhis
commanding officer was Il captain, and the
affair happened in 1879. He had In MS
company a soldier who was very nara
case and put in most OF his time IN the
guardhouse He completed guardhouse
term in the autumn of 1879, and lmmeui-
ately repaired to the nearby town OF
whisky ehacks and made himself exceed
ingly drunk. He returned to the post win
the announced intention of razlng IL 10 the
level of the desert and firing Volley over
it's ashes The captain had him lassoed as
he entered the post. The captain then con,
stituted himself a summary courtmaFtial
| and passed upon the case. He ordered that
| a hole sufficiently large to receive the up
| right body CT a man be dug in the sahd OF
| the parade ground. When the hole was dug
| the captain ordered that the hard-case sol
| der be stood in it up to his neck and tne
| sand be then repacked around him as tight
| ly as possible, covering his arms and Shout
ders and leaving only his head protruding
| above the ground.
The captains orders were obeyed, but IL
afterward came out that the captains me
hung by a thread so bitter was the AMI
| misty inspired among the men on account
| OF this cruel action. The offending culprlt,
| still more than half drunk was packed IN
| the sand hole his head alcne catching the
| RAYS of the blazing emi-tropical sun, ana
| a sentry was placed over MIN, Inc sun
| was nothing compared to the desert anus
| The desert ants sent out their couileis
| 10 the highways and byways and dunes ana
| hollows and it was no time at all pelore
| some thousands CT them, big, red. SPIDER
| like and ferocious, were Crawling over
| the soldiers; head. They crawled into his
| ears and his nose and his mouth, ana they
| caused him such unspeakable agony that ne
shouted in flsnzy The sentry--wno nap,
| pened TO be the pocr devils bunkie-nrst
| disobeyed guard regulations TO the extent
| of stooping to brush the ants from MS
| comrades face. Next he disobeyed orders
| 10 the extent of deliberately waking over
10 tta house of the captain, He took MS
rifle along with him.
| What do you mean by leaving your
| pcst?" demanded the captain, appearing
| at the door of his quarters.
because | don't stand for this kind OF q
| game for YOU or any other man from here
| 10 h. and hack" replied the sentry. The
| whole company. seeming to nave sprung
| from the ground. was right behind him;
| and IL you don't order that man turned
| loose in two seconds, III turn him loose
| myself"
The captain turned to one of his ser
| geants.
ARREST that sentry and take his gun
and belt from him. he said.
| .I'll shoot any man dead that lays
| hand ON me-" said the sentry quietly; but
| II was not necessary for him to say 1t, for
| the sergeant stood stock still with his
| hands behind his back. and every mans
| fact was black. All were with the sentry
The sentry strobe across the parade
| ground and found his prisoner insenslble.
| The ants had already made his face look
| like a beefsteak. With his fixed bayonet the
| sentry dug the unconscious man rom me
| sand and carried him In his arms to the
post hospital and dropped him at the feet
| Of the pest surgeon. Then he walked TO
| the commanding officers quarters. handed
| the commanding officer his gun ana peit'
walked out OF the post. and has never been
| seen or heard OF In the United States army
| from that day to this.
when the war department got Wind Of