The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-19
PRIYITE SMITHS UICKED CROW.
An Abandoned Maine Bird That Was Triod
at Last by VI nrtiaI.


MAEs Hill. Ne. March 17.-when Private
George Smith of Company l.. First Maine Vol
unteors. went TO Augu sta fast July to be mus
tered into the service of the United States, he
took along a young crow. The crow was hard
" Two months old at the time. u saucy. greedy
BIRD with Il great desire to advertise himself
and an uncomfortable fondness for stealing
brass buttons. rings and silver money. 40
cordinE to a timc-honored custom in Maine
the crow was named Jim. For n week or so
he was called dear Jim or ''saucy Jim or
dandy Jim," according to the way his con-
duct impressed the soldier who addressed him.
Later. when his gluttonous and thievish pro-
hen.ities had become prominent his Christian
name was made the centrepiece OF various
profane words which ATTEMPTED to convey tho
contempt In which the regiment held him.
After being in Camp Powers two weeks pri-
Nate Smith was taken down with measles, ard
was sent to the hospital. whereupon jim. freed
from all moral restraint, pursued his vicious
course so industrioVsly that nearly every man
against smith by the time he had recovered.
i cant pay II. boys said, he. rs he looked
stolen What's more noI1s'Vf T woHId me G pav haq
could. Catch jim aud give him a military
trIHi; and if YOU ind him guilty, shoot him"
tiai; found guilty on every count and sentenced
TO- he shot in, the presence Of the regiment.
glove ovcr his head to blindfold him. and tied
his feet to the head ola cracker barrel which
rs tho IetaiI. was marching out to shoot him.
l,riE-uen NeWcomh asked for a half hours
delay saving that the Governor intended to
grant u rardon., Anew minutes later the par
Hon arrived. and Jim was taken back to camp
IN tTtumnh and GorGed with hardtack and mo-
lasScS until he was too heavy TO fly.
Private smith was still weak from the eff
fccts, of measles when his regiment was or
to a c%oinnranv OF light artillery and sent to
Inrt lonii5m. ncar.the mouth of the Kentucky
immersed in the delights OF clam digging that
N iorGotto steal. In December, when the com
Ilihnmy was ordered to Savannah. Ga. Jim went
enough to make IN for ten, wears OF righteous
behdNlor. In Cuba he stole q gold watch be-
lolslnC to a stan oticer&and was shot and badly
wGfqhnh Ice in the side Thile trying 70 get away
INC punishment was lust. but. as 1t had not
been Glmiuistered in due military form. Jim
q co!ored family until he recovered. late in
February the members of the light artillery
EE9 oman = we're discharEed and sent home.
could display upon slight provocation. Smith
refused to take his crow back to Maine. and. as
bird, he very gladly left him with them. The
dry Smith REACHED home his father addressed
away having q good time for nearly a year.
lou "" seen oIba and Havana. and you've
bic, bugs. Now. you'll lust strip off those store
dnds Of yours and go out and tap the maple or
chnrd."
IN two days he had tapped and inserted
sriGots In more than 300 trees. At first the
barred the hills. the sap fowad freely. keeping
him emp!oyed all dav and far into the night.
one warm morning his week. when he was
very tired and sleepy, he heard some newly ar
rived crows cawing and scolding among the
woods. This led him to remember the aban-
doned sinner which he had left in Cuba a few
weeks before. He Thistled n few bars OF mill
tarv music. and then gavo II fairly good i'm tia
ton OF taps. All the crows but one flew aloft
and made wide circles overhead. The solitary
exception croaked susniciNusly for a minute.
allehted unon Smiths shoulder,
Hello. Jim,' said Smith. patting the prodi-
gal upon the head. I'VE are both in disgrace,
so reckon we'd better fight it out together.
let's 20 home and see ii they'll use you as
tough as they have me-"
AZ least. this is the way Smith accounts for
his action III bringing a crow home.