Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-04
PRIVATE GREEN.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.
OF tho 10 recruits who came out to the
Fourth cavalry once upon a time as 1t was
stationed at Fort Bascombe was Private
James Green, who was assigned to Com
pany B. From the first hour he came
among US we realized that he was Of good
birth. well educated and that he had en-
listed In order to disappear from the world
for q time. There are plenty Of such cases,
and they excite no particular interest or
remark. Unless q soldier wishes to talk
Of his past he Is seldom questioned by his
comrades. II a recruit is set down as a
gentleman, the inference Is that family
troubles or some wild adventure was the
cause Of his enlistment, and the matter Is
never referred to unless he makes an enc
among his comrades. It was the mis-
fortune Of Company B to have q captain
who was hated by his men and not we'll
liked by the officers Of the regiment. But
for the fact that he was a blood relation of
the colonel's his position would have been
made so uncomfortable in one way and
another that he would have been forced to
resign. He not only drank too much to
keep his dignity and maintain the respect
due an officer, but was fault finding and
tyrannical, and was given to meddling
with petty affairs which were mono Of his
business. Captain Bowers excuse for
''getting down" on Private Green was
that the recruit was impudent and AFRO
CANT. When this was sifted down, 1t was
Sn,,&NL %,nk hn Ind rvtnst{onod tho oC1dior
regarding his past life and the reasons
which had induced him to enlist, and his
curiosity had been by no means satisfied.
He may have been a little stiff in his re-
fusal, as wa his right under the oircum-
stances, but his refusal to unbosom him
self made the captain his enemy, and for
months he was a prosecuted man. Few
officers descend from their pedestal to
''nag'' an enlisted man, but Captain Bow
ers did 1t to his own shame and to the
scandal of the post. That he was an enc
my Of Private Green made all the sergeants
and ~corporals down on the man, and as a
consequence he put in more days in the
guardhouse than In his barrack. 1t was
the general belief that tho recruit was try
ing his best and that he was by no means
given o fair show. Captain Bowers knew
that this was the feeling, but that only
made him the more persistent In his
course.
After three or four months something
happened which should have made the
captain change his programme and feel
that he owed. Private Green q debt of
gratitude. Companies B and D were
scouting along the eastern edge Of the
Great Staked plains Of Texas In search Of
Indians, with whom we were then at war.
At moor one day the two companies sep
arated to beat up both sides of a ridge,
and after q mile or SO the B men were
suddenly charged by about 100 Indians
who had been concealed by u fringe Of
bushes. The troopers were taken by sur
prise, but made 4 good fight of it and
after ten minutes beat off their assailants.
In their first rush the Indians surrounded
Captain Bowers, who was a few yards
ahead Of his company, and they sought to
make him captive instead OF killing him.
But for the action of Private Green, who
dashed forward to the help Of his officer
while all others were confused for the mo-
ment, the captain would have been taken.
It went down in the military reports that
the new man killed three redskins with
his own hand, and all his comrades de-
olared that he saved tho leader Of the
troop. For the next two or three weeks
there was a cessation Of the nagging, but
the fact that he owed his life to the man
he had prosecuted ranked in the captains
breast and after awhile some excuse was
found for sending Private Green to the
guardhouse in disgrace. The man made
up his mind that he was being bounded
and that life would be made miserable,
and he decided to desert. 1t Is probable
that the sentry on duty at midnight wink
ed at the escape from the guardhouse, but
II was unfortunate for Private Green that
he should meet his captain face to face be-
fore he vas clear Of the grounds. So it
came about, and Captain Bowers seized
him and sought to detain him. In the
struggle he was knocked down and render
ed unconscious for q time, and next morn
ing the chase after the deserter was taken
up and pushed with great energy. The
country was secured for days and days,
but Private Green had disappeared like q
shadow.
Amonth after the assault and desertion
Company B was ordered out alone for
q scout over the same ground Us before,
with orders to pick up the trail OF any
small war party and follow 1t up vigor-
ously. Such a trail was found leading
straight out upon the sandy desert. but 1t
had not been followed above two miles
when the troopers ran upon a large force
Of Indians In ambush behind q ridge Of
sand and were badly cut up and scattered.
Captain Bowers horse vas wounded ut