The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-12
FLAHERTY ON GUARD
STORY oFAYANkeE RECRUIT FRESH
f. FROM the OLD SOD.

A Scheme to Get by tho Guard That Didn't
Pan out-Pat Held Up Nearly All the
Ofhcsrs Of His Company and Even Then
Couldn't Get the Countersign.
City Messenger George L. Warmer al
ways has good supply Of war stories on
tap. In Mr.. WARMERS regiment, which
was recruited at Worcester and went to
the front from there, was private who
might have been named Patrick Flaherty,
but wasn't, and who might have been
French, but was Irish. And he was an
lrehman not only In name and hair, but
In That national characteristic Of witty re-
tort and peculiar denseness in some d.
rections
While the company was in the barracks
at Worcester it was the fashion for the men
to run the guard and get out Of the lines
through hole in the high board fence,
made by removing the nail at the bottom
of wide board and swinging 1t to one
side. After the men had got through they
would let the board swing back and there
was no sign of exit The officers finally
| discovered this method of procedure and
determined to put stop to It, They &C.
lected as sentry at the crucial point Fla
herty. He had impressed them as a man
who would do his duty at whatever cost,
even though 1t meant sticking bayonet
| into some ones vitals or boring a hole
| through him with an ounce of lead. They
also elaborated system Of countersigns
which they proposed to have strictly en-
forced.
1t CHANGED that one night several of the
men prepared to run the guard. The pass
word that night was "Tlconderoga 1t
was guarded very carefully, but by some
means the men got hold Of it and planned
to make use of 1t in getting outside the
lines. So party of four or five started to-
ward the point in the line where Flaherty
was on picket. For safetys sake one of
the party started ahead to experiment on
Flaherty with the password, while the rest
staid behind to watch the outcome. If the
advance guard got through all right, the
rest had pretty good assurance of going
through also. The soldier approached Fla,
berty in the dark and the latter brought
his musket to charge bayouets and shout
ed:
who be yez2'
"a friend"
"Shuro and yez can't get out o. this
widout do countersign." The soldier ap-
preached the picket and whispered in his
ear the word 'Tioonderoga "Phat did
yez sayS" Tlconderoga," repeated the
guard runner in louder whisper. "That
amt the worrud, said Pat, and as the SOL
der made motion to withdraw, he added,
approaching the point Of the bayonet lit
Ito closer to his body, "Don't yez move
wan step, or by the holy nither III stick
this inter yez. The soldier knew Pat well |
enough to know that he would do it in
second if he made motion, and so he |
stood there passively while Pit yelled, |
Carp raj of the guardl' In q moment or |
two tho corporal camo running up to SEQ |
what was the matter, but he was halted by |
Pat, who said, "Give the countcrsgn."
'Iiconderoga, said the corporal, and
started to approach nearer "Howld up"
interposed Pat ''yez haven't got it right
ayther, at all, at all" In vain the corporal
protested that that was the word that had
been given out. Pat would not let him
move either way, but kept the corporal and
tho pri vate standing there with his bayonet
vibrating between them while he shouted
for the sergeant of the guard. Tho word
was passed along and finally the sergeant
runners companions began to edge away
to await developments remaining, how
ever, within oarshot.
whats all this troubleP" demanded the
sergeant, looking over the group
"Givo the countcrsign, said Patrick.
"Ticonderoga, replied the sergeant
Faith and yez haven't got it right,
ayther, said Pat, pointing his bayonet at
the sergeant.
Eyes, it is, you fool" answered the ser
geant. "lhat what all the pickets have"
"lt don't make wan bit Of difference"
said Pat. of ycz don't give that counter
sign and yez move wan step, I'll put II hole
through yez."
Pat was getting angry by this time and
the protestations and threats Of the SER
geant and corporal did not move him
whit. Flaherty called this time for the lieu
tenant of the guard. He was by this time
surrounded by a pretty respectable sized
crowd Of puzzled officers, all Of whom he
was holding at bay at the point of his
muskct. The hubbub soon reached tho
ears If the lieutenant, and he came down
in tearing hurry to sec what the trouble
was all about. Pat brought him up short
with his bayonet and demanded the coun-
tCFsiBh, although nc knew well enough |
who the oificN was.
"Ticondcroga," said the lieutenant
"Howly smoke" sighed Pat "he ain't
got it right aythpr." And he pondercd as
to who he should call out next.
Amt got it rightT' said the lieutenant
angrily. "Why, you fool, gave it to you
myself"
Sure, thin, ycz forgotten it," said Pat.
" 'Tirunderoga' wasn't the worrud yez
gave"
What was it, them" asked the lieutcn-
ant, beginning TO see the fun.
"Bedad, it was Wroang kind of rogu-
cry, " said Pat, and u shout Of laughter
went up from the group he had standing
around him. Flhherty, having recently
come over and not being well up in Amer
lean history, had not heard Of Tic0nderoga,
and had mistaken the word, although they
had drilled him carefully, trying to get
him to pronounce it. Not long aftcrward
tho regiment moved to the south, and
With it went Flaherty, now rcchristened
wrong kind Of rogucry." 1t stuck to
him all through tho war, and he got so
used to it that he responded to it as his
name.-SprSlgllcld Republican.