The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-25
TO MAKE A GOOD LEGS"

Washington Star.

Washington Star.
THE master-at-arms of the battle ship
Indiana, which returned to these waters
the other day, after a cruise in the south
Atlantic, was court-martialed and SEN
fenced to three years in a naval prison
for killing Jap mess attendant with a
blow of his fist said an official of the
Navy Department who made several
cruises as man-o'-war's pan. "of course.
the Jimm Legs as masters-at-arms are
termed by blue jackets on warships. had
no right, according to the regulations, to
punch. the Jap, and equally. of course, he
had no intention of killing the man. But
the job of Legs on a man-of-war is about
the hardest one In the service, and my
sympathy is generally with a master-at-
arms who gets into trouble of this sort.
The masteT-at-arms is the most important
chief petty officer on board warship, and
it's his business to preserve order among
the members OF the crew and see that they
behave themselves. When you reflect upon
the character of the personnel of the en-
listed force of our navy, and keep Ii in
mind that great majority OF the blue
Jackets are scrappers from away back,
particularly when they're In drink, you'll
be willing to grant that Legs has got
his work cut out for him from all hands
in the morning till pipe down at night
The court-martialed master alarms of the
Indiana has been criticised a good deal by
I
fensive Japanese as they put it, Now,
that sounds humane and sympathetic
enough, but there are several chances TO
one that II may be wide OF the mark. The
Japanese serving on our warshipS make
admirable officers ServantS-galley cooks,
mess room attendants, ward room boys,
and so on. They are exceedingly cleanly
and quiet. But there is no manner of doubt
that they are sullen under the discipline
of English-speaking petty officers. They
are slow to obey the proper orders of the
petty officers. They imagine that because
their work is personal attendance upon the
officers they are not subject TO the neces-
sary orders Of the petty officers, and they
render extremely grudging obedience TO
these orders. This particular Jap who was
accidentally killed by the Indiana's master
alarms was cook, and he had dropped
some grease on the deck just outside the
galley. Well, you know how spOtlessly tidy
our warships are kept, and il is one of the
duties of the master-at-arms to see that
his ship is kept clean. The Legs ordered
the Jap TO swab the grease from the deck
some sullen reply and virtually refused to
obey the command. The Legs advanced
upon the Jap cook, probably for the pur-
pose OF escorting him 10 the mast TO ex-
plain his conduct to the executive officer or
the officer of the deck-and then the fatal
punch was delivered. 1t may have been
that the Legs shot out his fist in fear of
a knife in the Jap's possession. Some
Japs are pretty nearly as handy with their
knives most Italians.
Il believe I'd rather be a night marshal
I In a new mining camp than a man-O-war
master-at-arms. In the first place. the
/ Legs of a warship-hes called Legs
/ by the way, because he's supposed 10 be
/ everywhere on board the ship at the same
time-has little or no chance TO become
/ popular with the enlisted force. The nature
I OF his ship-polcing duties effectually pre-
/ vents that Once in d while there is a
maSter-at-arms who contrives 10 do his
I duty and at the same time get on we'll
with the bluejackets, but such cases are
+ rare exceptions, and. a rule, the Legs
who is on hale and even terms with the
enlisted men isn't first-class master-at-
arms.
The Legs has an easy enough time of it
keeping on an even keel while his ship is
at sea. or even when the vessel is in a
t port in which shore liberty is granted
/ 70 the enlisted men. 1t is with the return
ing shore liberty parties that he has 10 get
/ busy II he has any regard for the tenure
/ OF his job, not TO say anything OF the con-
sideration which he is naturally bound 10
have for the Wilderness of his skull A
/ half-jagged bluejacket returning 10 his
/ ship in that condition. doesn't care much
for the eagle on the watch arm of a mas
ter-at-armS- Neither. for the matter of
that. does the rummed-up tar bother TO any
great extent over the stripes and stars on
the sleeve cuffs of the officers. A properly
picked American man-o'-war's man will
go up against a whole flock OF grizzly bears
without any thought whatever as 10 how
he's going TO emerge from such a melee
and IL is for this reason that the Legs has
many troubles of his own in handling re-
turning and returned shore liberty parties
OF bluejacketS. When he grabs hold OF a
tar whom he spots. as the man numbers
over the gangway. a jag for the pur-
pose OF hustling him up TO the stick TO be
looked over by the officer of the deck, he's
got 10 have his eyes wide open and both
hands decidedly ready for a repertoire of
swift punches and jabs straight from the
shoulder, and there are plenty of cases on
record wherein dozen or more OF crazed
liberty tars have jumped the Legs stimuli
taneously. OF course, there are always ma
rines at hand to help master-at-arms out
In such emergencies. but. all the same
when anything or this sort occurs the