Evening star., 1902-01-18

| at all places in the country where army
| officers are stationed, regardless of the
| character of their duty. Major General
Young, commanding the department of Cal
| ifornia, has already issued order direct
| ing that all officers of the staff corps on
| duty in that department shall wear the
prescribed uniform of their rank and corps
| in their offices during Office hours. Similar
orders have been issued to officers on re-
cruiting service and to line officers detail
| ed for duty with staff corps in that depart
ment. 1t Is also directed that all officers
| visiting the headquarters of the department
at San Francisco during Office hours shall
wear their uniform. So far as known, the
practice of officers wearing uniforms while
on purely Office duty has not yet extended
beyond the city of Washington and the de-
partment of California. The probability Is
however, that it will gradually be adopted
by all the other military departments The
system of wearing uniforms at such times
is copied from the German army, the Off
GERS of which are supposed to be always on
duty.
Speaking of cold weather, I remembe,
during the latter part of March, 1888. a day
| that was one of the coldest / have ever
experienced said Policeman NJ. J. Flynn
Of the Police Court squad the other day
when a number of attorneys and police
men were talking about cold weather. Pre-
vIous to becoming member of the police
served ten years in the army. In 1888 was
ID 'non-com.' in Company A, 11th United
States Infantry, and was stationed at a
government reservation in South Dakota,
near the Missouri river
'It was during the latter part of March
of that year that John l.. Sullivan fought
and whipped Pat Ryan. I don't remember
the exact day, but the thermometer was
lowering in the tWenties below zero, and
was included in number of about 80 men
who were detailed to cut ice on the Missouri
river, to be stored for use at the officers
mess. The men were all dressed In buffalo
coats, and 1t was worse than bitter cold.
We were all interested in the prize fight,
and courier brought the news from the
reservation to the river. Some of the men
were from Sullivan's home town. Boston.
while number claimed to have grown up
with Pat Ryan In New York
As result of the news the men became
excited and finally battle was in progre IS
there on the ice-the Boston men versus the
New York men. The non-commissioned CT
ficers succeeded in quelling the disturbance
and when We returned to quarters num-
Der of the men We're placed in the guard
house over night while others Had to call
on the post surgeon. One of the men let
his feet protrude from his blankets when
he retired that night and the next morning
they were frozen stiff"
x X
Major Eugene Coffin. paymaster In the
United States army, who has been in the
Philippines for more than two years, has
arrived at San Francisco and Is expected
to pay visit to Washington within a few
weeks. Major Coffin was for years clerk
at the old Willard. where his musi-
cal Inscriptions on the register gave to him
a reputation that extended throughout the
country. Every day in the year an excerpt
from some appropriate melody was in
scribed at the head of the page. When a
cold day came the persons who registered
were apt to see From Greenland's Icy
Mountains" staring them In the face The
Inscriptions were always timely
Several years ago at time when the
management of the Willard added to the
stock of bedding and linen Coffin placed
with indelible ink the music Of some WELL
known song on every sheet. couple of
commercial drummers whom he knew well
drifted in late one night and asked for
room. Coffin saw an opportunity for some
fun. He sent for the housekeeper and told
her to make up the bed with sheets on one
Of which was inscribed Tony Pastors old
song, "Oh. What Difference in the Morn
ing. The sheet was SO folded that when
the guests should awake In the morning
it would confront them. The fellows got
up with big heads the next morning and
were more than pleased at the joke. One
1t is now part of his outfit in his home
in New York.
Major Coff1n served throughout the civil
war in the 23d Ohio Regiment, Of which
were members. He was an intimate friend
of both President Mckinley appointed him
to his present position In the regular army
y X
There goes Mars Henry" said Ken
tuckian, affectionately, as Mr.. Henry Wat
terson passed through the corridor of the
Capitol yesterday. He is Col. Watterson
to the world at large, but Mars Henry to
the little world in Kentucky that loves him,
and 1 believe that he values the latter ap-
pellation more than any title that has been
bestowed upon him.
When was boy lived at a little rail-
road station in Kentucky, which was
reached by the mail train about II o'clock
every morning. 1t was the custom for the
inhabitants to gather at the station to
await the coming of the Courier Journal.
No work was done in the meantime the
little group about the station discussing the
affairs of state. with occasional reference
to local questions Of grave Importance.
When the train arrived the single copy
of the Courier Journal which came to our
place was handed out. Then came I into
momentary Importance and prominence. As
the best reader in the crowd-being at that
time eleven years of age, and having pro-
gressed as far as Guffey's Fifth Reader In
the Frankfort SCHOOL, was daily elected
to read the paper to the assembled crowd
Mounting the well-whittled store box
that stood by the freight agents door, and
pausing a moment to permit each gent to
take fresh 'chaw' of tobacco to assist
meditation atnd mental digestion, I pro-
ceeded to read the paper aloud, amid a
most respectful silence from the audience
Read 1t all? BY no means. I read
Mars Henry's leading editorial. That
was all our people wanted Little cared
they for the headlines of the news columns.
The editorial set the pace for the day for
our folks, and when the last word was read
every man went his way about his work"