The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-22
INCIDENTS OF THE CAMP.
How Indiana Volunteers Amuse
ThemseIves-The Army Rule.

How Indiana Volunteers Amuse
ThemseIves-The Army Rule.
Staff Correspondence of the Journal.
LYTLE, Ga, May 21.--When the great
State of Indiana paid off her soldiers en-
route to the front it unconsciously stimu-
lated economical habits among the boys by
paying them in five, ten and twenty-dollar
bills for the most part. By the time the
soldiers reached Chickamauga their loose
change had been spent for dried apple pies,
ginger pop and other digestion disturbers.
and, on pitching their tents in the military
park, miles away from any business COM
munity, they found themselves in possession
of bills of big denominations, with no one
to change them. Fractional currency actu-
ally went to premium, one man offering a
five-dollar bill for $4.95 in change, and he
didn't want to start crap game, either.
Before long horde of vendors, of all de-
scriptions and picturesque to a degree.
lowered about the camp like flies. They
did not offer much of relief to the finan-
cial situation, for seldom was one to be
found with as much as 81 in reserve. the
Southern negro engaged in merchandising
usually carrying his capital entirely invested
in his stock. Having no meanss of making
the proper change, few of the reckless
boys have turned buccaneers on a small
scale. One man came into camp yesterday
with a barrel CT cider and Company III, of
the One-hundred- d-ffty-eighth Indiana,
surrounded him. The sutler poised his
barrel on the top Of a tree stump and soon
had his spigot working, filing cups at 5
cents EACH The boys in front worked an
old army trick by keeping the suffers at
tention engaged while two of the boys with
an auger bored hole in the rear end of the
barrel, from which they stealthily drew a
free treat. The quantity of cider dimin-
ished SO rapidly that the sutler grew sus-
picious, suddenly turning about and catch
ing Private Earnest Atherton with his tin
cup to the free stream.
What do you mean there?" cried the
vendor.
Just keeping this cider from spilling,"
said Atherton, as he made away with his
cup.
The man lost about half of his cider, and
the boys offered to recompense him by CIV
ing him 80 cents for the empty barrel, which
they wanted to use in carting water.
The farmers flock to the park from miles
away with the fine strawberries grown on
the hillsides of the Chickamauga valley, and
several hundred boxes are sold each day in
the Observation-Disclosures fty-eighth Regiment
alone. The doctors do not believe the boys
will injure themselves in gorging on this
eseuent. $*%
Captain Tarlton's company had the honor
yesterday of making a bootjack for Maj.
Will Rich. who found on his second day in
camp that his feet had outgrown his new
boots, and to get those boots off required
mechanical devices. Captain Tarlton is very
proud of w. c. Higgins, private, who is
known more frequently as Texas than by
his Christian name. He was a screenmaker
at Indianapolis, but on giving his occupation
on the muster rolls he described himself as
a scout He has served as a cowboy in
Texas, having in his experience there mas
tered the art Of fine horsemanship. He can
pick up his sombrero while dashing along at
a mad speed. So it was with some degree of
pride when the captain was asked for a de
tail to bring over the refractory mules that
he selected Texas" The captain scanned
the road as every quintet of mules cavorted
down the highway, throwing soldiers from
their backs and kicking in the vicious fash
ion known only to government mule But
Texas" did not come. He had gone down
TO- the corral and at his own request had
picked out five of the wickedest appearing
animals in the pens. for he wanted to dash
ana with mules that were mules. Just as he
was about to start out with his coveted con-
voy an army officer came up and told Quar-
termaster Hopkins that the regiment would
not get its quota of sixty till the following
day.
The mules furnish a scene that never
looses its fascination nor flags in its interest.
Men experienced in handling horses are de-
tailed to so after these United States
beasts although they find in very short
while that the mule is built on a different
dynamic plane from his noDer brother. The
keeper of the mule pens would curse out
rageously were a soldier 10 ask for a bride
for the mules The soldier must gather his
five mules by their halters, each made of
thin strand of rope, and after he has ac-
complished this difficult feat OF getting
five mules in a row. he must throw himself
over the razor back OF the most likely one
of the lot. His chances OF getting on ton
of the mule at the first try about two i'm
ten thousand, and sometimes this per cent
will run as high as six in ten thousand. If
the soldier remains sound in limb by the
time he is perched on the animals back. his
Continued ON Fourth PaEeJ