Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-19
N0T=AN IlLITERATE
EVERY ONE OF KANSAS SOLDIERS
CAN READ AND WRITE.
THE 0NEExcEPTI0N REJECTED
TwENTY-sECOND MUCH EXCITED
By POISON STORIES.
Use of Well Water Forbidden-Tope-
ka Profited Greatly by the stay
of the Troops at the Cap
ita1-NO Orders for thc
Twenty.sccOnG.
THE ONE EXCEPTION REJECTED

TOPEKA, kAS, May B-tSpeclal.) Nan.
sas no doubt leads the procession in the
matter of educational qualifications OF Its
volunteers. OF the 5000 soldiers in the
three regiments already raised under the
cal. of the president, not a single one had
to make his mark on the muster rolls.
All of them signed their names and it
does not take an expert to read the sig
natures. either. This is considered re-
markable showing. inasmuch as the volun-
teers were taken from all ranks Of So
ciety and from all vocations.
Probably no such thing was ever known
before" said Assistant 'Adjutant General
Boyd of the state militia to-day as he
scanned the muster rNlls. 1T simply
shows that Kansas Is q state of education.
or course, the state holds the record for
the low per cent Of illiteracy, but l never
dreamed that We would pick up three regi-
ments of men from various sections of the
state without getting many who could
neither read nor write
There was one recruit from Pittsburg
who could not write, but he was rejected
on account of defective eyesight. In his
application for transportation home he
made his mark" That is the only mark"
on file in the adjutant generals office.
The men IN the Twenty-second regiment
now camped In the old building. at the
fuir ground were greatly excited to-day
when 1t was reported that poison had been
thrtwn In the well at the building. The
officers Immediately ordered all the water
in camp thrown away and prohibited the
further use of the well. The men are row
using hydrant water exclusively. Three
privates in the Concordia company were
poisoned from some source this morning.
The physicians thought at first that it
was from eating pies which they had pur-
chased, but later concluded that probably
it might be from the effects of drinking
water from the poisoned well. Only
one of the boys was in any danger. James
Capper had several convulsions and for
q while his life. was hanging on thread.
A stomach pump and antidotes were used
to good advantage. and this afternoon he
is much improved in condition and will
recover.
The merchants of Topeka have already
felt the absence of the troops. One told a
Journal correspondent to-day that his re-
ceipts were almost doubled during the stay
of the soldiers. Book stores and news
stands are hit the hardest, probably. out
side of the restaurants. The BARRIERS notice
a big difference in daily receipts also. One
man on back chair in a small barber shop
said that his commissions averaged s. a
week more during the visit of the troops
here than in ordinary times. 1t Is esti-
mated that the three regiments left more
money in Topeka than all Of the visitors
combined at the fau festival last year. =
The heavy storm last night did consider
able damage to the old building in which
the soldiers are staying at the fair grounds,
and for few minutes the boys thought
they were In the clutches of a tornado.
Doors and windows were blown down and
tossed around among the men very pro-
miscuously. Captain Ross. of the WASH
ington company, was struck on the head
by flying window and laid out for a few
moments. Orderly Sergeant Bert Carter,
of the same company, was hit in the mouth
by q piece of plank and lost TWO teeth.
The, rain was driven into the building. and
completely soaked the bedding of the en-
tire COMPANY.
There is only one married man in the
Washington company, and that is Captain
Ross. The average age of the men is %
years. and they are as healthy set of
fellows as ever wore the blue. Captain
Ross carries a sword which he took from
a rebel lieutenant in the fight at Jonesboro,
Ga, during the civil war. After the fight
was over he took his trophy to the colonel
Of his regiment and the latter gave it to
him. He will carry 1t through the present
war.
Chase Doster arrived to-day from Central
America, and this afternoon was mustered
In as major Of the Twenty-second regi-
ment by Lieutenant Clark. He was ap-
pointed major by Governor Leedy upon
the urgent demand of Chief Justice Doster,
his father. Young Doster will be valua-
BILE acquisition to the Twenty-second, as
he has had military training at West Point.