The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-13
THE "sAw-HoRsE,, OUTRAGE.
Colonel Barnett Explains His Part
in 1t.

The men have many camp episodes and
stories to relate. One of them relates to
the ''saw-horse" that was constructed by
order of some Of the officers. The men tell
of a private who was placed on this saw
horse" and kept in the broiiing sun for four
hours. This was the case of Private Coop
er. The men denounce it as an outrage.
The saw horse" consisted of an arrange
ment in the shape of a saw-buck, over the
bar Of which the culprit was placed. A par
ty of soldiers had planned to make splinters
of this machine, but the night they at
tempted to carry out their plans the saw
horse" disappeared
Colonel Barnett was not inclined to dis
cuss newspaper stories of discomfort in his
regiment. Concerning the episode of Pri-
waite Cooper, who was compelled to ride
"saw-horse,' the colonel said that at the
time that punishment was melted out he was
in command of the brigade. One day an
officer Of the regiment reported that Coop
er has been away without leave, again." A
brigade officer present, who had been in the
regular army. remarked that formerly
notorious vi0latOrS of camp regulations had
been punished by being made to ride a
''saw-horse." Colonel Barnett at that time
paid little attention to what was said, so he
claims. The case of Private Cooper was
referred in the regular way, he said, to the
Instead of placing him in close confinement
in the guardhouse for twenty days and fin
ing him $40 as might have been done. the
saw horse was resorted to. Colonel Bar
rett insists he simply approved the sentence
In passing through the camp he saw
Cooper was seated on the '.saw-horse:" TWO
guards were with him with instructions to
take him down if he showed any signs of
pain. Colonel Barnett describes the saw
horse. as being a sapplIng eighteen incheS
in circumference placed in the crotch of
crossed poles, held in place by brace nailed
across below the sapling. When he saw
Cooper the latter was seated on the sapling
holding by the cross timbers and resting his
feet on the brace
HE could not have suffered pain" said
the colonel 'He was taken down once for
rest. After the punishment he got down
and walked to dinner. He did not go to the
hospital; he has not been on the sick list.
learned afterward that the evidence at the
field court showed Cooper pleaded guilty to
being absent three days without leave. He
was frequent offender. Our guardhouse
had nothing about 1t to terrify Offenders. 1t
was nothing more than a tent near the
woods, and men supposed to be in the
guardhouse were generally sitting on logs.
There were some cases where something
more severe than mere confinement was
necessary. l learned afterward that Cooper
had not only absented himself, but that he
had done so after his captain had refused
him leave of absence. That was insubordi-
nation. and should have been tried by
general court. At the time this occurred
the regulations were such that a sentence
of the field court must either be approved
or disapproved. If disapproved, the offender
would go scot free. There was no chance
for sentence to be modified if considered
too severe. No mar in the One-hundred-
and-fifty-seventh Regiment was ever pun
ished that did not have a fair trial. | have
always done what at the time seemed to be
my duty. / was there TO command the
regiment
Concerning the report that petitions cir
culated by men asking that they be mus
tered out had been suppressed, the colonel
said that il was against the army regula-
tions for such petitions to be circulated,
and he had suggested to the majors that
they ought not to be permitted No man
was arrested for circulating petitions nor
court-martialed for that cause. There are
army regulations by which any man has a
right to have any grievance heard, and such
rights were always respected, he said. Cir
culating petitions, the colonel says, was not
the way for the men to secure nearing
under the regulations. ANY thing coming
through the prescribed channels was always
given the RIGHT cOnSidera fion.