Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-11
Why He Became a Deserter,

1t is doubtful II any young man has
a full understanding of the serious ma
ture of his duties and obligations when
he first joins the military. He cannot
comprehend that his individuality is
wholly absorbed and that he has no
more personal rights than slave or Il
piece of machinery. Reared In this land
of the free and accustomed to going
wherever his inclinations leads him, the
restraints Of army life become peculiar
and Calling, and 1t takes the young
soldier some time to reconcile himself
to a discipline which governs his every
hour. Among the young men who en-
listed In the Nineteenth Kansas, the
regiment raised by Governor Crawford
in 1865 to fight the Indians, was Billy
Speer, son of John Speer. the well known
Kansas journalist, Though scarcely Il
man in years, Billy was filled with
military ardor. When lad he had
shown his mettle by shooting the only
one of Quantrells raiders who met
death on that tragic day at Lawrence.
The story Of how one of his brothers
was burned to death and another shot
down in cold blood is a familiar one.
When his half-crazed mother gave into
his hands an old shotgun and told him
to guard their home, he took station at
the front yard hedge and shot the first
red-handed devil who came riding by.
But this is disgressng. Billy went with
tho troops out into the West to fight
Indians. The campaign Of the 18th was
not n glorious one. 1t was made up
principally by forced marchers upon
quarter rations. Of shverlng in the cold
Northern winds, of following the red
man hither and thither, without bring
Ing them to battle. 1t was battle Billy
wanted, and when the cruel marches
failed to fetch him to the field of glory
he commenced to pine for that cosy fire
in the Lawrence home, for buck wheat
cakes and maple sugar, for slices of
ham with eggs turned over, and the
longer he pinned the worse became his
plninE. Finally, one morning Billy
failed to answer rollcall. Not many
days later woe-begone specimen of
humanity entered the Speer mansion
at Lawrence just as the family was
sitting down to supper. Father Spcer
spraHg to his feet with mingled sur
prise and horror depicted upon his
countenance, as he calculated: WV
where did you come from" Come
from soldering" sententiously re-
sponded Billy. as he showed a chair
over to the table and prepared to at
tack the supper. "Did you have per-
mission ?" querled' the old man"
Nope" responded Billy. as he reached
for hot biscuit and stuffed his mouth
fun. "They didn't appear 10 need me.
and / got up and left Got up and
left? Great God, william. don't you
know you are n descrtcr? Don't you
know that they VIII stand you up in
line and shoot You full OF holes? Don't
you remember that awful poem. To
drumbeat and heartbeat a soldier
marches by?' Get up from that table,
william, and come with your wretched
father" And William got up from
the table and went with his whetched
father. And he did not stop going until
his wretohed father had carried him
over the railroad to Fort Hays and
from there on horseback to the camp
Of the Nineteenth Kansas. No one
knows to this day Just what John
Speer said to the colonel in command,
but he arranged II In some manner so
the charge against Billy was mellowed
down 10 being absent without leave"
and that young man escaped with
some trivial punishment. Billy Speer
is now one Of the most popular pas
senger conductors on the Santa Fc