The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-22

SdHlp Aletl, IOIlHB, va. July
z1.-somebody ought to take somebodies
aside and tell them something. There
Is large-sized weak spot somewhere
In some high place in this corps. Such
'mismanagement as that which has the
Thirteenth suffering the pangs of fever
tsh thirst this afternoon is deserving
the investigation of a court-martial.
The regiment came here under pro-
test from Lieutenant Colonel Mates.
He rode over Monday evening and find
ing that there was no water available,
called the attention of corps headquar-
ters to the hardship that would un-
doubtedly ensue. Corps headquarters
said, 60 ahead, the water question
will be solved"
The regiment went ahead but the
water question has not been solved.
The well is down 1875 feet, but not a
drop of water is forthcoming. The
Eighth's well is of none too great ca
pacity for their own needs and very
rightly Colnel Hoffman has refused to
l.
The consequence is that the Thir-
teenth's men are without water and
have been that way all day. Lieuten-
ant Cox has just succeeded in securing
two teams and has dispatched them in
charge of non-coms to forage for water
among the surrounding farms.
To make matters worse, some Short
sighted dignitary has ordered that the
suffers cease selling stuff to the pri-
Yates. During the early morning the
men Quenched their thirst with soda
water, but after the order closing the
suffers tents to enlisted men went
forth the only way the men could get
drink was to walk to some adjacent
farm house for il.
HE WILL RECOVER.
Private Christian Evans, who was
injured by running against bayonet,
Wednesday night is reported to be i'm
proving at Fort Myer hospital and
there are now strong hopes that he will
recover.
Company F's street was, last night,
the scene of the first sanguinary en-
gagement of the present war in which
the Thirteenth was a participant Corn
whlskey was SNUG gled into the street
commenced to get in it's work there
was trouble. This is the stuff that
southern lynching bees fire up with.
1t is bad stuff. bad in every sense Of
the word. Its effects are also bad
and in last nights incident there was
no exception to the rule. There was n
sort Of running fight all along the
line, which after an hour or so as
sumed such proportions as to demand
the interference of the officers.
Things quieted down for a time, but
about 10 O'Clock the corn whiskey com
nienced to get in its aftermath effects
and couple of the victims started out
for blood. One of them, Private John
Walsh, ran amucli through the street
looking for the man that had struck
him during the earlier fight. Private
Harris. one Of the smallest men in the
company, looked to Walsh to lie about
the size of the game he was after and
coming upon him while he was re-
Ginning in his tent dealt him a vicious
kick in the head. In a moment there
was a riot. Harris after recovering
from the stunning effects of the blow,
Seized his bayonet and made for his
aSsailant. He was just in the act OF
making a ferocious lunge at Walsh
~hei' First Sergeant Freeman grabbed
nm and knocked aside the bayonet
which was within a few inches of
Walsh's breast.
PEACEMAKERS WON.
BY this time about half the company
was engaged in the melee either as
belliSerents or peacemakers. After a
ten minute struggle the peacemakers
gained the upper hand and the officers
were congratulating themselves that
the excitement had subsided when
Walsh, who is evidently an epileptic,
fell in fit, induced. no doubt by the
excitement, and for another half hour
1t required the combined strength of
ten men to keep him from disrupting
the rgiment. The surgeons were sum
moned and with their little inJectors
and a pinch of morphine queled all
the excitement in short order. Harris
and Walsh We're taken to the hospital
for treatment. Harris worst injuries
were lacerated ear and spraincd an
kle. court martial will likely look
into the affair
The two battalions of the Thirteenth
were the opposing forces in an inter-
esting and exciting sham battle this
morning. They left camp at the same
time, one going to the east and the
other to the west, striking into the
woods and then advancing towards
each other on the north side of the
camp. The main object, as agreed
upon, was to catch the opposition in
an exposed position. Major Wood took
a stand on the edge Of a thick woods
overlooking an open field and awaited
the coming of Major Stillwell's men.
The latter fought their way through
an almost impenetrable succession of
blackberry trochas and secured an
ideal position in brush covered gully
paralleling the the woods where the
second battalion was concealed.
The main bodies and the squads de-
ployed as fiankers blazed away at
each other with blank cartridges for
about an hour and enjoyed it hugely.
1t was the first time that many of the
men even fired a gun.
Burson Bevan, a former member of
Company A, is the guest of Adjutant
Walter Gunster.
Principal Musician John Hayes is
back from his furlough and has re-
sumed command Of the musicians, re-
lieving Bugler Emmett McDermot,t
who wore the sword while the chief
and principal musicians were away.
The first visitors to, the new camp
were Thomas Kilrow, or Great Bend,
and Register Of Wills Samuel Wright,
OF Montrose, who ran down from the
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