The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-24
THEY spin GOOD YARNS
The Rough Riders Have Choice
Collection.
AND HERE ARE SAMPLES
Experiences at Observation-Disclosures ers
Expected a Long-Haired Aggrega-
tion-But the Guying Was
Mistake

| Mssoula, Oct. 23-Whenever the
| MissouIa rough riders get together
there is always an exchange of stories
| and an interesting Indulgence in rem
| iniscence that is interesting to non
! combatant and entertaining for the
| boys The assembling of the boys Of
| Troop f for the trip to Butte was
one of these occasions and as the boys
| hadn't been together before for half a
| year. the stories that were told were
| of more than usual interest Some of
| them have changed somewhat since
| their last appearance. but they We're
| all, good, These campfres are thor
oughly enjoyed by all of the boys and
by those who are fortunate enough 10
| be present as guests.
! when we reached Chickamauga.
| said the captain, 1.-The Eastern regi-
! ments had all preparations made to
! guy US. We were expected to be long
haired and woolly rangers and We're
| to be the butt of the camp. When the
| doughboys of the Eastern regiments
| first saw we We're disappointment
to them. We We're not so very differ
/ ent in appearance from themselves and
their programme was disarranged. But
|
they had a scheme that would get us
| started. One day when we had the
| troop horses out grazing, a party Of
| New York infantrymen came along and
one of their number expressed de-
sire to ride one of our Western horses.
| He wanted to show us that we were not
so much, after all. l had the only
saddle in the troop. the men having
led out their animals to Craze. l told
Mr. Doughboy that he might ride if he
wanted to, and then | proceeded to re-
move the saddle from my horse. We
had one horse in the bunch that was
an inveterate bucker. He was from
the Flathead reservation and neVe"
did like that Southern climate. He
was ridden by Private Mum. an OK
pert horsenan. | had Mum lead out
this horse and l quietly placed my
saddle on his back, working cautiously
SO as not to set him going prematurely.
We got the saddle on without stirring
up Mr.. Horse and then | told the New
Yorker to climb on. The horse looked
as innocent as if he understood the
game and did not move till the dough-
boy was in the saddle. Then I poked
the horse with my thumb and the next
instant that infantryman was playing
a quickstep with the seat of his trousers
against my saddle. 1t was of short
durati however. and he soon bit the
dust We unsaddled the bucker and
the New Workers picked up their COM
rade, one of them remarking as ne did
so. You d-n fool. you might have
known you'd get jobbed when cap
tain would saddle a horse for prl-
vate' After that we were not consid
cred as green as we had been rcputed
to be- l.-
1--WE earned our repu tation for gallan-
try" remarked the first lieutenant,
| tJ,rn ,tr1, he of
Hall They had sized us all up as
rough and rude and had an idea t..at
we would need watching. One evening
when Mr.. Hall was officer of the guard
he heard the cries of two young ladies'.
| Ii was just getting dark and these
girls were starting to drive back to the
| city after visiting with some friends
in the Montana camp. AS they drove
away two men of an eastern regiment
| accCsted them Familiarity and tried to
climb into the back of their buggy.
Their outcries attracted Mr.. Halls at
| tention and he FASTENED to investigate.
AS soon as he found what was the
, matter he called the guard and the
two fasteners We're soon in our guard
house No amount of explana ton could
secure their release, either. The report
of our officers gallantry soon became
noised about the camp and the cow
boys at once sprang into high favor" y
Did I ever tell you, asked the sec
ond lieutenant, "how we made Big
Mac, first sergeant of Troop J? Well
we did it one day. l was officer of the
day and was called upon by tobacco
| agent, who wanted to present every
man in the camp with a package OF
tobacco I told him that he couldn't
\ go through the camp. but that I would
, call the first sergeant of each troop
who would receive the tobacco for his
men. This was satisfactory and he
asked how many troops there were
, | I told him that they ran from t.
: M. Now. you know that in lettering tn
| troops the is omitted on account o
| it's close resemblance to |. But tht
tobacco man didn't know this and whel
the first sergeants came, he began tt
issue SO packages to each one, as the!
, were called upon by their troop let
tiers. AS sergeant was first and ther
BIS Is man had gone away with hi:
armful and ! called Big Mac. SEE
geant Mcdonnell, receive j troop
tobacco Mac saluted and stepped III
, for tobacco for the troop that didn'
exist. He got it and F troops mel
had a double allowance of tobacco
After that Mac was always known a
the first sergeant of j troop