The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-10

y
VINO DUCK not on principle, but tecause
Ihey were born that way. He was ac-
cuseo OF neglect Of duty on post, and the
seHefai court martial sentenced him 60
lhfee months in the Alcatraz guardhous'.
Guafdhouse prisoners are turned out at
Iausue call every morning 20 work
around the post This prisoner was turned
out on the morning following the receipt
OF MS sentence along with half a dozen
other minor prisoners When he was
counted on 20 wait in the van of a sentry.
said he:
Il don't work"
'HeyY' inquired the provost sergeant.
on, 1 guess yes" said the provost ser-
geant. sentry take this man out be-
hiAd the officers line to dump the swiil
The prisoner gently slipped down and
stretched himself at fun length on the
pebbly walk In front of the guardh0use.
NOT this morning" said he. Nor any
other morning. Nor any other evening.
NO work. This mans army is just about
entering upon a huge and determined
effort 20 get along without my prisoners
fatigue service. I hope itN succeed. But
no work. You hear that, don't You? l
hope make il clear to you. No work for
me- now or hereafter. for the pushing
| along Of this post or of the United States
army"
arms under his head and took it easy.
The provost serbeant looked at the man
with his eyes sticking out.
Look a-here, my man" said he to the
prisoner, who was chewing blades OF
grass that he idly plucked from the lawn
alongside the walk, that's heavy tax.
You don't expect to make il stick, do
you?
Watch me-" said the bucker, com
PLEASANTLY.
The officer of the day was called
Get uD out of that" said the officer OF
the day 10 the non-working prisoner
I'm tired" said the bucker And this
provost man wants me TO work. Not
much. No work"
Alcatraz was not Fort Sheridan. and so
the bucker was not prodded with bayo-
nets or dragged to the commanding Off
GERS office by a rope, but he was put in
the dungeon The Alcatraz dungeon is
below the level of the sea, and the rest
less and often stormy waters may be
heard from within the dungeon, beating
against its outer walls. The Alcatraz
dungeon is infested with rats of quite re-
markable ferocity. For resting place the
occupant of the AlcatTaz dungeon has a
six-foot plank. and for ration bread and
water. This bucker was given three days
of it, Then he was brought out at fatigue
call on the fourth morning. He was bit
pale, and he didn't look the 1870 pounds
the he weighed before he went into the
dungeon.
"Ready to work now, eh?" said the pro-
vost sergeant TO the prisoner.
The bucker plucSed a wisp of grass from
the sward
Nope" said the prisoner. And never
VIII be ready. You can put that down.
Dungeon or no dungeon, I don't work out
that sentence, not day Of it, nor a min
ute of It, You hear me, don't you?'
.1.4Es ~
ply. Three more days of the dungeon was
dished out to the bucker by order of the
commanding officer. The prisoner was
paler and thinner looking yet when he was
through with this dose.
you've learnt sense now, I'll bet" said
the provost sergeant.
"If sense means work I'm still a-learn-
ing" replied the bucker.
The man had TO be kept, by regulation.
three days locked up in the guardhouse
proper before being again relegated to the
dungeon. When the three days were up
into the dungeon he went again, this time
for a six-day trick.
He looked ehostly when he was drawn
up In the prisoners line on the seventh
day.
willing to do a little coal-haullng
chore or two now?" inquired the provost
sergeant.
mo. and 7 never will be- Might as
well get that fact drilled into your thick
skull. 1 never will be-"
Then the man was taken before the
| commanding officer. He was talked to
rather nicely by the commanding officer.
and recommended to take a quiet little
| tumble to himself.
GO to work, like the other prisoners,
my man, and save yourself misery, and
| get yourself restored to duty when your
| sentence is worked out"
ftNpNypP - sat1 o Ap.1 he
| a pretty pallid and thin-loOking lot, too
| by this time.
During ten-day trick in the dungeon
| that followed this, the man was found In
| the dungeon in a state of collapse He
| was surveyed by the post surgeon. The
| commanding officer thought 1t better. af-
| ter the man got out of the hospital to
"bob-tail' him outright-that is, dismiss
him from the service without further ado
| The man would have died before he would
| have worked under a sentry. He was one
| of the few buckers who ever came out
ahead in a contention with military au-
thority in the regular army.
| An apprentice boy aboard one of the
| gunboats of our navy performed a star
! bit of bucking about three years ago, but
after getting very much the worst of it
| his nerve left him, and he succumbed.
| This boy took n dislike to one of the chief
| petty officers. The lad was striker for
| the chief petty officers mess, and one
| day in a fit of temper he threw the chief
| petty officers mess stool violently away
! from the mess table. Grown men in the
navy are not permitted 10 spank the APP
! prentice lads, much as the boys OCCASION
| ally need spanking, so this chief petty Off
| Ger went TO the officer of the deck, and
told quietly of the occurrence, saying that
! while he didn't care to have the boy pun
| ished, he'd have TO insist upon the appren-
| tfcp OipyiDgr tho stool M
! ing it at the mess table. The apprentice
boy was summoned by the officer of the
deck. lectured. and told to pick up the
| chief petty officers mess stool and re-
| place it where 1t belonged The boy
would not do 1t, and said he wouldn't
| This was simply mutiny. but the boys
age was considered He was double-ron-
ed and put in the brig. Ten days later
he was given a chance to put the mess
| stool back at the mess table, but he
wouldn't do il. The stool was permitted
| 10 remain Just where the boy had thrown
| 1t. even during Sunday inspections and