The Indianapolis journal., 1898-11-22
CAPT. BUNDY DECLINES.
Way Open for OIds-ReasOn Major Pc
tcraOn Resigned.

tcrsOn Resigned.
Capt. Omar Bundy who was offered the
vacant majorship in the e-hundred- and
sixty-first Regiment. has refused it. His let
ter to the Governor, received yesterday,
tells his reasons, as follows:
81 have received, through my brother
Eugene, your tender of the appointment as
major of the Observation-Disclosures d-sixty-first
Volunteer Infantry, to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of Major NJ r.
Peterson. While thank you most sincerely
for the honor conferred upon me. / must
decline it, partly for personal reasons, and
partly because of the conviction that there
is not now so much need of the services of
an officer of the regular army as there was
When this regiment was organized. 1t has
now had several months service and, doubt
less, many of the captains are we'll quail
ned by experience and otherwise to fill ac-
ceptably the position of field officer 1.
therefore, do not wish to stand in the way
of the advancement of one of these officers"
Captain Bundy is stationed at Milwaukee
with the Sixth regulars. and his decIina-
ton leaves the majorship open to Captain
Olds, of Hammond, in whose favor Gov.
Mount has committed himself. That his Sc
lection does not receive the support of Capt.
Bundys friends is attested by a letter from
Judge Bundy to the Governor yesterday. In
1t, the former after hoping that the good
opinion he had of Captain Bundy might be
retained by the Governor advocated the Sc
lection of Captain Hudgins for the major
ship, for the reason that he was a capable
man of ripe age and sound judgment, and
the Sixth district, from which he comes, is
entitled to first choice in selecting the field
officer for the regiment. Nothing, however,
has been said by. the Governor to indicate
that his purpose to select Captain Olds has
undergone any change.
In connection with the vacant majorship
the true story of Major Peterson's resigna-
Al
given out originally 1t was with the infer
ence that Major Peterson wished to leave
the volunteer service, either for personal
reasons or as health precaution, and that
as the regiment had been brought to a
high state of efficiency there was little need
of regular army officer being with it. The
facts in the case, however, do not seem to
justify this construction. Reports received
here from time to time also indicated that
Major Peterson had seen little Of his regi-
ment by reason of his being detailed on
muster-out service and being i'll for some
time Major Peterson in discussing the
matter in letter to friend in this city,
said:
''By Nov. 80, the date when my resigna-
ton takes effect, the regiment will have
been In the service about five months and
Of that time have been absent very much
against my wild on detached service about
four weeks and on sick leave two weeks,
making in all an absence of about six
weeks.
THE reasons for my resigning are these:
have been appointed a captain in the sub
y
Prior to and at the time of my appoint
ment, / hoped and believed that i would
be permitted to serve with the One-hun-
dred-and-sixty-f until ii should be mus
tered out. But soon after my appointment,
the commissary general of subsistence
wrote me that my services would be re-
quired in his department, to the end that
officers of it might do it's work. Appreciat-
ing the great work of the department and
the small number of officers in it, l recog-
nized the justice of his statement and ten
dered my resignation. In doing so / sacri-
feed my personal wishes in the matter, as
l should like nothing better than to spend
the winter with the regiment in Havana. I
have not the remotest idea where my new
duties will take me. l may possibly pre-
cede the command to Cuba. The question
of station had nothing whatever to do with
my resignation"
By the language of the above letter it will
be seen that Major Peterson's resignation
was, in a measure, forced by the govern
ment, not because he was not capable, but
that he was needed in the department
where, heretofore, the enemies of the ad-
ministration have found inefficiency and
room for scandal The record Major Peter
son made in this city as commissary officer
preceded him to the South and that he
was asked to resign his command to take
a place in the department where it is de-
sired, by the employment of good men, to
keep out further scandals, is equivalent to
a high official compliment to his ability.