The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-06-03
WHO -PErER DOUGLASS Is.
'hs Stony ofths Origin Of sl Army Tern
Meaning . De d AAn


Meaning Dc d Kan
"In eArrisoa Nh Peter Douglass
Deans 2 dea1 man-thAt Is, officially
OF roAitY dead" observed an army
nicer 'It had iaa origim At Fort Mon
~ . e1arter Of ssptury ago, though
here ars . number Of oIio % who
new the original Pete aAd qute 6
lumber ta0re who knew tie facts In
sgard to his case
One OF the lec Ling officers Of thI
rtillsry service OdAy. then a lieuten.
nt was sent from Governors island
! New York harbcr, TO Fort Monroe
tth q detachment OF nineteen soldiers
hey came down by the sea, and tht
rat night out the soldiers got on to a
arrel Of ane whisky which was in tha
Did, and by the aid Of q gimlot and
pme atraws the most Of the Aipet5en
en- we're Ia Tesy hilarious coaL. q eg
bf0re ufidhigkt. On the second n .shi
II s0ns of them tackled the barre
rain, and In a short tine they were
rain intoxicated. Among the nuJabe.
az Poter Douglass. When the time
me for them 10 land At Fort Monroe
ster Douglass could not be found. II
~ generally believed that he had
lien overheard OF, while Intoxicated
ID Jumped overheard. Anyhow, the
eutenant turped over but eighteen
en-. He repoftsd Peter Douglass as
AYing been drowned, and the recora
as made accordingly. Three days al.
fwaro, when 1ie ship that brought
. 3 partI down was unloading soms
4 Eight 81 Charleston, 8. c., Peter
4 >uglaas crawled out of the hold lock-
q somewhat worse for his experience
f ter bracing up he managed to werh
. way up TO Fort Monroe. where he
4 pposed he would join his company
L Gpon presenting himself to the
4 icer in command there he was told
at as the record had shown that
ter Douglass had been drowned they
re required to consider him dead
| IN II be was not dead.
4 Douglass admitted that he was
4 stty nearly dead. but that he has
lnaged to pull through. ANYHOW. be
Is not admitted to the quarters At tb o
rison. and was told that be had
liter move along; that he was out OF
army as surely as he had ever been
it.
But Peter did not go far away. That
ming he met some of his conrRdes.
II ee in number, from Governors is
d. and they celebrated his coming
s life in true soldierly manner. The
sbratiOn wound up la the guArd.
Use there. as did the celebrators
record of the guardhouse showed
I, though Peter Douglass had been
orted dead a few days before, he
very much alive. Two days after
ds the names of the four we're sent
-he olflcer in command as q prelim-
ry 10 have them court-martialod
punished for disorderiy conduct
other violations OF the laws of the
rison. The officer who was
1ng advocate Of the power Of record
ID that as Peter Douglass had never
sred the garrison. he could not be
rt-martiaied and that, In fact. Peter
glass waS dead beyond resurRec-
He Was, therefore. turn out
again told to move on. bus as ha
not realize that he was dead, ne
not DO %.
ze hung around the garrison for
tme, but finally wandered away
got back 20 New York Officially
aas remained dead ever since, for
record has never been changed.
OfficerL preferred TO let him re-
Ia dead and get him out Of the army
hat way than to try and reform
by court-martial, for he seemed 20
beyond reform. Washington Star
enerai rental and collection agency.