The San Francisco call., 1899-10-18
SOLDIERS SHOT
NOT WISELY BUT
FAR TOO WELL
Surplus Enthusiasm
of Montana Men.
CELEBRATING MUSTER OUT
A BECALMED SCHOONER UNDER
FIRE AND HIT FOUR TIMES.
Captain Joseph D. Leitch Has Been
Made an Aid to General
Shafter-A Sword for
Wholly.
CELEBRATING MUSTER OUT
A BECALMED SCHOONER UNDER
FIRE AND HIT FOUR TIMES.

There came a sequel yesterday to the
jollificatiOn of the Montana men during
their last night of service. Monday even
ing the Montana camp was lively scene.
The Kansas men had come up to have
a social with the Montana men, and part
of the entertainment furnished the guests
was the firing of rifles. The regiment had
turned in all arms, but the Mausers and
Remingtons captured from the Spaniards
and Filipinos belonged to the men, and
they had plenty of ammunition. The
firing continued for over an hour, and
then most of the shooters turned their
attention to other forms of amusement.
Yesterday morning the master of the
schooner Ida A appeared at headquarters
and announced that while becalmed off
the Preside his boat was hit four times
by the bullets from the enthusiastic Mon
tanans and that for some time he and his
crew were in great danger of being shot.
The bullets were hitting the water all
around the and as there was no wind
they could not get out of range. They
were perhaps two miles from the camp
on the hill where the men were shooting,
and it was no use for them to call out.
All they could do was to trust to luck
that theJ would drift out of range or
that the firing would cease before any
of them were hit. AS it was, three shots
struck the vessel and one went through
her sail.
An investigation was Immediately
ordered, but it had little result. The Mon
tana men were mustered out yesterday
and there was no time to make a thor
ough investigation of the affair besides
no one would admit that he fired any
shots, or that he saw any one else do so,
or even that any shots had been fired
from the Montana camp. 1t was pointed
out that the men of the Montana regi-
ment had turned in all their arms and
therefore had nothing to shoot with, but
II was not with Government arms they
expressed their enthusiasm. 1t was fur
ther declared that most of the shooting
came from the Kansas camp, but it is not
probable that more than half a dozen of
the shots We're fired from there. At any
rate, the investigation has developed
nothing.
Later in the DAY another complaint
came in from Harbor View. One of the
bullets had gone through a bedroom and
the occupant wanted to be sure there
would be no repetition. Bullets were also
heard to whistle over the Presidio build
1ngs but at the time it was not supposed
that any one was shooting ball cartridges
Those who heard the men thought they
were shooting blanks, and while it was
believed to be a little off color even with
blanks, from a military standpoint, still
none OF the volunteer officers saw fit to
stop 1t. There is no guard from the post
garrison over the volunteer camps, so no
report of the shooting was turned in to
headquarters.
Colonel Freeman, commandant of the
post, issued an order yesterday forbidding
the discharge of firearms in any of the
camps. 1t has been a practice of the reg
lments to be mustered out to celebrate
their last night in service with some such
demonstration, but heretofore blank
cartridges have been used. Now the
practice will have to stop altogether.
captain j. D: Leitch was relieved from
duty as an adjutant of the Preside yes
terday and he was ordered to duty as an
aid TO General Shafter. He has received
no orders from Washington assigning him
that he will be ordered away from this
department: His place as post adjutant
mas peen taken by Captain James II. Fri
er, seventeenth Infantry.
Monday evening the officers of the Pre-
sidio and those of the Twenty-eightb
Regiment called upon General Shafter TO
him upon his retention in the Voi .~.lteer
service and as commander of this depart-
ment. The band of the Twenty-efghth
Regiment was with the officers and it SER
seventy officers in attendance.
Three hundred recruits under command
Of 9f captain W. N Hughes, Thirteenth In
wilson, Pascoe and KinZe have been as
signed to the transport Manuense, with
two companies of the Thirty-first under
command of Lieutenant Colonel Hayes
The Montana regiment was mustered
out Yesterday, each man receiving in the
neighborhood of 800 in pay and allow
ances. The regiment will start east on a
special train this evening. the train to
leave from the 9 o'clock boat from this
side. The bulk of the regiment will go
over on the s o'clock boat and the 9
o'clock will be the last that will catch he
train.
The men Of the Washington regiment
presented Colonel Wholly with a beautiful
sword yesterday. 1t was the finest the
men could buy, and every man in the regt-
ment contributed his share to the pur-
chase price. On the blade is the colonel's
name and the fact that it was a token of
esteem from the enlisted men whom he
commanded.
1t was payday in the Kansas regiment
yesterday, but one months money was all
the men received. They will be mustered
out November 3.
The detachment from Battery N, Third
Artillery now stationed at Benicfa Bar
racks, will be relieved by a detachments
from Battery E of the same regiment,
which will be sent from Fort Mason. The
detachment from Battery n will return to
its company's station, Alcatraz Island.
Miss Alice Roberts, contract nurse, has
been ordered to proceed to her home, Des
Moines. Iowa, her contract having been
Major Wilfrid Turnbull, surgeon. has
been ordered to temporarv duty at the
general hospital pending his assignment
A banquet will be given to Sergeant
William Maher and Corporal F. F. Maher
Of Company N H Of the First ~ California
of the Cross Cadets this evening. The
banquet will be held in st. Paul's Hall,
Twenty-ninth and Church streets.
Next Tuesday evening. October 2f at
Mechanics Pavilion under the auspices of
the United States Army and Navy Chris
tan Commission. public farewell recep-
tion will be given the Twentieth Kansas
Regiment and its officers. 1t is expected
several bands will participate in the even
ing's programme. There will be short
drill by the regiment, closing with prom
enade concert. The Mothers Club of the
commission is to entertain and serve a
at the close.