The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-09-05
PRIVATE HOGAN.

Within the memory Of the Oldest SOL
der in the regiment there had never
been a time when the men of Troops
Q and II were not on bad terms
with each other. When stationed in the
far southwest, their barracks had ad-
joined, and scarcely pay day had pass
ed that the "Blarneys" and the Dutch
Rifles" as they were in the habit OF
calling each other, were not mixed up
in some disgraceful i'm broglio And
when, after 10 years spent in pacify ing
Apaches and in building up comfortable
army posts for their successors to enjoy,
the regiment was ordered to Wyoming,
fate ironically ordained that these same
two troops of cavalry should be again
assigned to adjoining barracks, separat-
ed only by narrow adobe sally port.
The rank and file of Troop were
Irish from the first sergeant down to
the last private in the rear rank. The
former was typical trooper Of the old
school who i'll the halcyon days sue
ceeding the war of the rebellion had
welded his authority with all the indie
pendence of a Gaelic chieftain Woe to
the unlucky German recruit who migh6
be assigned to Troop G! McGIory
and his associates soon found a way to
cause him either to desert or else trans
fer to more congenial organization.
And it was likewise true of Troop II
that no Irishman ever found his name
upon the roster Of First Sergeant Spiegel
that he did not bemoan his fate and in
wardly curse the recruiting officer in
faraway New York who had unsuspect-
ingly assigned him to the Dutch
rifles" In the new northern country
the old state of affairs had gone on i'll
spite of the efforts of the regimental
commander and the respective captains
of the two troops to preserve the peace.
The spirit was almost akin to that of "a
vendetta, which after resting peacefully
for time would again spring forth
whom least expected. And it was to this
very fact that I owed my first acquaint-
ance with Private Hogan of Troop g.
was crossing the grassy parade one
fine summer day when | was Suddenly
made aware that something was amiss
i'll the rear of the barracks occupied by
Troop 9. Loud voices could be heard.
and a sergeant in his shirt sleeves an
peared at the front door and ran quick
ly around through the sally port As [
was officer of the day I Immediately
became interested. Cheers were heard,
some apparently of victory, others of
encouragement AS l started toward
the uproar there was q quick step be-
nd 7 io1l 7
ceived the salute of a young Irish sol
dier, who broke into a run after passing
me. He was perfect giant i'll stature,
and his well shaped head was surmount-
ed by shock of fiery red hair. His face
was good natured one, sunburned and
covered with generous supply Of free
kles. He was faultlessly uniformed, and
this, with his white gloves and shining
waist belt, proved him to be the COM
manding officers orderly. As he cross
ed the distant road at breakneck speed
he first threw off belt and afterward
blouse and disappeared through the
sally port, where his appearance seemed
to be greeted with chorus of yells. !
quickened my pace, but as l approached
the barracks the noise ceased, and when
l passed the sally port not soldier
save one was to be seen, and this one
was the redheaded Irishman, who was
in the act of picking up his cap His
shirt was torn and his new trousers We're
covered with mud, but at my approach
he straightened up with the rigidity of
"a marble statue. His assumed dignity
was ludicrous in the extreme. The thick
red hair stood out i'll tufts wet and di-
sheveled, while the great heads of per-
spiration on his forehead seemed to in
crease momentarily in size and number
as sternly looked him in the face.
Whats the matter here?' l shouted
grufly.
He respectfully touched his hand to
the visor of his cap and replied with
some confusion:
"Sorr, Throop II has insulted us
again. +"
But you've been fighting. What is
your name, sir?'
'Sorr, some calls me Hogan, others
calls me Hogan, but calls meself Ho-
gan-Private Barney Hogan of Throop
G, sorr," he added, with just touch
of dignity "And as for the foightin,
sorr, wan of those dirty blaclgards mkt
door yilled at our cook, Dinnis Conner,
while he was afther takin a pail of
clane wather aorosst the yard, a-want-
i'll to know if the throop was now Twin
on wather alone. No., wills Dinnis,
but I'll give yez what the loikes of yez
has long been nadin, and with thot he
claps the pail of wather on Private
Schneider's head, and the two throops
wint at it hot and heavy"
Poor Hogan! Twas on the court mar
tial that tried him and others for con-
duct prejudicial to good order and mill
tary discipline, the specifications alleg-
ing that he, Private Barney Hogan,
Troop G, did, with certain Others en-
gage in a fight in the rear of his troop
quarters. When asked by the judge ad-
vocate whether he had anything to say
IN his own defense, Barney disclaimed
all intention of engaging in a fight
and most emphatically declared that he
had done all in his mower "to kane the