Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-12-12
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{ TRUMPETER MUELLER, !
! q e SOLDIER % q !
o The Story of Man Who Was
Thought Fit Only to Elow
Bugle Calls.
< BY EDWARD B. CLARK. 4
BY EDWARD b. CLARK.

of gibes with a good nature that was
as perfect as it was stolid. The trum-
peter knew more about music than he
did about muskets. When for awhile
he tried what the other men called
straight soldering, he was continually
getting tangled up with his equip
ments. and on several occasions at
skirmish drill he came within an ace
of shooting himself. His comrades
told Hans that as long as he confined
his efforts to killing himself they would
offer 10 strenuous objection, but that
if he got real careless and shot the
head off some one else he must look out
for trouble. As a matter of fact, he
did one day come pretty close to put
ting Il bullet through the heart of Ser
geant Peter Nelson, who forthwith
thrashed Hans in an approved style.
Captain Roberts called Hans gross"
and said that he must stick to his
trumpet.
The edict of his chief made Hans
feel bad. He blew the whole scale
of calls from reveille through fatigue,
recall and drill to taps, but his soul
wasn't in his music. Down deep in
Hans soul there came the thought that
somehow be was not like other men.
The smaYiaess of appearance which
characterized Sergeant Nelson, Corpo-
raj Brady and score of privates he
knew could never be his. There was
lacking in his makeup that something
which gives. dash to a soldier. Hans
used to fall over his feet in most I'M
military way. and his hands were new
er in the proper places. There was
one thing. however, that could be said
for him, he always tried to obey orders
implicitly He generally blundered
while making the attempt, but the In
tent was right, and that covers null
titude of sins much more serious In
nature than mere blunders.
The Third cavalry was in the Wyo-
ming country in the Elkhorn creek re-
gion. There had been good deal of
trouble with the Nez Perces, and l.
troop had been kept on the jump most
of the time for a month. L troop was
Hans outfit. There had been one con-
slant succ ssion of scoutings. 1t had
been necessary to send small squads In
half a dozen different directions at one
and the same time. The trumpeter had
been forced to stay with the main
body, which was not very big main
body at that, at all times. He had
been in everything in which the whole
troop was engaged, but the idea of
sending HG rs out on reconnaissance
where coolress and the subtlety of the
devil were necessary for safety was
the last thing that ever entered the
head of the troop commander.
One day, however, one of the coolest
days of the second winter month, it
became necessary to send a scouting
party to Investigate the rumor of the
approach of band of savages. Now, it
happened that the whole command
was tagged out, and this in a nutshell
is the reason why Hans Mueller found
himself TO, the first time in his life In
q position Of acute responsibility. He
was ordered by Captain Roberts to
proceed with Sergeant Nelson and two
privates northwest until something
was "felt" or until the sergeant was
satisfied that wrong report had been
turned into the camp.
When the little body set out, the ia
tigue Of the individual members of the
troop showed that it was not so to
speak. strong enough to keep these
same indil .duals from giving Hans
sendoff. Hans had a carbine and re-
volver. His trumpet was hanging up
on a peg One of the bystanders said
TO the sergeant in command: Look out
for Hans if you happen to get into
scrimmage. The first thing you know
he'll forget himself, and hen try to
blow retreat on his carbine. may
lose one man if Hans puts his mouth to
the wrong end of the barrel"
Then they said a few other things to
Hans. He was told to be sure not to
get his canteen mixed up with his car
fridge belt and to make sure that he
took note of the landmarks on the way
out so he could get back to camp in a
hurry if he happened to hear an Indian
shoot off his gun. Hans took all this
well enough, because the thought of
actually going out on a scout was suf
fcient to knock all other things out of
his head, resentment along with them.
They had left the camp far behind
them. Sergeant Nelson, who was an
old and tried campaigner, turned to his
men and said, "We are getting near
the place where we may expect to see
something" Then he spoke seriously
to Hans. Mueller" he said, you're
not half as bad perhaps as the troop
makes out, but 1 tell you honestly that
I'm kind Of afraid of you when it
comes to pinch. Do the best you can
and don't run. AS a matter of fact
think that Jim Crosby was pipe dream
ing when he brought the rumor of reds
III this vicinity into camp, but you may
have chance to see trouble and If you
do please stick"
That was a pretty tough thing to
have to say to a soldier with Uncle
Sans uniform on his back. Stick!
Mueller's face went almost white IN
der realization that the true signifi-
canoe of that admonition was that the
sergeant had pretty strong fear in
his heart that this trumpet tooter was
a coward. Stick! He would show them
If he was only given a chance.
Sergeant Peter Nelson was an old
and tried campaigner, indeed, but that
day ne made a mistake. He led his
three men straight into an ambush.
There were a score of painted Nez
Perces straight across their track. The
Indians had very little cover, but they
used it so artfully that the old soldier
sergeant had actually thought that the
bit of embankMent and the few scat
tered powders did not offer cover
enough to conceal a jack rabbit.
The first intimation of the Indians
presence was a volley. Sergeant Mel
son went to the ground with a wound
in his side. One of the privates, shot
through the shoulder and leg, fell with
him. The two men crawled behind q
couple of rocks and secured temporary
shelter. AT the savage vQlley Hans
Mueller's heart went to his throat.
With the other private, who, like
Hans, was unhit, he fell back about
forty yards and went behind an ade-
quate cover There for five minutes
they exchanged shots with the reds,
who, in accordance with Indian Gus
tom, would not charge across the open,
but depended rather upon being able to
pick off the soldiers and then to go for
ward without danger and take the
scalps. Hans Mueller found that he
could use his carbine. His heart went