The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-06-09

stand, but when the officers returned.
along towards evening. 10 the pier shed
from the restaurant where they had been
dining they found only about twenty men
10 the pier shed. and most OF the twenty
were nOn-commissioned officers. who
would probably have gone, TOO. had they
not had their stripes and chevrons In
mind. Wnen they began to investigate
the officers found that a small boy had
been making siathcrs OF backsheesh In
carrying escaping soldiers from the pier
whereon they had been confined 20 an
other pier across the way, whence the
soldiers made FOR the joyous portion OF
the town The boy had only leaky skin,
but Il served.
The officers formed a patrol guard OF
the men remaining and set out at the
head Of the patrol 10 gather in the run
aways. The commanding officer first
hunted up the town marshal and instruct
ed him to bring the escaped soldiers in,
dead or alive.
For ten dollars head / Will" said
the town marshal. who knew the legal
Zee in such caseA
AT ten dollars per head" acquiesced
the commanding officer.
"wcll. I've got 2S OF EN- now said the
town marshal. who was an enterprising
man. sure enough, he had seized S OF
the soldiers one Dy one in various parts
of the town and had them all snug and
safe in the calaboOse The patrol went
after them, The patrol found the twenty
on very even terms, indeed, with the jail
er, who was sitting among them enjoying
The solids and liquids they generously
provided. The patrol formed the cap
iured men and started them for the pier
shed, They went at a iops and most OF
them got away again. The patrol spent
the whole night al this KIND Qt Work,
with little result The two batteries had
practically been efIaced from the earth,
so carefully did they secrete themselves,
every man turned up for reville at 8
O'Clock next morning You can't general
court-martial two whole batteries. but
the officers painted dreary pictures OF
what was in store for the men who had
runaway, All hands embarked aboard
the steamer and the officers of the bait
tories breathed easier The men at least
couldn't get away again without swim
ming for It, But they could do other
things, Those among them who did not
become Immediately hors du combat when
tho steamer went over the violent CO.
lumbia bar evinced a strong dislike for
Ihe steerage. a dozen of them, somewhat
after their night In Astoria,
made a break past the guards. attained
tho main deck and in a twinkung were
up the foremast rope ladders and out on
the lower yard, trying to Guido each |
other in the attempt to "ohin" the yard |
he greatest number of times
The steamer skipper and first officer got |
hem down out of that with leveled pis-
tolls, and this was the first gang to be |
roned After this they began to go into |
he glory hole in sets of fours. The chief |
'ffcnse, that landed most of them in irons
vas the fun they persisted in having |
With the Chinese members Of the steam
RS crew. They chased the scared China
men all over the ship, with no idea OF
them, but just to hear the |
'hinese jabber Of distress. II was rather
'ruel business, inasmuch as half a dozen
Il the celeStials had to be held from
umping overheard, so frightened were
hey over the antics of the white devils
n blue.
The Chinese deck hands of these Pa
ltic steamers all smoke opium in their
'unks between watches. All of the sol
iers manifested an unsuitable inclin-
tion to smoke hop" with the China
mems layouts, and this got several dozen
t them in irons The officers came below
dozen times and told the men, in digni-
ed harangues, that they ought TO be
shamed of themselves, The soldiers
acknowledged it, and said among them
elves that they wanted to be ashamed
( themselves-that after soldering for
wo years at such a post of desolation
5 Fort Candy they couldn't be anything
lse but ashamed Of themselves, any
ow, There We're eighteen men of the
wo batteries 'loose" and out of irons
'hen, after three days, the Columbia fin
lily pulled into San Francisco bay. All
I the men were released as soon as the
teamer tied up, and behaved themselves
rom that time on, Immediately resuming
heir garrison demeanor when they saw
he time for skylarking had passed. The
Ulcers, all of them experienced men,
aid among themselves that on the whole
he men had behaved admirably. Now,
his was in a time of peace, and there
iere only two batteries of them. The
eader may figure for himself the fun
o be had aboard huge transport in
lme of war, when there are from 1900
o 1000 men to behandled u