The Saint Paul globe., 1898-08-07
SKATERS = tsoBR1auEr.
Earned the Name "PecOs BilT' While
Fighting Indians.


Fighting Indians.
From the Boston Post.
Nlne-tenths Of the men in the regu-
lar army, from major generals, briga-
olers' ofi1cers Of the line to ordinary
troopers, always refer to the command
er OF the American, forces at Santiago
as "Pecos Bill'' Shafter. He Is known
py tnat title from Vancouver barracks
10 Iampa. The -sobriquet Is renlinis-
cence OF the old days in the Southwest,
When W. Maj. Gen. Shafter, as colonel
Oh infantry, chased Indians, rode hard,
tfamped harder and made the hardest
SORT or military. life pleasant for every
body around him.
Inc nero of Santiago was a slender
young man in those days, could ride
his sixty miles day, day in and day
out, or tramp along at the head Of the
trocpers under him for a week on army
rations, without complaining half as
!nucn as some Of the volunteers who
nave not progressed any further to-
ward actual war than Camp Alger IN
Virginia.
They tell a hundred stories in the ar
my to prove that "Pecos Bill" Shafter
is a real soldier; not one of the sort
that likes military hop as we'll as he
nkes scrimnage with an enemy. They
S~S VI iiiiii CIldI ne IS Iney
don't mean, of course, that he is HARD
in a moral or humane sense, because
ne is as gentle as a woman and as rig
ld IN his views Of life as a Puritan ia
ther. But he is a hard soldier, hard
rider, hard fighter and strict disci-
plinarian.
Bill Shafter always has his coat
Off When there is anything doing" Is a
saying In the army. The last time he
hyyf f1o
only had off his coat, but also his sus-
penders, and was giving the herders Of
a mule pack train 1esosn or two
about their business and the accom-
pany1ng art of perslading mules to do
things at Port Tampa.
In order fully to appreciate his ener-
gy 1t should be remembered that Gen.
Shafter is a suTe-enough heavyweight.
He admits that he weighs something
Santiago say that the big general as
sumed direct command Of his men; that
he rode into the field with his coat off
| and yelled orders just as he used to do
In the old days, when batting renegade
Indians was the extent of the nations
military undertaking.
"BilP' Shafter Is known as a plain
man, too. There are no frills about
him. He went off to Cuba not whit
concerned than the troopers who went
with him and sweltered under heavy
blue cloth uniforms. A friend who was
with him at Tampa suggested that he
have one of the fashionable khaki uni
forms constructed for himself Most of
the generals and staff officers with him
presented very natty figures, and the
bluff old Indian campaigner admired
them in a way
''They are just the things for mill
tery ball." said he: But" he added,
Il don't want any of them in mine. I
guess I will go just as am. I will fit
in among the boys better
So Bill Shafter\ went off to the war
! in a regulation uniform of dark blue
| cloth, of, the sameb Quality as the
clothes worn by the private troopers
The only difference was that upon each
OF his shoulders there were two gold
of the United States army. He endear-
ed himself to the troops in his corps
by advising the regimental command
ers to take off and leave off their coats
And he left his off during the trir
from Tampa to the landing place in
| Cuba.
The troopers In the First regiment Ct
Infantry, who served with Gen Shafte1
| In the West, are sincerely fond Of him
| Ihey give vigorous evidence of the fac1
upon every occasion, and no man came
In for heartier reception than he the
day he went aboard the transport Sc
! guranca at Port Tampa to sail out OF
the port and point the way to Cuba
and the stronghold of the enemy