The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-22

washington Starr

washington starr
In garrison life Peter Douglass
means a dead man-that is. officially,
not really dead" observed an army
officer. 1t had its origin at Fort Mon
roe . quarter OF a century or more
ago. though there are a number or OIL
GERS who knew the original Peter and
quite a number more mho knew the
facts il regard 10 his case.
One of the leading officers OF the
artillery service today. then a lieu
tenant. was sent from Governors Is
land, in New Ioik narbor, TO Fort
Monroe with a detachment OF nine
teen soldiers. Tney came down by sea,
and the first night out the soldiers got
on TO a barrel OF fine whiskey which
was in the hold, and by the Tic OF 4
glrnlet and some straws the most OF
the nineteen men were in a very hila-
rious condition before midnight. On
the second night out some of them
tackled the barrel again. and in a short
time they were again intoxicated
Among the number was Peter Doug
lass. When the time came for them TO
IAN at Fort Monroe Peter Douglass
could not be found. It was generally
thought he had fallen overheard or.
'"-- hAd I0AiApSO osSt-
board. Anyhow. the lieutenant turned
over but eighteen men. He reported
Peter Douglass as having beer drown
ed, and the record was mad accord
ingly. Three days afterwards, when
the ship that brought the party down
was unloading some freight at Char
lesion. S. c., Peter Douglass crawled
out OF the hold looking somewhat tie
worse for his experience. After %:
mo I'm M IA u.T m u-nrH bic MO T.
up to Fort Monroe. where he supposed
he would join his company. but on
presenting himself to the officer in
command there he was told that as the
record there had shown that Peter
Douglass had been drowned they were
required to consider him dead. even IL
he was not dead.
Douglass admitted that he was
pretty nearly dead, but that he h td
managed to pull through. Anyhow.
he was not admitted to the quarters
at the garrison, and was told that he
had better o along: that he was
out Of the army as surely as he had
ever been in 1t.
But Peter did not go far away
That evening he met some of his CON-
radeS, three in number, from Govern
or's Island, anG they celebrated his
coming to life IN rue soldierly man
49, Ai~ IA W III -
g~uardhouSe there as did the celebra-
tors. The record OF the g~uardhouse
showed that though Peter Douglass
had been reported dead a few days
before, he was very much alive. Two
days aftrward the names of the four
were sent to the officer in command
as a preliminary to having been court
martialed and punished for disorderly
conduct and other violations of the
laws of the garrison. The officer, WAC
was a strong advocate of the power Of
record, ruled that as Peter Douglass
had never entered the garrison, he
could not be coUrt-martialed. and that,
in fact, Peter Douglass was dead be-
yond resurrection. He was, therefore,
turned out and again told to move on,
but as he did not realize that he was
dead. he did not do so.
He hung aroun the garrison for
some time, but finally wandered away
n got back to New York. officially
he has remained dead, ever since, for
the record has never been changed.
The officers preferred to let him re-
main dead and get him out OF the
army in hat way than to try and re-
form him by Court-martial, for the
seemed to be beyond REFORM"