The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-12-16

in spite of their gpod education. and
in nine cases out Of ten they are per.
fectly useless as soldiers. Almost
without exception they are grouchy,
grumpy kickers and knockers.
''When they find themselves in the
army with little show of getting out
again without deserving, the majority
of them choose that alternative. Those
that stick through their enlistments
develop into barrack room chaw bac-
ems. and make the other chaps discon-
tented, and then the assertions begin.
1.-THE temperance in the post of a
former member of the outfit, decked
out in happy multi rags and exhibiting
other evidences of prosperity, always
has the eect of creating such envious
discomfort that assertions result from
that slight and foolish cause.
II belonged to troop once that was
stationed at the Preside of San Fran
cisco. One of our men, bright fellow
with pleasing way about him, and a
skilful and inveterate gambler, caught
on as main faro dealer in big San
Francisco gambling house at the wind
up of his second enlistment It was
not long before he had an interest In
the business himself. and he made
money fast.
"'Ail logged out in expensive clothes
and wearing diamonds, he used to
drive out to the Preside behind a
fast and stylish PAGER, in trig and
tidy trap with yaller running gear.
Well, after few months, the com
handing Officer of the Preside had to
request that ex-swaddie, as a special
favor, to cease his visits at the post.
Desertions by the dozen were traced to
those visits.
''The bunch would look their ex-
mate over and get ambitious all of
sudden. II he had made such a rat
ting good job of it in civil life, why
couldn't they, too-or, at any rate,
make some sort of stab at it? They
went out of Preside gate, not to come
back any more, in sets of tours, just
because they had seen the visible pro-
sperity Of a man who had formerly
bunked under the same roof with
them.
"The death of cherished officer, or
even of very popular enlisted man,
is often liable to start an epidemic of
assertions. In the far northwest, at
dinky little two-troop post, there
died first lieutenant who was en-
ormously priced by the enlisted men.
This officer died of too much drink.
He was fine man and splendid SOL
dier-never was a better soldier man
anywhere-but the drink had him, and
it took him. The men, though, didn't
think any the less of him for that,
although they all felt pretty sorry for
him, for the drink was a thing that
had got beyond him.
Often, when he was officer of the
day, and i was humping my guard
post in the middle of the night, I've
taken that officer to his quarters
led him quiet-like by the arm, and him
not saying word, but just submitting
like young 'un. He'd be proving
around the post in the dark, dazed,
and not able to take care of himself.
But he was a fine mana grand
athlete, too. until the drink Slapped
him-and he was square to us bucks
OF the barracks, and fought our battles
in the teeth of the old man-and al
ways won, too. He wouldn't stand for
anybody imposing on us, and-Well,
as near as men can go to loving
man, | guess us fellows loved that
good man and square officer.
Pretty gulpy layout, we were, son,
when we scraped out hole in the
hardfrozen ground for that one, and
tossed him into it, and fired the vol
ley over him, and listened to the blub-
bering wind of windjammer sound
ing taps. The assertions began the
next day.
They missed him. They said that
the post was not only lonesome, but
uncanny without him. When, a month
later, the fit-out was shifted to the
southwest, we were not much more
than one troop, instead of two-and
the cashing in of an officer with the
heart and the gizzard of sure enough
man was the cause of it.
And, talking of the transferring of
outfits, that, too. has got to be taken
into consideration as a cause, and, in
the aggregate, big cause for de-
sertions. Men who enlist in a certain
part of the country for service in that
same section don't like to make
long shift to a different part with an
other climate. More assertions re-
suit from the shifting about of regi-