The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-09
A YEoMAN's ESCAPE.

when we We're down in Mexican wa
ters few years ago." said a naval
officer, zone of the yeomen aboard our
ship was a reckless, daredevil sort of
chap named Launt, an Ohio man, who
had seen and done everything, and was
remarkably well educated, too. Men Of
vice after going at a somewhat tufnul
tuous clip ashore, and they generally
pan out WELL. Among other schemes
that this man Launt had tried before
coming to us as a bluejacket, from
which he was quickly rated to the po-
sition of chief petty officer, was that
Of getting a commission in the United
States army from the ranks. He pass
ed his examinations, and would have
got his commission but for his pen
chant for going on occasional heavy
sprees. We found him crack man for
landing parties, and there We're several
of us aft to whom he could give points
on the handling of men in battalion
drill.
when we reached Acapulco, the
chief port on the west coast of Mexico,
there were assembled there nearly 5000
troops that We're being drilled and
equipped in readiness to take the field
against the forces Of one OF the repub-
lies on Mexieo's southern border which
had recently been giving our neighbor
republic lot of back talk. Launt went
ashore one afternoon with a couple of
the machinists. The three men went
somewhat heavily against the mescal
that is purveyed as a liquid refresh
ment down in that country. Mescal
will make an ordinarily level-headed
man do more crazy things in given
space of time than any other kind of
coffin-varnish ! ever tasted or heard Of
When they were pretty well fixed with
mescal Launt and his two chief petty
officer companions took walk over to
the big gray fort on the Acapulco
promontory, where the soldiers were
auartered and where, by the way there
has been confined more than quarter
of century an American sailor whom
the Mexican authorities declared guilty
of murder. The soldiers were all out
slouchy style that seems to character
ize swarthy troops in low ATTITUDES
Most of the troops were barefooted and
uniformed in dirty white linen, and
they surely presented a queer spectacle
of inefficiency and impotence. The Of
ficers were begilded and besashed up
to the mines, and they looked hot and
uncomfortable in the terrific sunshine
of the parade ground, where the tenn
perature couldn't have been much less
than 1870 degrees. Launt and his two
chums stood by and watched the Ian
guorous movements of the troops for
while There was big brigade of them.
Then Launt steadied himself and walk
ed over to the commanding general. In
his white uniform and with the COM
manding by he had of carrying HIM
self, Haunt probably looked to the COM
manding general like one of the COM
missioned officers of our ship. Launt
saluted the general deferentally and
yet stylishly and began to converse in
good Spanish with the Mexican COM
| mander. The Mexican troops present.
ed an admirable appearance. They
were soldierly-looking men--alert,
groomed, puissant. 1t must be pleas
ure to drill such a fine body of men,
and so on. This is the line of talk that
our yeoman gave the Mexican COM
mander, who was monstrously well
pleased with the amiable criticism and
smiled all over.
Perhaps. finally said the Mexican
| general, senior the commandant would
| honor us by himself putting the troops
| through a few movements?'
"'I received the honor in the spirit
| of gratitude, and with an appreciation
| of it's hospitality said Launt the yeo-
| mana man who had been bluejacket
| but few months before, mind you--
and ne forthwith began to assemble the
| Mexican brigade and to put it through
| the SWEETEST movements he knew, and
| he knew them all. The Mexican tactics
were at that time identical with those
of the United States army, and so
Launt was quite at home. The troops
reused themselves from their lassitude
| and became alert out of pride when
they saw they were being drilled by the
American, and the snappy way they
| hoped about that big parade ground
was a caution. After handling them
like a. veteran at quick time Launt, who