The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
STORIES rom IN rAMrA,s oAMP.
AFruy Omcers, BY way or Diverslon, RnnveR
RvenInEs with Tales.

a group was gathered before the tent Of o
bronzed and bearded cavalry Captain = few
evenings ago. Besides tho host, whose army
record extended back to the civil war, thoro was
another Captain, a West Pointer, graduated
early in tho seventies, q jolly little man, who
would rather fight than eat, so his comrades
say. There wero two First Licutenants, one
from West Point and one from the ranks, and
two Second Lieubenants from civil life. Some
body had Just asked the bearded Captain to toll
how ho came to enter the army.
ut was in August, 1862, just after Pope met
his big reverse" began tho officer. II was
shipping clerk in a New York dry goods house
and had held out against joining tho ranks for
two years because my mother and sisters were
dependent upon me. But after this reverse,
which made the North finally realize the size OF
the job it had tackled, l made up my mind that
1t was my duty TO 20. 1t happened that just
then l met a friend who had been In the service,
but was homo on sick leave, and who wanted
me to help him raise a company for the Metro
politRn Brigade. which was then forming.
I'VE opened our headquarters in a beer
saloon on Broome street, getting It rent free be-
cause the patriotic old Teuton who ran the
place said that the custom which would natu-
rally accrue from the recruits would pay him
for his trouble. l knew n number of police off,
GERS and asked them TO help us in obtaining
men. How well they were doing this l didn't
realize at first, even though / noticed That we
were getting about the toughest aggregation of
citizens 1 ever had laid eyes on. 1t was some
time before Learned that the police were CIV
ing all the buns and thugs they ran in at night
the option Of ~enlistinR or being hauled up be-
fore the Judge in the morning. That's the way
they were helping us. AS tho policemen re-
ceived So for each recruit they brought to us 1t
was n very profitable business for them.
Al soon as tho regiment was mustered in
1t was sent up to Riker's Island, and the city
authorities took good caro- not to let us back
into the city. Even when We went to the front
they would not let us pass through New York,
but placed us on a boat which didn't stop.until
1t reached Perth Amboy. From there we went
by rail. At Baltimore VIC stopped over night,
and the whole crowd Of men and some of the
officers got drunk. The Captain and I deter
mined to stop it in our company. We got a
couple of stout clubs and wadcd into the ca-
where the men wero lying in the aisle and all
over tho seats. We literally had to fight for
our lives when we began to pour out the whis-
key with which every cantcen was filed, and
for q time 1t was n question whether VIC would
ever get out alive. But after we had laid out
a few of the ringleaders tho rest were cowed.
We were masters of the situation after that.
The men respected us and obeyed orders, and 1
must say that there were few troops with bet
ter records at the close of the war than that
borne by our convict regiment"
You, gentlemen, who have served in south.
G EspttSfin !ISs aRs seen Se ths st shs 3oIIiy n Msst PGins
scouts. In the early eighties, whom l was a
E Enrt SInrn my regiment nneianN wa" 3 stationed i at old
same scouts They were a motley crowd, half
negro, half Indian, and q glance over their
names as Ben July, ,Pompey Perriman, Jim
Warrior, and Friday Bowless. Black as solid
Is OF milk. they were, nevertheless. tho finest
trailors and scouts on earth.
southwestern. Texas at that time was a pref
ty wild stretch of country. Civilization stopped
at San Antoine. and the duty of these negro In
dians was to keep that border free from SNUG
Rlcrs, marauding parties, and hostile Indians.
Once every four months they came to Clark for
their money, and then there was hell to pay.
/ The men had, had u good many sharp brushes
with the redskins, and when they. were warmed
The commander at Fort Clark was a little skep.
5 tic4l about these Indian stories, and one day he
: there is an Indian in west Texas. and Ri give
$40 to any man In your command who will
There was one Mexican in the command
Julian LonEonio, and he was one of the best
+ heard the Colonies Remark and his beadlike
, eyes snapped as he turned away. For myself
5 d { thoif tn m mo m mInS 81 som NJ u time II lS wes foT Tbs ga re,
, day we left Fort Clark for a scouting trip. At
Scw59wn where the Los Moras empties into the
. wanted to visit some friends, and knowing that
there was no immediate need OF his services. ]
) readily gave my consent. Tho greaser swan
3 his pony across the river and disappeared in the
. days later. whom / rode into Fort Clark for my
mail. In the afternoon Longonio rode down the
tant's office. Several officers were standing
around and gazed in open-mouthed astonish-
dian behind him: He refused to answer any of
!, their queries and asked for FL Colonel Hear;
before he could say anything Julian cut the
rope that bound tho Indian to his saddle, threw
in that soft, drawing voice SO peculiar to the
> MeXlcans, said:
well, the Colonel was so thunderstruok at
first that he was speechless. but recovering him
nut az / never heard before or since. The McXf,
can sat like a sphinx on his horse, pretending
Colonel was through, he simply pointed to the
dead Indian and again said:
gin cuenta pesos, senior el Colonel
lie got his Gin cuenta pesos finally, but the
Colonel minated that II no eyer caught him
around there again he'd have him shot. Lon
a broad grin on his face TO regain the scouts. 1t
ed to bring him in alive, but after dragging
him a mile over the cactus plain, poor Los spirit
! fed and another bad Indian was made q good
one by way OF the Paradise valley route"
Spinning yarns invites competition, and one
of the Lieutcnants. who had seen service in the
! marines In his earlier days, took up the thread
{ when j Joined tho navy ! was assigned to
North Atlantic squadron. Her guns were
mu2zle-loaders and smoOthborcs, hut she had
n fine assortment Of old salts in her crew. and
my brightest recOllectiOns OF that service arc
of the stories told by some Of these old follows,
to which we kids used to listen in open. mOuthcd
wonder. We didn't always believe the tales,
Of course. but We wcro too discreet to say so.
3 one man did laugh dislaiHfully at ono old
, salts yarn, and he was in the sick bay for a week.
Old Harry sharp, chief bOs'n's mate. told
, me one story OF n little event that took place Mt
!, NnGusaki. Japan. when we weren't rs friendly
with the British MS we are now.
"Thc ship in which sharp was serving in 1870
! was assigned TO service in AsIatic waters. Sho
was commanded by Can't. Joseph Piper. who had
D as much love for Il BTitishcr as Satan has for
, holy water. ono afternoon the ship was swing
! Ing at anchor with thirty fathoms OF chain out
D when the lookout reported II British Innn-Of- war
, coming into the hnrbor flying the Admirals
pennant. That meant a salute. Gun crews
were pipCd and the salute was lirCd. the Brit
ishrr replying gun FOR gun. Twenty-one guns
l were fred and then. to, the surprise OF every
nnl snll ,Ilrn Liz morn gMnH.' AhiOnlnhmonL