The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-01
Constantly Changing Mass of People
That Stream Through the Gates
with Various Purposes.
CALLERS ENJOYED BY GUARDS
HUNDREDS OF WOMEN IN CAR
RIAGES, AWHEEL AND ON FOOT.
Some of the Old Veterans Who Want
to Enlist ~Again-The Dago's
Sad Experience. s

Not the least interesting feature of Camu
Mount to the idle observer is the great
American public that has locked to 1t i'm
thousands ever since the troops began
tumbling off the cars last Tuesday. OF
course the unaccustomed sight of several
thousand young men preparing to go out
and fight and die If need be is interesting,
for We of the present generation have never
before seen anything of a military character
more threatening than a dress parade for
the purpose of overawing a mob, but when
all is said and done there is much Of a
sanIeness about them. All are becoming
as fast as possible perfect bits of human
mechanism ready to fit into the tremendous
war machine that Uncle Sam is building up.
But the public, the people! The stream OF
human beings with their human passions,
their human fears and their human follies
that pour constantly through the gates of
Camp Mount Here is no sameness, no
monotony, but a study full of the fascina-
ton of life. Most of it, of course is simply
curious and foolish, but much of it is
serious, some of it is purposeful and some OF
it IS even tragic.
Possibly one of the best view points for
observing and learning the motives of the
mass of people visiting the camp is with a
group of three young infantrymen belonging
to a company made up in one of the rural
towns. stationed not too far from the great
entrance gate, There are three Of the boys
in uniform. One was a dapper shoe clerk
in his native town. Another heard the call
to arms while driving a harrow On his
fathers farm, and another is, when at
home, employed by an extensive stock buy
er. 1t is the second day in camp, the hard
work of drilling every minute of the day
has not begun and the discipline is some
what AK. Among the stream coming from
the gates they notice a two-horse trap,
drawn by a spanking team. Everything
about it is trim and up to date. The coach
mans beaver glints in the sunlight and the
stiff breeze from the west gaily waves the
plumes upon the spreading hats of two
young girls who stare about curiously at the
unaccustomed sight, and in the rear seat
| sits a woman considerably past middle age,
dressed with quiet dignity, who takes a
languid interest in the scene. The boys
know tha the carriage is not likely to hold
up In front of their quarters and they are
right. After it has made a circuit Of the
grounds and the coachman has made two or
three Inquiries it finally lands before one
Of the toy tents of Battery A and is i'm
mediately surrounded by members of the
Crack artillery who, in times OF peace.
would be Mortified with a spot of SCOT upon
their linen, but now look as rough and tough
In their camp uniform, SLOUGH hats and
three days growth of beard, as do any OF
the boys who have come up from the coun-
try. -
After the eyes of the young infantrymen
have followed this equipage until it is lost
behind one Of the buildings, their attention
is attracted by three women on foot. 1t
,nay be said, in passing, that the averages
infantryman's attention Is attracted By
nothing but women so long as there are any
within the range of his vision. These wom-
en- ON foot are more strikingly dressed than
were those in the carriage and the hearts
of the young guardsmen leap to their
threats when they think they see the fair
beings veering toward their quarters. There
is no mistake about it. They come straight
to the tent and one of them, with an en-
gaging smile, asks if they know the where
abouts of Jonathan Smith. She does not
know whether he is from Fort Wayne or
Evansville or possibly from some other
town, but he is an old friend Of hers and
she is anxious to find him. 1t goes with
out saying that the young men Immediate
ly offer to assist in the search and with all
gallantry and with thorough respect they
pilot these women all over the grounds,
perfectly unconscious Of the fact that they
are making themselves the laughing stock
for all people in the city to whom the
women must be known at once by
a glance at their gaudy dress and
the various thicknesses of powder
and paint upon their faces. They
nave naturally paired a bit In the search
and when it proves f~ruitless and the boys
nave seen the women to their car and re-
spectfully lifted their hats in farewell, they
begin to nave some doubts, and these doubts
are further increased when they return to
their quarters and begin to compare notes,
and no doubts at all are left when some OF
their fellow-soldiers from the city drop
around and begin to numerically guy them
for making a show of themselves. These
young militiamen happen to have self-re-
spect and they blush a bit.
Their next experience was when a couple
of young girls in bicycle costume stop for
a moment at their quarters and ask Il they
know where the Kokomo Company could
be found. One of them gruffiy jerked' his
thumb over his shoulder and told her the
company was quartered on beyond, and the
two girls, who were perfectly respectable
and had asked a civil question. wondered
silently why they had received such an un-
civil answer. The young men had not yet
learned discrimination.
Their next caller came behind a push-cart
loaded with bananas. crying his wares in
broken English. Here was something they
understood. This dago did not wear petit
coats and they felt competent to cope with
him. Immediately a shout was raised. other
infantrymen came rushing from the near
by tents and without waiting for the word
OF command, a charge is made upon the
push cart and In less time than 1t takes to
tell about, his bananas are distributed
among the company. The poor dago jab-
bers several kinds of Italian dialect and
gesticulates wildly. but three or four guns
are exhibited to him and he dashes for the
gate. glad to escape with his life. II was
fun for the boys. but the poor Italian went
home heart-broken. 1t will take him four
weeks to make up his loss to the padrone,
and in the meantime his stout little wife
must bend over the washtub four hours
more each day and his three dirty lftle
children must be satisfied with barely
enough victuals to keep them alive.
The next callers are an cid man and .
$500 MM~x9m - - 49,