The National tribune., 1899-11-09

PRISONER" SAID LIEUT.. BowERsoX
TO TR'
the discipline of the Armies of the United
States. This on the march of the army
from Dalton, Ga, to Calhoun. Ga, and on
the 18th day Of May, 1864.
CHARGE 2.-DRUNKENNEss ON
DUTY.
Specification THAT said Corp1 Daniel
Elliott, Co. Q, 200th Ind. Vol. Inf, being
then on duty, and in command OF a squat
of men, was openly and noisily intoxicated
and drunk, and Incapable OF performing
said duty, in violation of the 45th Article oi
War and the discipline of the Armies of the
United States. This on the march OF the
army from Dalton, Ga. to Calhoun, Ga,
and on the 18th day of May, 1864.
| CHARGE 3-MISAPPROPRIATIN
| PUBLIC PROPERTY.
Specification THAT the said Daniel
Elliott, being charged with the duty OF
| gathering up and accounting for the pop
erty captured from and abanooned iy the
enemy, did appropriate to himself, attempt
| TO conceal, and refuse to deliver to his
superior officer POI ton thel eof, to wit, one
pair of field glasses. i'll violation OF the 5Sth
Article OF War, and contrary to The disci-
pline of the Armies Of the United States
| This on the march OF the army from Dalton.
! Dd., 10 Oll liIt IDtIl OI
| May, 1864.
20, goodness, graciousr murmured little
| Pete Skidmore. almost fainting with terror,
in the covert of oak leaves, Just above the
courts head, whittier he had noiseIessly
climbed, 10 overhear everything. Hes
agoner, surel They'll shoot him, sure as
guns. Saltpeter won't save him. Hes
| broke every Article o. Var in the whole
book. My, what will do:"
He slipped down and communicated his
| information to the anxiously-expectant
comrades of Co. Q.
1T mayn't be as bad as we expect" the
Orderly-Sergeant tried to console them.
| The bite OF most OF them regulations and
charges and specifications amt never near
as bad as their bark. If they were, a good
many of us would have been shot long ago.
My experience in the army's been that the
reg"lHtic"' "~e like the switches the teach
ers used TO have in school-a willow for the
goo,. ~. 5. and stout hickory for the
bad ones. Still, I'm afriad that Shorty
won't get off with less than hard labor for
| life on the fortifications.'
| prisoner, you have heard the charges
and specifications" said Lieut.. BOwersox,
III stern voice. How do you plead to
them?"
20, I'm guilty--guilty O. the whole lot
said Shorty dejectedly.
'1nasmuch," said Lieut.. Bowerscx, with
an entire change of tone, "as it is my duty
| to represent the prisoners interests as
counsel, l shall disregard his plea, and
| enter one of not guilty"
Shorty started to gasp But done all
that
Silence" thundered Lieut.. Rowersox.
you are only to speak, sir, when l or some
other member Of the court ask you ques-
ton"
But has the Judge-Advocate the right to
disregard the plain plea? Lieut.. McJimsey
started toinquire, when the President inter
rupted with
lieutenant. we can have no discussion
of the courts practices in the presence OF
the prisoner. If you want to enter uron
that we shall have to clear the court. Do
you desire that?'
There was something in the bluff old
Ma iors tone that made the lieutenant
think This inadyisable, and he signifed the
negative.
Advocate" said Maj. TruaX, with wave
of his hand.
Lieut. Steigermeyer. in full-dress, even to
epaulets, rigidly erect and sternly i'm
portant as to look, testified that he was a
Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army, |
but had the staff rank of Captain and
Inspector-General, and after going out OF !
his way to allude to the laXnesS of disci- |
pline he found prevailing in the Western |
armies, testified that on the day mentioned, |
while in pursuance of his duty, he was
going over the battlefield, he came upon TIE |
prisoner, whose drunken yelling attracted |
his attention; that he had admonished him,
and received insults i'll reply
MY way is TO knock a man down. when |
he gives me any back talk" remarked the
Major, soto roce, taking a fresh chew of
tobacco. That's better than court-mar-
tialing to promote discipline
Further admonitons," continued the |
Lieutenant, had the same result, and was !
about to call a guard TO put him under
arrest, when | happened to notice pair of
field-glasses that the prisoner had picked |
up, and was evidently intending to appro-
pirate to his own uSe and rot account for |
them. This was confirmed by his ap- |
preaching me in menacing manner, |
insolenty demanding their return, and |
threatening me in Il loud voice if | did not |
give them up, which l properly refused to |
do, and ordered a Sergeant who had come |
up to seize and buck -and-g gag him. The
Sergeant, against whom | shall appear
later, did not obey my orders, but seemed |
to abet his companions gross insubordina-
ton. The scene finally eliminated, in tie
presence OF number of enlisted men, in the
prisoners wrenching the field-glasseS
away from Inc by main force, and would
have struck me had not the Sergeant pre-
vented this. 1t was such an act as in any
other army in the world would have sub
jected the offender to instant execution.
II was only possible in
Pardon me, Lieutenant should per-
haps say Captain"-interrupted Lieut.
BowersoX, with much sweetness of manner
but the most of lis are familiar with your
views as to the inferiority of the discipline
of the Western Armies to that of the Army
of the Potomac and European armies, so
that we need not take up the time of the
court with its reiteration. What farther
happened?"
Nothing. the Provost Guard came up
at that moment, and | directed Sergeant
to place the two principal offenders in
custody, and secure the names of the wit
nesses." !