The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-11

cars, through the various receiving, in
spectng. registering and supplying
stations scattered about the park, and,
then, under the lead of the regimental
officers, who brought them on, trudg-
ing In twos, with a bashful effort nt
military step and alignment, across the
big parade ground. to the quarters of
the regiment whose companies they
propose to complete.
Each has his newly-issued bluish-
gray blanket hung about his neck, his
"tins" swung at his belt and his little
bundle from home tucked snugly under
his arm. Not all Of them. however, are
equipped in this last-named respect.
A goodly number look as IL home TO
them was only g. memory of childhood,
but incidentally they look as II they
behtting word in their case.
None of them have what might be
properly termed a spic-and-span APP
pearance, although a close inspection
reveals that many of them, possibly a
majority, were rather natty fellows be-
fore they ran afoul of a day in the cars
and a night in the Incubator" with
toilet conveniences an unthought OF
thing.
CALLED RECONCENTRADO
1t was this general dilapidated ap-
pearance of the best of them and the
various degrees of hoboish figure that
the other portion of them cut, coupled
with the quasi hcrding and driving-in
process to which they are subjected,
that earned for them the not inaptly
4 applied sobrlquet of "reconcentrados."
70 describe them best would be to
ask the reader to imagine every man.
ner of men between the ages Of is and
45. That is the estimate of their char
acter l arrived at after casually study
! ing them for four days. In one of the
, barrack hunks would be encountered
/ the unmistakable scion of some city's
| best family" his silk stockings, white
| linen and the Greek letter society pin
| at the lower edge of his vest, making
/ but one glance necessary to tell that
/ the letter he was laboriously writing,
| with piece Of pine board across his
! lap for a table, would possibly be
! taken the next morning by some dainty
and jeweled hand from a servant with
a silver tray.
Sitting on the edge Of the bunk, di-
rectly above with his feet lazily swing
ing in and out of Percival's 3x3x6 bou-
doir, and his expressionless face rest
ing in both hands-planted just far
enough apart to allow easy exit to per-
| iodical additions to the pool of tobacco
| juice beneath-was to be found the typi-
cal "Swipes." He has no stockings or
shirt at all, and the only pin visible
about his badge garden was the one
that was ally to his upturned coat col
lar in the task of hiding the breast that
his buttonless undershirt left bare. He
wasn't writing letters; the poor devil
didn't have anybody to write to. may
| be. His whole mind was bent on get
| ting his moneys worth out of that quid
with an occasional excursion into the
field of conjecture, to ascertain If he was
quite sure he would like soldering if
supper turned out to be no better than
dinner and breakfast were.
STUDIOUS SOLDIER.
Across the aisle was a middle-aged
| bearded mana country school teacher
| learned on ipqury-poring over q
book of military tactics evidencing ar
intention not to be unprepared for any
opportunity of advancement that might
present itself. A group not far away
found employment and no end Of
amusement, in watching a wrestling
match between two lusty lads from
different towns that were largely rep
resented by the boys in that end OF the
aisle. An innocent from Pennsylvania
Dutchland. who, unfortunately, thought
everything as honest as himself, wa!
to be seen going around asking mer
who never before laid eyes on him be-
fore. if they had seen his blanket, one
of the identically similar of severa
thousand that had come up from tht
United States arsenal in Washington
A meek-ooking lad who carried
strapped 10 the side Of his satchel &
feXible-bound Bagster, too big to h,
contained within, tried hard to not ap
pear unkindly uninterested In a husky
uncouth fellows eXpletive-garmenteC
complaint about not being allowed t
go out to get drink when he had I'd,
dough { buy it wild"
1t would be an infinite task to ever
thus hint at one of each class repre-
sented in the Gretna reconcentrados
1t is a university for a student o
human nature and a play and circus
rolled into one, for the merely ordi
nary observer-presuppos of course
that Dewey has about removed all cal
for consideration of the serious aspect
The trials and hardships, If not to sa!
painful suffering that many of then
have had to put up with, is probabl,
another reason for the appellatiol
given the recruits. Yesterdays and to
days arrivals did not fare so i'll, bu
those who had to contend with the dis
tresslng weather, which was at it
worst Saturday and Sunday certainl
had, for the time being, about as har
a lot as that which has fallen to tn
unfortunates from whom their nick
name was derived.
THOSE KEPT IN CARS.
Those who were kept in the cars o
had not as yet been "hatched"-as tn
departure from the Incubator"
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES only put to tn
slight Inconvenience of trying to slee
without fires of any kind and to exis
on little or nothing-prncipall the lat
ter. 1t was those who were sent I
their companies who were put in a pitt
able plight. Already has been describe
the experiences of the old men of tn
companies who, after the nOn-volun
teerS and "CriDDleS' had left huddle