Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-08-29
OLD TIMERS
NARRATIVES
Story Of a Young Officer Who
Drank Out Of the Wrong
Bottle.
IN THE EARLY SIXTIES
How a Quartermaster Who Swlnd'ed
the Government on Contracts Was
Brought to Grief.

They can laugh all they have
mind to but you can't tell me that
rhere is no such thing as fate, said
rhe Old-Timer who sat muslng o'er
some of the events of many years ago
-'Now, I'll tell you what mean and see
If YOU do not think that it was case
other than working out your own sal
yation' that saved the life OF young
Captain Walker and allowed his com
panion Captain Lusby, to pay the pen
alty. and Just for the qualification OF
a habit to which both were addicted.
"You see it was in the sixties and
happened in this way, and now that all
of the principals in the tragedy are
long since forgotten it will 40 no
harm to relate the story. 1t happened
when old General Crocker was IN
command of Fort Sumner and his two
aides were Captains Walker and Lus-
by. The last named officers had quar-
ters that not only adjoined but com
municated with those OF General
qyrocker. Now, for number OF
nights the cid general had been $50 un-
able to sleep because OF toothache
and was in great pain. The OCCUR
had brought from the hospital some
violent poison which was to be appilea
to the aching tooth and was 10 XIII
rho nerves. The poison had been put
in an empty flask and placed upon tne
mantle where it could be easily
reached.
-The sequel of the story is this ana
il was this fact that was responsible
for the untimely end OF the promising
young officer. General Crocker llkea
his toddy, and he liked it early ana
often. SO he kept a flask quite handy
and this toe was placed on the man
tel, as luck would have it, beside tne
flask containing the poison. JUST
.ahout this time there was no liquor 70
ba obtained at the suffers and the
only whiskey in the fort was IN the
possession of the doctor at the nospi
tai who was supposed to use II iol
medicinal purposes only. But the oio
general had his little bottle and tne
young officers knew this quite well
~The morning of the fateful day they
heard the general rise early ana saw
him 20 to the officers mess about zo'
wards distant They went into tne
GENERALS room and prepared to take
a nip before breakfast. Somehow o.
other Lusby got the wrong bottle ane
pouring out generous drink oHeree
it to Walker, but the latter said tina
there was such. small quantity lei
that he would leave it for mis- super
ior who needed it more than he. Lus
by decided that he needed swallow
about as badly as did the general an
so drank it down A few hours late
he was dead. He was clever gentle
man and promising young officer an
his untimely taking of was the sourc
of much sorrow among the ofhcer
and men with whom he, was very pol
nlar.
But speaking of Fort Sumner, r.
minds me of the grand steal that wa
conducted there for so long. 70
may know that the 6ld-time way OF az
ing business at the posts to let
contracts for supplies to the yariou
contractors who made business
5ust such work. Now, all the materis
nsed in the construction of Fort Sun
ner was gotten from the contractor
and passed upon by board OF surVe
as it was known. anyhow, the stor
that | am about to tell had to q
with the purchase Of sheep, catti
and corn, which were all brought
overland to the fort where they wei
nassed upon by the board OF surve
consisting of three officers. The wa
the price was fixed was to take thr'
IF the sheep and kill them and fro
the combined weight Of the three Il
average was struck. Now this met
I'D looks all right on che face. but
should be remembered that the she'
man always brought the fattest tn
he could find and which had been +
and cared for particularly ana GO
was the large sheep chosen. ~
other two were selected at rando
from the flock and were known as
medium'' and "a small" Now q
was inst the thing, for the contracec
for with the three chosen the avera
that was struck was far greater tn
what the real average was or snou
have been. The sheep that had pc
especially prepared Tor the test
ways did his work weh and the weie
was run far above the real hsures
the, rest of the hock.
incidentally. It was good thi
for the ofl,cers too, and many the trs
that was ct the expense OF the for
-.tc sheen man Tns day Of reck'