The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-31
ONE MORE CHARGE.
''Fightfng Twentieth" Captures
an Eating House.
Break Down Doors and Storm
the Dining Room
AT BARSTOW, CALF.
An Unpleasant Episode on the
HOmeWard Trip.
IT BARSTOW, CALF.
Thought Officers We're Giving
Them the Worst of 1t.

The following special appears in the
Kansas City Times:
Needles, Cal, Oct. 3O.-There was a
mutiny in the Twentieth Kansas regi-
ment at Barstow, Cal, this afternoon.
That is, in what used to be the Twen
tieth Kansas regiment, but is now a big
excursion of citizens of Kansas. Those
who used to be enlisted men rose
against their former superiors in rank
and registered an emphatic declaration
of independence and equality. They
broke in the doors of the dining room of
the Barstow depot and for a time there
was every prospect of a fight. Colonel
Metcalf expostulated, whereupon a half
dozen men called him down wrathfuIly,
shaking fists in his face and declaring
his was no better than they. Several
made a dash for a sleeping car and got
a blanket to toss the ex-colOneI in, but
cooler heads dissuaded the radicals and
the project came to nothing.
The trouble all arose over a delayed
breakfast. The first section of the regi-
mental train arrived in Barstow two
hours behind the schedule at 10 o'clock,
instead of 8. OF course every one was
famousIy hungry. The dining room
would accommodate only One-third of
the men on the first train at a time.
The minute the train pulled in 300 men
tumbled off and dashed for the dining
room. They found the doors locked. An
emplOye OF the restaurant bade every
one have patience for few minutes
and with some grumbling the veterans
| set about complying.
Then youth with a freckled face and
| combative chin made a brief recon
| nOissance into the telegraph office and
| emerged in minute bubbling with
| wrath.
Fellows" he yelled, what do you
| fhin<2 MPfPalf has wired here fO
| serve thirty-five breakfasts for himself
and his officers. And they are eating
now
There was a sensation. Next there
| was a rush for the dining room win
| dows.
Sure enough there were the officers at
| tables. They had been admitted by a
side door. The sight was too much for
/ the hungry men outside.
| We watched them enjoy life on the
| steamer and in camp, and we could not
| help ourselves shouted an angry giant
| of company A, but now, lads were
! dogs for nobody. In we go"
| The suggestion was all that was need
| ed. A quick rush and in crashed the
| door. The next minute the lower end
! of the dining room was full of angry
/ and excited men The manage of the
| restaurant tried in vain to quiet the in
| vaders.
We're not quite ready. boys he
urged.
| Hell came the bitter answer.
| Ready? How about those Holsters
| over there?'' And then came yell and
the men renewed the struggle to get to
| the tables.
| Colonel Metcalf sprang up and as
! sisted by Lieutenant jack Murphy,
J tried to get the men to retire. He met
| with storm of abuse and threats.
We're as good as you are, blank,
! blank, yOu," declared a stalWart pri-
| vate. The colonel showed spirit and
/ announced that anyone who wanted
| trouble could get it right there. There
| was instantaneous acceptance of the
| challenge from half a dozen different
! directions, but the restaurant man
| averted blows by crying out for every
| one that could get a seat at the tables
| for breakfast was ready. With that the
| row wound up though for hour there
| were mutterings, and twice hot heads
| set out to get a blanket to 'shake up
| two or three of the offending officers.
Colonel Metcaf after breakfast went
| about among the men and reasoned
! with them. He declared that the trou-
| bic had been due to a mistake He said
/ he had not wired ahead to reserve tables
| for the. officers but the railroad people
| had done it. For the future he prom
| iSed if there was any need of second
/ till the last. The men said they only
asked for a fair deal and no favoritism
| and the incident was closed.
| At 2 o'clock lunch was served in
| boxes from one of the forward cars.
| And the officers fell in line with the
| men and got their boxes in turn like
| and restored general good nature,
| though a great many of the men, have
| declared they do not intend to subord-
| mate themselves again to their old com
/ manderS even for the purpose of a drill
| or parade at Topeka. This simply
| shows the general feeling.
! AS a result of the breakfast trouble
| Lieutenant Colonel Little is even more
| popular with the men than before
| When the other officers We're discovered
| in the dining room it was noted that
| Lieutenant Colonel Little was not of
| their party. He took his brea kfast at
| the lunch counter and paid for it and
| who, too hungry to wait. ate with him
| All the men liked this. There was
never any snob about Colonel Ed,
| they said.
The trains arrived here at Needles on
the California line for supper. Break
fast will be served at Winslow, Ariz.
tomorrow; lunch at Gallup from boxes,
and supper at Albuquerque. So far, the
trains are on schedule and the arrival
at Topeka Thursday forenoon seems
assured
In explaining the breakfast trouble.
| one of the men said: mo one who was
not with our regiment can really nm
derstand the feeling among US These
troop shipsi There we were cooped IN
like animals in a great room cribbed
full of hunks, three tiers high. and
passageways scant three feet in width
between them. And there we were for
over a month at a stretch And feed
We had beans, beans. beans and good
| bread and meat. but we had to eat
from our tin plates, using the deck for
a table. And you ought to see the deck
u of a troop ship. Men are sick you
know Then, too. the pitching of the
ship spills food And the beds are SC