The San Francisco call., 1899-10-20
.DESERTER COMES
BACK To STAND
HIS PUNISHMENT
Remorse Leads Sallee
to Prison.
THE MOUNT GRETNA RANGE
HOW 1T WAS CUT TO PIECES BY
KRAG-JORGENSoNS.
An Old Sergeant Who Seeks Further
Service in the Army After
Twenty-Eight Years in
Harness.
HOW 1T WAS CUT TO PIECES BY
KRAG-JORGENSoNS.

IL DctS DttIl u6CluSu dlISL OH IIledI zap
tain Leitch, who was appointed an aid
to General Shafter, must join the COM
mand to which he was recently promoted.
Captain Leitch within two weeks was
promoted to the command of Company
of the Twenty-fifth Infantry, stationed at
Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio Tex.
His promotion removed him to another
army department, and so, before he could
be made an aid to General Shafter, the
consent of the adjutant general had to
be obtained. AS Company of the
Twenty fifth is without any officer and
as there is not an officer to spare in the
Department of Texas, the adjutant gen
eral declined to ratify Skaters appoint
ment of Leitch, and so he must join his
command. Fort Sam Houston is the most
desirable post in the South, however, and
Captain Leitch will be it's post COM
mander His friends here. however, will
be sincerely sorry to see him leave.
Stricken with remorSe, Howard Sallee
of Company of the Eighth Infantry ap-
peared at headquarters at the Pres1d1o
yesterday, announced that he was de-
serter and gave himself into custody lie
enlisted two and a half years before the
war and served through the Santiago
campaign. When his regiment returned
and while it was camped in Alabama he
deserted, and for a year had tried to
eVade arrest He found 1t did not pay,
however, and so yesterday he hunted up
the authorities and gave himself up. His
case will be attended to by a court-mar-
tial, and his punishment win depend upon
his military record, his conduct and the
cause of his desertion.
The board of officers appointed to in
quire into certain damage done to the
shooting range at Mount Gretna, Penn
sylvania, has about finished its work.
The range is the property of the State of
Pennsylvania, and was rented by the
Twenty eighth Infantry while it was at
Camp Meade awaiting orders to proceed
out here and to the Philippines.
1t was found when the regiment left
that the movable shades over the targets
(used to protect the targets during in
clement weather and when not in use)
had been all torn to pieces, and, what was
worse, it seemed as if the damage was
The State demanded damages and de-
clared that the range had been damaged
by the wanton acts of the soldiers. In
that case the damages would have to
come out of the pockest of the men, so the
board was ordered to investigate among
the men and officers of the regiment,
which is now stationed at the Preside.
The result is another demonstration OF
the efficiency of the krag-Jorgenson rifle.
There were several hundred thousand
shots fired, and naturally some of them
went wild and struck the shades and
framework of the targets. With the
| Springfield rifle, with which the State of
Pennsylvania is familiar, this did no more
than cut splinters; and with the Krag-
JOrgenson it was the same until the bull
| let struck some more solid obstruction:
Then there was trouble 1t was found
that whenever the new bullet struck
nail or a hinge or a bolt, instead of fiat
tening out and stopping, 1t just took hinge
or bolt nail right along with 1t, and
much of the wood in the beams followed.
AS a consequence the targets were
wrecked. There had been no calculation
of the force of the new bullet, and so the
managers of the range at once came to
the conclusion that such damage could
only be done by something more destruc-
| tive even than the bullets fired. The re-
port of the board will go East at once and
| will eXonerate the men of the regiment
from blame for the damage.
| Sergeant Henry Blum of Battery A,
Third Artillery, has re-enlisted in the
army for the seventh time. He is now
twenty-eight years in service: Sergeant
Blum served one enlistment of five years
in the Eighth Infantry, one of five years
in the Fourth Artillery, one of five years
in the First Artillery. two of five years
three years in the Third Artillery. He is
now going back to Battery A of the Third
Artillery for three years more. He. has
South Carolina to Alaska, and has been in
the Mes Perce, Sioux and Bannock Indian
wars. He is hale and hearty. and a good
soldier yet, and he has a long way to go
before he will reach the half century
mark.
William D. Kelly. clerk in the adjutant
generals department, will be one of the
passengers on the transport Tartar when
she sails next Monday. He is ordered to
Manila to take a position in the office Of
the adjutant general on the staff of Gen
eral Otis
Major Wilfrid Turnbull. surgeon U. S.
v, and Acting Assistant Surgeon Thomas
McCleave, have been assigned TO duty on
the transport Tartar during her next voy
age to the Philippines.
Second Lieutenant Alfred NJ. Wilson has
been relieved from duty as quartermaster
and commissary on the transport
Manauense and has been assigned to the
Benmohr in a similar capacity. Captain
Sylvanus Orr, assistant quartermaster,
United States volunteers. has taken Lieu
tenant Wilson's place on the Manauense.
Major II. D. Thomason, surgeon, has
been assigned to duty on the transport
Peking.
First Lieutenant Clarence B. Millhoff, as
sistant surgeon, has been assigned to duty
on the transport Tartar on her next voy
age to the islands. DR.. Millhof has been
one of the higher surgeons on duty at the
general hospital at the Presioio.
Acting Assistant Surgeon William E.
Stemen has been assigned to temporary
duty at the general hospital at the Pre-
sidio pending his assignment to duty at
Major Blair D. Taylor, surgeon, has
been ordered to proceed to Honolulu to
relieve Major Wood, surgeon. He will go
on the transport Peking and will report
for duty on the transport during the trip
down.