The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-19
MARCHING ON QUARTER RATIoNs.
Why "A Kansas Boy became a Deser-
ter, and Why He RejOined His
Command

ter, and Why He Rejoined His
Command.
From the Kansas City Journal.
1t is doubtful if any young man has
full understanding of the serious nature of
his duties and obligations when he first
joins the military. He cannot comprehend
that his individuality is wholly absorbed
and that he has no more personal rights
than slave or piece of machinery. Rear
ed in this land of the free and accustomed
to going wherever his inclination leads him
the restraints of army life become pecu-
harly calling, and it takes the young SOL
der sometime to reconcile himself tora dis
cipline which governs his every hour.
Among the young men who enlisted in
the Nineteenth Kansas, the regiment rails
ed by Gov. Crawford in 1868 to fight the
Indians, was Billy speer, son of John
Speer, the well-known Kansas journalist
Though scarcely a man in years, Billy was
filled with military ardor When lad he
had shown his mettle by shooting the only
one Of QuantrelPs raiders who met death
on that tragic day in Lawrence. The story
death and another shot down in cold blood
is a familiar one. When his half-crazed
mother gave into his hands an old shotgun
and told him to guard their home he took
station at the front yard hedge and shot
the first red-handed devil who came rid
. ing by,
But this is DEPRESSING, Billy went with
the troops out into the West to fight In
dams. The campaign of the Nineteenth was
not glorious one. 1t was made up princi-
pally of forced marches upon quarter "a
IONS of shivering. IN the cold Northern
winds, of following the red men hither and
thither, without bringing them to battle.
1t was battle Billy wanted, and when the
cruel marches failed to fetch him to the
field of glory he commenced to pine for
that cosey fire in the Lawrence home, for
buclkwheat cakes and maple sugar for
slices of ham with eggs turned over, and
the longer he pined the worse became his
pining.
Finally, one morning Billy'failed to an
swer roll-call. Not many days later a
woe-begone. specimen of humanity entered
the Speer mansion at Lawrence just as
the family were sitting down to supper
Father Speer sprang to his feet with min
gled surprise and horror depicted upon his
countenance, as he CALCULATED:
"W-w-where did you come from?'
Come from soldering" sententiously
responded Billy, as he showed a chair over
to the table and prepared to attack the
supper.
did you have permission?" queried the.
old man.
Nope responded Billy, as he reached
for hot biscuit and stuffed his mouth
full '"They didn't appear to need me, and
1 got up and left
Got up and left? Great God, William
don't you know you are a deserter? Don't
you know that they will stand you up
in a line and shoot you full of holes?
Don't you remember that awful poem, To
drumbeat and heartbeat a soldier marches
by? Get up from that table, William,
and come with your wretched father!"
And William got up from the table and
went with his wretched father. And he
did not stop going until his wretched
father had carried him over the railroad
to Fort Hays and from there on horse
back to the camp Of the Nineteenth Kan
sas. No one knows to this day just what
John Speer said to the colonel in COM
mand. but he arranged it in some manner
so the charge against Billy was rnellowed
down to being "absent without leave,
and that young man escaped with some
trivial punishment,
Billy Speer is now one of the most pop
uar passenger conductors on the Santa
Fe Railroad and lives in Wichita. He
HASN'T vet got over his indisposition to
marching on quarter rations, but with
regiment of such as he before them the
Spanish would need at least a brigade.