Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-05

| REPUBLICS, but the soldiers Will 90
whole lot of things to get on the hos
pital report just before sham battle,
| especially those who have good rea-
son to suppose that they haven't got
much chance to come out alive. Inc
mere announcement of a sham hattlS
starts an epidemic of scientific ma
| lingering in some Of those garrlsons.
In some Of the outfits, where They
can't make the sick report. the poor
devils simply desert by squads, pla-
ICONS, battalions.
| con YES after the blanks are
served out before a sham battle the
cartridge boxes of the soldiers are
carefully inspected. The officers used
to do this in a perfunctory Hahh"f'
but they don't any more. When the
dislikad officers began to be the vic
Tins of the mistakes of the men with
tho guns. they became exceedingly
careful in their inspection of the
mons ammunition. They not only
neekad into the cartridge boxes ana
belts of the men, but they felt arouha
in the clothing of each man to spring
an. thoughtlessly hidden pan cart
ridges When the officers Hist peseh
TO do this they made lot OF I'D
and the fellows with the secreteo
bullets were incontinently stood up
before the walls with banddSeS over
their eyes and made INTO human
sieves. Then the forSetful men III the
ranks learned wisdom
.Thev no longer tried to hlde III"
b,U cartridges in their clothing. out
edited them away and covered them
nm with dirt in the field on which the
shan, encounter was booked to take
nlace They made veritable lead
mines of those fields and each iha.i
remembered just where he had plant
ed his little lead cache.
"Then in the middle of the ac'lol
all they had to do was to give the
eround little kick where they
had made their plants, stoop ana
nick I'D the ball cartridges ard tneh
calmly push their bosom friends OF
u. hated officers over the rim of the
next world. 200
..rbe officers learned about this, 700,
and they met the plan by changing tnt
incation of the sham battle AZ the ms
moment. l have seen SEEM, tnem uo ''''s
on is really pathetic to observe the ~
rres,ions of acute chagrin on the co'in
nances of these little barefooted So 4h'i,
mon when. after they have cached tnrlr
huIlets all so handIly in the helu AZ
nounced as the scene OF the sham hattle.
word rms around that another spot loi
the mock encounter has been choseii:
Under such circumstances me! WI tT hsen
a mean ana uiutilldiiu liiNN i
PLAYED upon them. .: .horo
..Iut in spite of all precautions. li.l'
are nearly always few hoptiesSlE Puit
tured ones left on the tield OF a sham pd.-
lie down wonder in the VAIN Americas.
ar is very unwiSe. for example loI
y soldier in one of these armies TO WIN
his comrades money too frtnutH.IS.
makes his comrades so angry 50 NeiS an
cry stationed few wears ago.
If Tho canital of one of the central
American republics. where theN iau Re. -.
IutirnS every little while whether tn..
needed them or not one OF IIirSf - 'i'o ,r. Of
haprened. \ recruit serving, IN "ns o.
the government regiments SKINNED NE
whole outfit at monte one cav iiitlt wa" w.
no apparent suspicion that ne ndu i no.
been on the square with tne sfliie, - :
he was rega rdcd as d "h"lc io' ''' ~
wise for a rookie. ,.,.. ,o,
"And being a recruit. ne hinil Mn MN;
enough to understand that after haNinG
got away with the big cieahxup o., -, i a.
comradcs' silver. it was tim" for him 70
duck. So. being foolish, he stayed 7io"s
with his outfit 49, ,,..iIittas
while the insurgents We're Se,tihs 70
rether in another province. and. so, 10
amusc the ladies' of the capital. the GOV
eminent troops had snam battle on me
nlateau upon which they were stationed.
"The recruit with the monte WISDOM
went down with the first rattle OF Inc
Guns and when they went to Dick the
hoy mn. it took six men to lift MN IRON.
the ground the poor cuSs was so heat
with the lead that had been mser'e"
| into his system.-W star