New-York tribune., 1901-12-02
IN IRONS ON THE BUFORD.
CELEBRATION AT MALTA HAD A BAD
EFFECT ON SOME OF THE CREW
SOLDIERS BACK FROM sULU.

The army transport Buford, which left Mania
on September j, and later took on board at
Joo, in the Sulu archipelago. eight companies
of the 23d United States Infantry numbering
901 enlisted men and thirty-seven offcers' ar
rived Yesterday and anchored below Liberty ISL
and Colonel j. Milton Thompson was IN COM
nand of the troops
The men will be landed to-day at the west
Shore Railroad piers at Weehawken, where they
will take a special train to convey them 10
Plattsburg. the headquarters of the regiment
The 23d came home by way of the Suez Canal
and Is CONSEQUENTLY the first of the regular res-
ments to sail round the globe. The men are all
in good health. and say that as their services
consisted simply of policing the archipelago, ana
as the natives peaceably inclined, they ndo
rather an easy time of it.
Colonel Thompson said that the Sultan of
S,lIu was a good-natured fellow, and that the
troops got along very we'll while there Inc
Colonel added the natives were quiet, put the
chiefs possess autocratic powers and their rule
was rigid.
The VOYAGE occupied sixty five days lncIuolhS
a week that the Buford was aground on a
mud hank at Jolo. Because Of the prevalence
of bubonic plague there no communication
with Egyptian ports. The transport toucned al
Malta however on November 8, and the SOL
diers were allowed 10 have shore liberty for the
first time in nearly Two months Coroner
Thompson and his men were entertained d!
Major General d T OCallaghan, comms ndlns
the Royal Artillery at Malta The Yankees
were also we'll looked after during their stay
there by Sir Francis g. w. Grenpel, Governor
of the island; by Admiral Sir John f1sher'
h C B. and by the Malta Union Club.
When the Buford put to sea again. some OF
the crew were unable Immediately to resume the
ordinary routine of affairs after the Dig celepia
t;o, ashore AS result Fourth Engineer Muir
pbv arrnfng himself with a big revolver, start
ed out 10 kill the chief engineer, in revenge for
Gonna imaginary wrong He made considerable
trouble for a, Time but In little While MS de-
sire for repose overcame that for revenge. Nnen
he went to sleep Captain Haines, of company
F secured his weapon and helped TO lock him
1Ip in the brig" This did not end the trouble
however. the ships butcher broke out WIN
a big carving knife. IT took hard struggle 10
secure him, but he finally got into the
brig" also. The men still IN irons when
the Buford arrived in port. and VIII be handed
over to the United States marshal to-day.
One of the members of the I'D Is John Prem
tice Poe, who prominent on the princeton
football teams Of 1o9l-92 The Buford pro 9pougn5
home, in addition TO the members of the sd I1o
discharged soldiers, a number or government
employees. and several wives and families OF OF
fcers Among those on board were Surgeon
Major H. S. F. Harris, who has been away Tor
nearly four years; Captain E. NJ Suples, lith
United States Cavalry; Captain +. j. Stritzins-
-
H Graham Pay Department; Lieutenants II.
B. Ferguson, Engineer Corps; s F. Bottoms.
Artillery Corps: L. D. Rucker. 10th United
States Infantry; Harrison Hall, Artillery Corps;
Fitzhugh Lee, jr 18th Cavalry; Grayson V
Heidi, Sd United States Cavalry; A. 5 Co"an,
14th Infantry, and number of civilians
Captain Martenes of the Buford said that the
weather fine until the Atlantic was reached
but the trip across from Gibraltar was rather
stormy occupying sixteen days AS no arrange
ments had been made for docking the vessel, he
would probably remain out in the stream until
the Crook. which is loading at Pier 13. East
River sailed for Manila The fact that the
Buford could not land the passengers. ether
than the enlisted men who bound for
Plattsburg, taken advantage of by har-
Dor tugboatman. who reaped harvest by get
ting 81 each from the two hundred passengers
On the way home the men ran out of tobacco,
and there was none obtainable aboard the
boat they were compelled to do without smok
ing While the Buford at anchor bum
boatman ran alongside, hardly expecting such
a windfall The soldiers bought him out in
trice and he came back to the city with fifty
silver dollars in his pocket