Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-25
Men and Women Who Make Liv-
ing Off the Soldiers.
Suffers ARE NO LONGER WANTED
How Their Place is Filled Under
Modem Conditions.
DOWN IN SOAPSUDS ROW


during the present war. The official COM
missary department will try to replace
those useful adjuncts of former campaigns
by suitably equipped and authorized shops,
which. accompanying the troops on their
travels, will supply all such things the
old-time sutler was accustomed to deal in.
These will include various luxures. such
canned fruits and vegetables. sugar
cured hams. sardines. condensed milk. but
ter. cheese. ginger, candy, etc. Soldiers are
mostly very fond of candy. and complaints
have been made recently because many of
the brave boys at Chickamauga and other
camps were reegated to the hospital in
consequence of excessive consumption of
sugar plums contributed by admiring young
women.
In former days half dozen women We're
regularly attached as laundresses to each
Company of United States troops. AS
rule. they were the wives of enlisted men
or nOn-commissiOned officers, and nearly
always they were very worthy persons.
Some of them followed the regiments for
as much as forty years. and they Were Off
ciaIly recognized belonging to the mill
taiy organizations. One ration-in other
words, the food allowance of a soldier
was allowed to each of them. and every en-
listed man paid at a given rate for their
services as washerwomen. In war time
they did splendid work as nurses, and the
quarters occupied by them at each army
post usually went under the name OF Soap
suds Row. Eight years ago. however, the
Mar department made an effort to dis
pcnSe with them, and their rationS
taken away Consequently, no lauudresses
will follow the troops during the present
campaign, and the soldier boys will have
10 wash their one clothes.
Their Sons Became Officers.
1t is an interesting fact that in number
Of instances the sons of these army Iaun-
dresses were educated and sent to the
Military Academy at West Point, holding
at this day commissions officers. For
obvious reasons, 1t is not desirable TO men
ton names in this connection, but a notable
case in point is that of ii well-known in
1antry officer, who was coached for West
Point by the wife of General Graham. He
failed to pass because OF an imperfection
in his grammar. but General Sheridan tool
a great interest in him. and the upshot of
the matter was that he appointed from
civil life Il second lieutenant a year be-
fore the class he tried to enter gradu-
ated. His father On-CommiSsioned
officer. and his mother a regimentaI
laundress.
Women as naturally flock to the neigh
boThood of Il military camp crows to a
cOrnheld. Wherever our troops settle down
for even SO short a time a day two,
there Will be plenty of volunteer laundress-
es- In Cuba the native women will be only
too glad to do washing for the soldiers for
the sake of making few pennies. While
on the march, however, the men will have
TO wash for themselves, while the officers
Will employ their servants, who are most
commonly negroes Officers servants and
mess attendants constitute quite a large
class of camp followers. and ordinarily
there are good many people who straggle
along IN the wake of army looking for
employment Under the regulation. an
officer is not permitted to compel an enlist
Ell man to do any sort of mental toll such
as cooking or washing At the same time
the enlisted man is at liberty TO accept pay
Tor such work from an officer.
The army 'canteen' has taken the place
Olu-tme nd
men together subscribe the money required
for the establishment of the canteen, to
pay for the stock In trade, etc. and after
certain reasonable percentage the in
lSestment has been paid back to them, the
balance of the profit goes to the soldiers.
The profits chiefly derived from the sale
of beer. are very large, and they are ap-
piled TO the Improvement of the condition
of the men, paying for various luxuries
which make a welcome addition to their
messes. Thus. for example. they are en-
abled to have their tables butter and
milk. which are not furnished by the COM
Nnissary After while the original debt
for the canteen Is paid Off and then the
enlisted men run 1t for themselves.
No Distilled Liquors Sold.
1t is natural that the War Department
should wish to do away with the extortions
which inevitably accompany the sutler sys-
tenn Hence the new departure, which con-
templates the furnishing of the soldiers
through the canteens with everything that
the suffers used to sell At the same time
the sale of distilled liquors Is rigidy pro-
hibited. on grounds that seem rational
enough. The only drawback about this pro-
hlbitlOn is that men deprived of whisky by
official order will always try to get il by
funderhand means. The consequence Is that
the most abominable sort of stuff Is SNUG
Bled into the camps, and the men turn up
drunk in squads A retired army officer
was telling the writer yesterday about the
trouble he had at an army post In the far
west, when the sale of whisky within the
post limits was forbidden by an order from
the War Department. The soldiers used
TO sneak away at night to certain question
able establishments that were set up In the
:neighborhood, called in military parlance
hog ranches. and many of them were con-
stantly unfit for duty. The officer quoted
on his own responsibility. directed the post
trader to get quantity of good whisky
and sell ii to the men at reasonable price
the only restriction being that no soldier
should be permitted to get drunk. The re-
suit was that nobody did get drunk, and
the hog ranches quickly went out of bus
ireSS.
In the neighborhood of a settled military
camp there are always INSCRIPTIONS per-
sons who sell the rottenest kind OF whisky
by the canteen, bottle or Jug. There is no
law to reach them. and II caught they suf-
fer penalty beyond the confiscation of
their stock in trade and perhaps a brief
imprisonment IN the guardhouse. Worse
than these are camp followers of another
klnC, VINO prey upon the SOLDIERS. Ihey are
professional gamblers - Short-card men,
provided with marked cards and some
times with small faro layouts. Occasion
ally they are fair gamblers"-ie., experts
who rely simply on their superior skill. In
every regiment there are enlisted men who
are such excellent cardplayers as to be
able to win large sums of money from their
comrades. General Forsyth, the famous
Indian fighter. told your correspondent
about a man In his command who after a
payday-the troops having been paid off for
four morths' service-sent home 81 1000
which he had won At poker fairly. He won
that amount inside OF a week.
milling.
1t Is impossible to prevent soldiers from
gambling. They will do 1t in a corner be-
hind a blanket. II no better opportunity
serves. The fact that is fond of
playing cards does not initiate against his
being a good soldier. The average enlist
ed man. when pay day comes and ne has
liquidated his small debts Is uneasy until
The gets rid Of his money. Many soldiers
look upon service in the army as a mere
episode, getting much amusement out