The times., 1898-05-31
TROUBLE FOR RECRUITS.
Capt. PattersOn's ComTi ny Disband-
ed mt the Last Me ment.


ed MT the Last Ne ment.
Since o'clock yesterday evening there
has been a general tumult in volunteer
recruiting circles, and the burden of COM
plaint hes principally in the hearts OF
nearly 100 men who thought they were
soldiers; who prepared themselves to
leave Washington last night for regi-
mental rendezvous at Macon. Ga. and
who suddenly found themselves bun
coed" Many of them are left without
means of sustenance. having resigned
their civilian positions to enlist and all
are very wroth against John c. Patterson.
MIR. Patterson, who would be a colonel.
| has left behind him IN Washington the
memory of a picturesque not, 10 say me-
teoric. career. He was formerly known
in the District National Guard here, from
which he is said 10 have resigned owing
to an unfulfilled ambition to be elected
lieutenant. The facts concerning his
company, which for several days he has
been recruiting at 1103 Pennsylvania
Avenue and which was summary dis
rupted late last night. are these:
Col. Petit and Col. Ray, both we'll
known army men stationed now in the
War Department at Washington. were
intrusted with the organization of the
Fourth Regiment United STATES volunteers
and the Third Regiment United States
volunteer immunes respectively 1t was
| arranged that Col. Ray should organize
his regiment from Georgia, Mississippi
and Alabama and Col. Petit his from
the District of Columbia. Maryland. Yir-
ginia and West Virginia. Recently Col.
Ray asked of Col Petit permission TO
recruit some immunes from the District
of Columbia which was granted Hearing
of this, John c. Patterson approached
| Col Ray with the representation that he
| had an entire company at his command.
and requested that they be accepted as
| immunes, with himself as captain.
| Col. Ray readily agreed to this. after
exacting from Patterson promise not to
| encrOach upon the men pledged TO Col.
Petit through his District recruiting cap
| tains. Patterson promised this and ac-
cordingly was given the necessary per-
mission and authority to have his COM
| pany put through a medical examination.
| Then it appeared that Patterson did not
| have a company; that he had made promi-
| ses in anticipation of his ability to re-
opened a recruiting office at hob Pennsyl-
vania Avenue, and through newspaper
advertising circulars and postal cards
made a great bid for BUSINESS. He re-
| cruited his company under promises of
! immediate muster.
/ 1t is charged that he wrongfuIly swOre
| his men in. not being himself a commis-
stoned mastering officer and further. that
! ne took men away from other recruiting
captains by Misrepresentation, thus abus-
| ing the courtesy of Col. Petit in allowing
| Col. Ray 10 organize a company here
| Col Petut's recruiting captains entered
| vigorous protest in person, with the re-
/ suit that an investigation was at once
ordered. At o'clock yesterday morning
John c. Patterson was summoned 10 the
/ War Department for an interview. and the
permission previously granted him to re-
cruit a company was promptly rescinded.
Even after this, il is said, he accepted men
/ in his organization, with the promise
/ that they would leave in the evening for
/ Macon, Ga. the Third Regiment rendez-
| vous.
| AT O'Clock promptly or schedule, time
| the deluded company congregated 20 be
/ transported South. Patterson hurriedIy
/ informed them that it was all off, there
had been a misunderstanding he had no
/ authority to carry the thing further.
! CONSERVATION gave place to anger in
] the souls of the disappointed men, and
when the significance of it all began 10
dawn upon them they were exceedingly
| bitter in their denunciations Of Patter-
| SON.. Many of them had resigned good
/ positions to enlist. The other recruiting
stations of the Third and Fourth. the
I authenticity of which is no topen 10 doubt
! will care for as many of the disrupted
| company as care TO re-enlist.