Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-01-17
TRICKS OF DESERTERS.
epEER EXPERIENCES OF THOSE WHO
LEVANT FROM THE ARMY.

pudenc6 OF Fellow w no LOOK creHeh
Leave of the Navy.
'Deserters from the army and navy
occasionally stack up against some
queer experiences when they re- enlist,
as a good many deserters do" said
Washington man who has served in
both outfits. ''When I entered the
army for the second five-year stretch,
about twelve years ago, I took on at
David's Island, n. Y, then the big
eastern recruiting station. I was as
signed, as is the usual custom, to a
company of recruits, and they made
me sergeant until they decided as
to what post they wanted to send me.
Among the rockies in my company
was good-looking chap named De-
vine. He was every inch soldier. L
knew that he had been soldier. SO
did all the old-timers who sized De-
vine up. It made me feel foolish when
I took Devine out with lot of rook-
les for an awkward squad Grill. He
tried with all the skill he had, to act
like man who had never seen gun
in his life, but I felt all the time that
Devine was just laughing at me. One
day, in the middle OF the manual
drill, I gave a somewhat unusual or
der an order that recruits wouldn't
be supposed to know anything about
Just for the sake of trying out De-
vine. I caught him unawares, and he
made the hrst movement toward exc.
cutting the order. Then he tumbled
to himself, gave sly look out of the
corner of his eye and relapsed into as
sumed clumsiness. When the drill
was over 1 happened to run into De-
vine outside the company quarters.
"sYou're an old swadaie. said [.
"'Forget it., said Devine.
"'Aren't you afraid they'll nail
you?' asked him.
"It's me that's taking the chance,
said Devine.
"Well, after the couple Of months
at David's Island got my orders. 1
was to join IN infantry regiment at
Fort Assiniboine, Mont, and take
charge of large batch of recruits as
signed to the same outfit. The whole
bunch got their orders simultaneously
with me. Among the batch was De-
vine. ran into him at the canteen
about half IN hour after we got our
orders.
"'Say, said Devine, Il don't know
whether to duck or not.
"'For why?' I asked him.
"'There's q captain out there at
Assiniboine that knows me, said De-
vine. Il was in his outfit when I
jumped. And I was sergeant, at
that. He is a pretty square old geezer
and I soldiered up to the handle as
long as was with him, but, all the
same, I'm afraid he'll land me if go
out there.
"'It's you that's taking the chance,
said ]. If he's such square officer,
all right and proper; maybe he won't
know you.
"sIll take the Odds said Devine.
'Well, we went out to Assiniboine.
and zen we lined up in front Of head
quarters on the morning we got in,
who should be the officer of the day
but this captain Devine had served
with when he jumped. The captain
didn't see Devine until, in calling the
roll of the newly-arrived recruits, he
scanned the countenances of the men.
was watching for him to pipe off De-
vine. AS soon as he clapped eyes on
Deyine he gave the slightest possible
start-Deyine standing like statue
and looking ten PAGES ahead-and
then he went on calling the roll. I
knew he had got next to Devine.
"tDevine will fall out" said the
captain when we were about to be or
dered to march to the quarters, and,
said to myself: 'Devine, you'll do
your little threeyears at Fort Leaven-
worth for mortal cincb. About ten
minutes later Devine came strolling
into quarters. I nodded him over to
o corner bunk.
How do you happen to be loose?'
asked him.
"'I told you he was square old
geezer, said Devine. He said to
me;
"s"Your names Devine, you say"
"t'"The same" - saidI giving him
No. 4 salute and holding my face as
if 1 had never clapped an eye on him.
"'"Aud you never saw me before,
did you, Devine?"' said he.
"'ssI've got bum memory, sir, "
said I.
"s"Um-you never saw me before,
Devine?"' said lie. 'T'm certain of
that. Um-veey we'll. Now you go
to your quarters. And if the idea
should ever enter your head to
desert, Devine, why-well, you go to
your quarters. ~
''Devine did his five years, aud he
was seageaut-major OF the regiment
when lie got his honorable discharge.
But he surely did take chance of a
fat term Mt Fort Leayonworth when
he went to Assiniboine.
"Deserters from the navy take long
chances, too. once in while. I was
down in Honolulu harbor on my last
ship. There was coal passer from
San Francisco named White in the
black gang. He was dissatisfied and
lie got to be sea lawyer quicker than
any man 1 ever was shipmates with.
He was always talking up in the
fo'c'sle about the superiority of the
merchant service e-the comparative
freedom when the ship was in port,
and oil that sort of thing. Well,
White went ashore one night, and he
didn't come back with his liberty par
t.. Along about 10 o'clock oil hands
on our ship were startled to hear q
lot of Comanche howls from bark
that was passing alongside of us,
bound out for China. 1t was the bark
Kenilworth. When we looked over