Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-28
THE BOUNTY JUMPER
HE PLAYED A PAYING GAME DURING
THE CIVIL WAR.

The CIVIL WAR.
The Richest Harsests Were Reaped In
the Closing Days of the Conflicts os.
toms Exciting Experience With q Gang
of New Hampshire Recruits.
When the civil war broke out and tn.
call in the north went forth for volun
tccrs, no bounties were paid, and nearl,
100000 men volunteered with no more
pccuniary insl'ccmcnt than the regular
army pay After II time, however, volun
teerinI lanEuishctl, and to stimulate en-
hstEcnts bountics We're offered by the ma
ton, the state and the cities and towns.
This not bringing forward recruits in SUI.
iicicnt numbers, the draft was rcSortct} to-
Drafted men were paid smaller bounties
Or none ut all. and this fact sent into the
service as volunteers many who were liza.
lilO To CONSUMPTION.
Men who were drafted often, when able,
procured substitutes, paying at first 500,
then $500, then 5000. and finally, as avail
able substitutes grew scarce, much larger
amounts Many cities and towns obtained
the recruits needed to fill their quotas uli.
der tho various calls for troops by enlist
mcnts III other localities, us men who were
willing to enlist wanted to be credited to
the places that would give them the most
money. The procuring of men to serve as
substitutes and to make up deficient
quotas grew into u business of itself, and
a very profitable one at that. Substitute
brokers quickly appeared in great num-
bers all ov,r the north, and they made
enormous profits by agreeing to I'LL quotas
at SO much per recruit, providing men
hoy had al, RI III let Z,
payment of amounts much smaller than
those offered by the towns.
One of the results of the payment of big
bountics was the coming into existence of
class known as bounty jumpers. The
various bountics and gratuitics toward the
end of tho war rarely aggregated less than
81 900 pee recruit, and great many hard
characters took advantage of thissnAtional,
state and municipal libcrnlity by enlist
ing. getting the money and u.scrtng at
tho first opportunity. 1t is on record that
some OF these mon ''iunpcd' their boun-
ties as many H.: 20 times, each time clear
ing from 81 coo upward Generally tho
assertions Wore effected ut the state camps,
Where recruits We're hcr;lcd until called to
the front. Sometimes, however, the boun-
~ jumpers did not get away until they
had been sci t to regiments in the field.
uusnally tho desertcrs left singly, rs OPP
pOrtunitics arose, but once in awhile
many would make /; simultaneous break
An instance of the Inst mentioned sort
occurred in Boston, which created u scnsn-
ton ut the time On Aug. 21, 1861, $50
recruits for he First New Hampshire cav
airy, under command of Major Cummings
and guarded by q company of the Veteran
kescrvc corps, arrived In this city by spe-
ci;ll train from Concord They had all
been pnid their big bountics the day be-
fore and We're TO sail from this port for
Washington on the United States trans
port steamer Constitution. Arriving in
the old Boston and Maine station at IL
O'Clock i'll the morning, they were taken
un:er convo:- by Il detachment of troops
from the Beach Street barracks and !, de
tail Of police and started on their march
to Battery wharf, where the Constitution
lay waiting 10 receive them.
A great crnwd, which, rs The Herald Of
the next day uvc-retl, consisted mainly
of the lowest characters from north end, "
gathered around the detachment as soon
MS it left the station, and immediately it
got INTO Hnymarket square scores of the
recruits threw away their knnpsacks. blan-
kets, coats caps and cnntccnS and started
on the run i'll every direction, their escape
being covered by the toughs, who sur
rounded the guards and prevented them
from firing ON tho descrters. Tho police
pursued and caught u number of the flee
ing men, whom they brought back to the
officer III command, but about 50 succeed
cd i'll gettin. away.
The remainder were marched down
Blackstone To Commercial street and
thence to the wharf. but on the way still
more OF them escaped from the ranks,
while others flung away their clothing and
equipments until the pavement along tho
route of march was fairly carpcted. Many
hurled tlclr cafltcenS at tho officers, and
one lieutenant WAS struck over the head
with u beer bottle and knocked scnscless
At the wharf two men broke away and
jumped overheard and the guard fired at
them, wOuntliig one So badly thnt he was
easily captured and killing the other, who
Immediately sank. 1t is hardly necessary
to add that the steamer did not linscr at
tho wharf after her rnruly passengers
We're aboard
In the course of the afternoon ten of tho
dcScrlcrs vera arrested by the police. One
WIS discovered to he an escaped convict
who had been confined in tho state prison
ut Charlcstown for the murder of his
mother. The others were all tough citi-
zcns, with long records OF crime and well
known to the police i'll this and other
cities. Five We're found in the cellar of a
liquor deAler on Hanover street, near tho
First station house, and q number of par
SONS were arrested for secrrting them.
Most Of he dcserters were never cap
turcd and got away to enlist again and
jump mora bountics.- Boston Herald
"A Perfumed Darling.