Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1902-05-08


and hurriedly left the guardroom--a
dozen men standing stiffly about the
walls and doorway and staring with
impassive faces straight to the front.
Again, the young officer had left the
post of the guard and gone up into
camp, while far and near through the
dim, fog-swept aisles of score of
camps the bugles and trumpets were
wailing the signal for flights out" and
shadowy forms, with coat collars
turned up about the ears or capes muf-
fled around the neck, scurried. about
the company streets ordering laughter
and talk to cease. A covered carriage
was standing at the curb outside the
officers gate-and the sentry there
posted remembered that the officer of
the guard came hurrying out and
asked the driver if he was engaged.
"Im waiting for the major" was the
answer.
"Well, where can one order a car
riage tonight without going clear to
town." inquired Gray. II want-one;
that isl wish to order one at once"
And the driver, who knew very well
there were several places where car
riages could be had, preferred loyalty
to his own particular stable away in
town, and so declared there was none.
"You can telephone there, if you
wish, sir" he added.
Anu wait till morning for it to get
here? No! I'll get it-somehow."
And that he did get it somehow was
current rumor on the following day,
for the sentries on the guardhouse side
of camp swore that a closed carriage
drove down from McAllster street for
all the world as though it had just
come out Of the park and relied on past
the back of the guardhouse, the driver
loudly whistling Killarney" SO that
it could be heard above the cruUching
of the wheels through the rough, loose
rock that covered the road, and that
carriage drew up not hundred yards
away, while the lieutenant was out Wis
ting sentries and presently they saw
him coming back along the walk,
stopping to question each sentry as to
his orders. Then he returned and in
quired if all was quiet among 1he pris-
oners, and then went and put out his
light in the tent reserved for the Of
ficer of the guard, and once more left
his post, briefly informing the sergeant
Of the guard he was going to the officer
of the day. Then it was ascertained
that he had visited half a dozen places
in search of that veteran captain and
appeared much disturbed because he
could not find him. In half an hour he
eli Of ho
sentry in rear of the guardhouse if
carriage had come that way. 1t had,
said the sentry, and was waiting down
the street. Gray hurried in the direc-
ton indicated, was gone perhaps three
minutes and returned saying that the
sentry must be mistaken, that no car
riage was there. But the sentry reit-
Grated his statement that it had been
there and had been waiting for some
time, and must have disappeared while
he was temporarily around at the oppo-
site side of the building. This was
about II p. m.
Then when Gray appeared at reveille
Morton had disappeared.
Its not the sergeant let them fellers
out" said the regimental oracles.
This is no ten-dollar subscription
business And SO until late in the
afternoon the question that agitated
the entire range of regmental camps
was: "How did those fellows break
away from the prison of the -teenth?"
Then came clew, and then-discovery.
BY order of Lieut.. Col. Canker a
board of officers had been convened to
investigate the matter, and after ques-
tioning everybody whom "Squeers" had
already badgered with his assertions.
threats and queries, they went to the
guardhouse and began a thorough in
spection of the premises. The wooden
building stood in the midst of a waste
of sand blown in from the shore line by
the strong sea wind. 1t was perched
on something like a dozen stout posts
driven into the soft soil and then the
space between the floor level and the
sand was heavily and stoutly boarded
in-thick planks being used. Between
the floor and the sand was space of
about IS inches vertical, and a dozen
men could have sprawled therein-ly-
ing at full lengthAbut to escape would
have required the connivance Of one or
more of the sentries surrounding the
building and the ripping off of one or
more of the planks. In his keen anxiety
Canker accompanied the board on its
tour Of investigation-a thing the
board did not at all like-and present
ly. as Was his wont, began running
things his own way. 1t had been found
useless to question the soldiers Of the