Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-01-23


and down in front of the guard house.
from the time he went on post until re
lieved, at the end of two hours, by
another guard house prisoner, to whose
shoulder the log would be transferred.
1t was also the sentry's duty to see
that the ''log-humper' did not drop his
burden. The prisoner could shift 1t
from one shoulder to the other%or car
ry it under his arm, or horizontally in
front of him, or in any other way he
chose; but he had to carry it, and he
had to keep moving, on pain of being
fDdented with the point of n bayonet.
There are hundreds of old soldiers still
in the United States army who did
their little tricks at tree packing" in
the old days, and none of them speaks
with the slightest degree of enthusiasm
OF the job. The guard house prisoner
OF large physique was out of luck in
those days. A 100-pound log was in
Nariably bestowed upon him. The
smaller logs were reserved for the pris-
Oners of less bulk.
"Trotting the Bull-Riug."
One of the punishments meted out to
the cavalryman who got into, the guard
house under the old regime was ''trot-
ting the bull ring" The bull ring is
the circular track upon which the
horses are exercised when there is not
much doing around the post in the way
of drills on account of inclement
weather. Every cavalry post has its
bull ring. Upon the smooth surface
81. aly.x-
man of couple of decades ago was
required to chase the intangible air at
regular intervals. named in the sem
tenee, every day OF his confinement.
His bull-ring work was no go-as-you-
please walking match. either. He could
so at any pace swifter than walk;
but he was not allowed 10 walk. Heel
and-toe business was barred. Ii he
chose 10 work it out in cantering the
sentry was agreeable: did he prefer the
less graceful. but also less irksome.
trot. the sentry hadn't a word TO say.
but If for a single instant he relapsed
into n common. everyday walk he
would hear the Sentry'S command. like
the crack of a circus ringmaster'S
whip, "Shake her up there. Pete; what
do YOU think this is. practice march
Slangr' and if the bull-ring FOUNDER
knew his gait he would leave off walk
ing right away. The bull-riag work
was good for wind and muscle, but ii
was hard and CALLING. A soldier un6er-
going bull-ring sentence dropped
dead from heart disease at post in
the Southwest one day about seventeen
years ago. and then the buli-ring pun
ishmeut was abandoned.
Buried in Sand.
1t was reserved for the commanding
officer of an Arizona post. one-com-
btny outfit. 10 infiict so barbarous
punishment upon an offending soldier
that the whole scale OF punishment IL
the United States army was revised
and made hard and fast. This com
handing officer was a captain, and the
affair happened in 1879. He lad In
his company soldier who was very
hard case. and pat in most of hS time
in the guard house. He completed q
~ua~d house term In the autumn OF
1879. and Immediately repaired 10 the
nearby town of whissss shaeks and
made aimSelf exceedingly drOS. he
returned tc the post with -ae G-noune
ed Intention OF razing II 10 the level Of
the desert aud firing volley over lt'
ashes. The captain had him lassoec
as he MAS entering the post. He order
ed that a hole sufficiently large to re
ceive the Upright body Of man D.
dug in theysaud of the parade, ground
When the hole was dug the captain or
dered that che hard-case soldier 81
stood 10 it Up to his neck. and tha
the sand be then repacked around hin
as tightly as possible. covering hi'