The National tribune., 1902-05-01

Regular Army was made before L was
quite 10 years old, i'll the Spring of 1000
was not particularly anxious to go West
and fight the Indans-the Indians had
never done me any harm, as far as |
could remember: but | wanted very much
TO see their country, and thought that'the
hest way TO see il. and to see it all, would
be to join the cavalry
When a small boy had read all about
the Great American Desert" and has
seen it on the map, and | afterwards dis
covered that it was only to be found on
the map; / could not find it where il
should be to have the map correct. An
other region that / had read a good deal
about was the islands in the South PACT
fic. | meant TO see them also if lived
long enough. and l have lived to see both
them and the Great West.
In the Spring of 1853 they were re-
cruiting for the Mounted Rifles in Pitts
burg, my native city, or next door TO IT.
rather. for | was born in Allegheny.
Passing the recruiting office one day,
stopped TO read the poster hung up at the
door, and had just waded down through
it far enough to be told that boys of IL
or older could go as trumpeters, when a
member of the recruiting party noticed
my interest in this affair, and wanted 10
know if l would like to be a soldier.
Yes, l would; could he take me as a
trumpcter? Il can play the cornet sir,
told him.
He took me around the corner, then be-
gan TO question me, and | him. l found
out thatI could go as trumpeter, only
/ must tell the officer that | was 1T years
old.
Il can do that" | told him; sit will
only be stretching it a couple of months.
| will be 16 two months from now l
had told him nv father was dead. bnt
my mother was not. Then l must bring
her.
she won't come,' I said; "she would
not let me go into the army; that L
know"
well. then, you might get her written
consent" he says. Cant you write:'
And he winked AZ me.
viii that officer take a consent III
writing:" l asked.
YES, he will if your mother can't come.
Tell him that she is sick"
''AII right; then III do it. l can write
that consent
.'Then come with me-" he says. and
taking me into the office he took me be-
fore the recruiting officer, a Cavalry Cap
tain, as l afterward found out. could
not at that time tell a Captain from a
General.
The Captain wanted to know if l could
read and write. | had learned to do both
when FIVE years old, and told him so.
Could | read music? Yes, of course, |
could do that too He sent the man that
had brought me in for a trumpet. They
called it a bugle then; there is no bugle
in the Regular Army now. The bugle and
the 0rderly-Sergeant are only found in
the volunteers. The man lugged in one
of old fPunlnntG and handed
it to me, and the Captain asked me if |
thought l could learn TO play that. | had
been taking liberties with a CORRECT for a
year now, whenever / could get hold of
one, and sticking the trumpet to my
mouth 1 filled it, and began to play il
for him.
you will do" he says; "yOu will make
n trumpeter," and opening his drawer he
brought out a sheet of paper.
''I'n he a Regular pretty blamed quick
nOw,n / said to myself. You Indians
huntsyour holes; / am coming!' / thought
he was going TO enlist me right away.
Take this to your mother" he told
me; have her fill it out and sign it; then
bring it here | took it home, but not
wanting TO put my mother to any trouble,
] proceeded to carefully fill it out myself,
then was going to sign her name 10 it.
when a thought struck me. This officer
might make me write before he enlisted
me, and find out the fraud. l could tell
him | had filed the paper out, if he did,
but the name must be written by some
one else.
Taking it to a boy friend Of mine I
said, Sign my mothers name here, Char
ley, will youF He signed it in a hand
that looked like a wOman's, then when he
read the paper wanted to go also, as he,
TOO. could play the cornet. He could
really play, while ! could only make a
noise on it: it was his cornet that / had
been using.
No." l told him. ''Let me try it first,
then / can write and tell you how it goes
fighting Indians, and then you can come. -
/ took the paper over next morning and
handed it in. Now" l thought, there
can't be any more trouble"
The Captain looked at the paper, then
after thinking a while. said, You will
have to bring your mother, after all. |
have had so much trouble with the
parents Of minors after | have had what
j believed was their written consent. that
| have concluded not TO enlist any more
boys unless their parents come with
them"
The Indians are safe / thought. and
! left. Had | known as much then as
do now, | should have brought my
mother" TO him in less than an hour
Half a dollar would have got me a mother
long enough for the purpose. | have
helped to enlist many a boy since, whose
reputed father and mother. who came
with him and gave their consent, were nc
more his father and mother than l was;
but | did not think of that then.
Coming out Of the office now, | made
my way TO the wharf, and going on board
of AN old river steamer, the Anglo Saxon
that had her sign out TO tell us that she
was bound for ST. Louis that day at I:
O'Clock. and for freight or passage to ap
ply on board. ] went on board of her anC
applied TO the Steward for a job as cabir
boy, and he shipped me right away.
Il am going West" after all" | said
10 myself. The Mounted Rifles hav,
lost a trumpcter all ON account of that
bull-headed Captain, or General. which
ever he Is; but he can't stop me now:
am going West anyhow" had only time
to run over to mothers house in Allie
gheny and tell her where | was going
then join the boat before ii left.
We arrived in ST. Louis on time apt
now | was i'll the West or part of the
way there. anyhow. My geography haC
told me, though. that the plains and III,
bufaloes, and the great desert were still
away west Of this; | was not in the In
dian country yet.
After thinking the matter over | con
clndod to remain on the boat a Will,
longer, rs she was going Ia New Orleans
next. The Indians and buffalo will b.
there when | get back" | thought; an,
The Indians at least, are there vet.
never succeeded in killing them all. al
though l put in Il good many years, lon,
after this. irving 10 do il