The National tribune., 1901-02-21
ROUGH RIDING.
tConiinuod from first parc.)

The marking on the hip and shaving of
the head was always done i'll the guard
house before bringing the prisoners out.
The prisoners hands were then secure
ly tied to the upper rim of the cannon
wheel and his feet to the lower rim. AS
bugiers or drummars or fifers were al
ways required to do the whipping. n
bugler now stepped forward at command
of the Officer of the Day. was handed n
rawhide whip by the Sergeant of the
guard, and ordered by the officer:
"Bugier, do your duty. and lay it on
well,' the Officer of the Day counting the
lashes aloud and compelling the reluctant
bugler to strike heavy blows.
The big prisoner took his punishment
without flinching, although the blood
howed freely from many cuts the cruel
whip made. l would not have believed
If ! had not seen it, that any man could
endure such torture so uncomplainingly;
but this fellow appeared to have no feel
ing. When the 50th lash was counted
the bugler ceased, seemingly very tired
AS the guards stepped up TO unite him
the big prisoner said, speaking to the Of
ficer of the Day:
Captain, while I'm at it, won't you
please let me take the 80 that's to be put
onto little Billy, the drummer? He's n
wee bit of lad, an can't well stand such
punishment. an | can"
Would be glad to accommodate yor,"
the officer replied, but can't do it. Each
man must receive his own sentence"
With that he was unbound and resumed
his clothing, while Billy, the drummer,
was stripped and tied in his place.
Another bugler was called forward to
administer Billy's punishment. His boy
ish face and form had evidently gained
him some sympathy. even with the OBJ
durate Officer of the Day, for after giving
nUln do l,,N,.
he turned his back on the performance,
and although he counted the lashes aloud
appeared not to notice that the merciful
bugler's blows would scarcely have hurt
kitten. though he made a great pretense
Of striking hard, and when the last lash
was counted the drummer boy had little
to show for it but few red marks across
his back.
Then came the final part Of the SEN
tence, the drumming out"
After the little one had donned his cloth
ing the two were placed in front of q file
of the guard, and required to keep their
hats off. A fifer and drummer then took
position in front of the prisoners. the
guard came to ''charge bayonets'' be-
hind them, and they were marched off to
the tune of the ''Rogue's March" And
thus they were escorted through the gar
rison, and well on the road toward Leav-
enworth City, and then turned loose while
AS we marched back all seemed sad
dened by witnessing the degrading pun
ishment inflicted on those two culprits,
and l asked old Tom, who was by my
side, if such sights were frequent in the
army.
He replied: "Not very. and I am glad
to see that such brutal punishment is fast
growing into disfavor with army officers.
Although our old Colonel approved this
sentence and ordered its execution, he is
really kind-hearted man, but a strict
disciplinarian, and now and then finds it
necessary to make O severe example of
some of these hard cases; and these two
fellows are bad ones, and we are well rid
of them"
l witnessed repetition of this barbar-
Gus scene, attended with greater or less
degrees of brutality, several times during
my enlistment. ] have seen the Officer of
the Day snatch the whip out of the hand
of the bugler and give him several severe
cuts to compel him to q more vigorous ap-
plication Of the lash; and l have heard
and seen the culprit groan and scream
and faint under the torture. But the
abominable practice was doomed when
once brought prominently to the notice
of the American public.
AT the beginning of the late civil war,
when this mode of punishment was APP
piled to some of the volunteers, it brought
forth such a howl of indignant protest
from the people through the press that
Congress abolished it.
As it is a humiliating and unpleasant
subject, | will not describe any other such
ceremonies, but let the foregoing do for
all.
IMPATIENT TO MOVE.
We are all getting tired of the dull
monotony Of garrison duty, and long to
start on that scout after the Indians that
is so much talked of. 1t is barely posi-
BILE that we will get more of it than is
agreeable, and will wish we were back
at the garrison many times before we see
it again; but such is the soldiers nature
that in quiet times he is always anxious
for change, though it may be for the
worse.
The Paymaster is expected in a few
days to pay us off before we start out on
the plains. Payday is always a great
event among the soldiers, though it is not
very regular, as the same Paymaster will
have to pay off the soldiers at several diff
ferent military posts on the frontier hun
dreds of miles apart, travelling, usually, in
n Government ambulance, drawn by four
mules, and escorted by few soldiers. He
is accompanied by clerk, and carries his
funds in small iron safe in the ambu-
lance. Qn those days he carried gold and
silver only)
AT this date there is little railroad trans
portatiOn west OF the Mississippi. The
farthest railroad west that | know of is
the one recently built from st. Louis to
Jefferson City, Mo. Uncle Sam furnishes
his own transportation in this country,
which is chiefly six-mule teams.
Attached to each military post is a
"sutler store;" that is trading house,
where general assortment of merchan-
disc is kept for sale to soldiers, officers,
citizens, Indians, or any other man. The
sutler is a civilian, appointed by the Gov
ernment, and has monopoly of the post
trade. 1t is very lucrative business.
All suffers get rich in few years.
Nearly all the soldiers pay at n frontier
post finds its way into the suffers money
drawer in short time after payday, and
between pay-days, by carrying on a safe
account charged up and held out at the
pay-table, he gets 4 pretty good rake-off
direct from the Paymaster. Besides the
soldiers money the sutlcr gets n good
deal of the pay of officers, teamsters and
other Government employees, and at posts
in the Indian country he used to get
good Indian trade. Taken altogether, |
don't know of any fatter job than 8 post
sutlership at a frontier post in the old
days.
At the present time 0S5O Uncle Sans
army is not a very large one, numbering
only 10 regiments, 10 of infantry, four of
artillery (armed and equipped as infantry,
except two light batteries to each regi-
ment), two of dragons, two of cavalry,
and one of mounted rifles
The two regiments of cavalry were or
ganized only three years before Tin '54).
Some of our officers were from the older
regiments, and some, newly-appointed,