The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-26
WEST POINTER AS A PRIVATE.
Military Academy Graduates Who
Prefer Service In the Ranks.
(Ca,-or,,ob Nov,-c

Military Academy Graduates Who
Prefer Service In the Ranks.
Savannah News)
A former graduate of West Point
and an ex-commissfoned officer of the
United States army, is serving as a cor
poral in a northern army regiment now
stationed in Havana. The ex-army Off
GERS is not serving as a corporal of a
volunteer regiment because he can get
nothing better. On the contrary, he
has been several times offered COM
mission, and has always declined. He
is determined to go through this war as
a private Neither is he serving his
country for a livelihood, for he is IN
! deDendently wealthy.
The story sounds like romance, but
it is as true as the most ordinary mar
rative of everyday occurrences AS
the gentleman who narrated the story
to a Morning News reporter SAID, the
4 strangest dream that ever emanated
from the brani of a confirmed victim OF
the morphine habit is often eXcelled by
real facts. 1t is another eXempliflca-
/ ton of the old saying that truth IS, IN
deed, stranger than fiction.
This gentleman, for such he is entl-
IL d 10 b called, was the son OF w alrhy
parents in a northern STATE. He was
/ appointed to West Point by q, man VINO
! is one of the leading statesmen of the
/ country and q, possible candidate LOT
/ the presidency. After graduating from
West Point he was assigned to the
Seventh cavalry, Clusters old regiment,
as a second lieutenant. He participated
with his regiment in She campaign IN
tha northwest when the Indians were
so excited over the expected ARRIVAL OF
their Messiah, and was in the thlck OF
the fight with his company at the bat
tie of Wounded Knee. The ueutenanI
received a wound wAich disabled MIN,
and he returned east to recuperate. he
found his father in very low state OF
health, and, at the latters request, Sc
cured his discharge from the army d.
te1-ward accompanying his father TO
Europe. His father died in the south
Of France, and the young man returned
to this country just after the breaking
out of the war with Spain.
A regiment had been formed, in which
there was a company from his old
home. The governor of the state was
a friend of the young man and the col
/ onel of the regiment was al old Scnool-
mate He was offered a commission,
but enlisted as a private In the com
pany from his native town. His friends
were SURPRISED at such action on the
part of a man who was so wei quail
fed bv experience and natural ablllty
to hold a commission. a vacancy &C
Cured in the regiment, and the young
man was offered a commission, but he
positively declined to accept anyt1ille
of the kind. He insisted on remaining
a private So he came south as a pll-
vate in the regiment of which his old
friend and schoolmate was colonel.
The regiment spent the summer at
Chickamauga. The subject of this
sketch. who declined to accept a com
mission, finally accepted a corporalcy
and afterward a sergeantcy, these pro-
motions not interfering with his deter
Tnina+ion TO serve through the war as
a. private. After the signing OF the
neace protocol with Spain, the regi-
nent with which this strange genius
was connected was one OF the hrst OF
dered home to be mustered our. lie
returned to his native state with MS
regiment but just a short time hefore
the regiment was mustered out re sue
ceeded in getting transferred TO an
other command from the same state
which was recently ordered south, WITH
the expectation of being sent to CUBA
The major in command of the bat
TALON to which he belongs is an Ole
friend. and since being attached TO MS
new command he has again been Of
fered a commission, which, consistent
ly with his former course, he has de-
clined. He has since been made cor
Doral. the duties of which Office he per
forms to the eminent satisfaction o.
his company commander.
Bv his fathers death the young maj
became heir to a large fortune. Con
sequently the monthly stipend Which
he receives from Uncle Sam is mere
bagatelle to him. He does not spend 1t
however. On the contrary, he ha:
every cent of the pay which he has re
ceiyed since entering the service of th'
government. He carries it around will
him in a big wad. He intends to keel
it. he saws, until it gets as big as bas
drum. Then, when his term of serVic'
is over. he is going to present the entir
roll to the government to repay it TO
the expense of his education at Yves
Point.
This. strange man, who had rathe
be a corporal than a commissioned of
ficer has an old friend and schoolmat
; here now one of Savannah's prominen
business men The business man en-
tertained his friend, the corporal, a
dinner the other day, and listened to
strange story.
IF anybody else had told me thi
strange story as having occurred t
someone else, L would not have pe
ieved it." said the business man, il
at is only another proof that tn
strangest fiction of which the magma
ton is capable can be excelled by col
facts. Who would ever have believe
that an ex-army officer and gradual
of West Point would be found fightin
J in the ranks when he could have
commission for the asking?"
The ex-army officer, who is now
corporal, is determined to go to Cube
IJa knows what army life is from tn
he standard of the officer, he says, an
he is determined to know it from tn
station of the private. 1t is remark
bile, to say the least, and, most re
markable of all, it is true. In som
future war this man may be a majo
general.
Experience is the best Teacher. Us
Acker's English Remedy in any cas-
Of coughs, colds or Group. Should
fail to give immediate relief, none
) refunded. 20 cts. and 80 cts. For sal