Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
WHY SOLDIERS DESERT

II never was able to put much depend
! ence upon the reasons given in the gen.
| eral army reports for big year of deser-
| tions." remarked an old sergeant now near
retirement. whose service dates back to
tho days Of Crooks Indian campaigns.
THE underlying reasons are rarely prop
erly given for epidemics Of desertons. and
| there Is no doubt in the world that deser-
| lions go by epidemica When one of these
| deserving epidemics sets in nothing can
| stop 1t short OF switching a whole outfit to
| another post. Some years ago one Of these
deserving epidemics began at Fort Sheridan.
near Chicago, and inside Of less than three
| months nothing but the skeleton OF the
command was left. The epidemic was
| started by an outfit Of unpopular officers
who fell to quarreling among themselves.
One domineering or unjust officer in post
| can cause more assertions than bad ra-
| tons or crucifying fatigue duty. l once
| knew little runt OF a shavetail just out
| from West Point to cause thirty-two men
| from one cavalry troop. stationed in Ari-
IONA, to jump the outfit within two months
| after he'd Joined.
THE deserving epidemics are started by
| causes that would seem mighty trivial to
outsiders who do not know what an emo
| tional. not to say absolutely sentimental.
| lot soldiers in garrison are The minds of
soldiers In garrison are easily preyed and
| played upon, and when a few Of them hap
| pen to go up in the air at the same time
| the thing becomes infectious, like getting
| religion at campmeeting.
| THE death of a cherished officer or even
| of very popular enlisted man is often
liable to start an epidemic of assertions.
| In the far northwest, at a small two-com-
pany post. there died first lieutenant who
| was enormously priced by his men.
This officer died of too much drink. He
| was a fine man and a splendid soldier
w hot tor w
| 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
| 1 was walking my post in the middle of the
| night. I've taken that officer to his quar-
ters led him quiet-like by the arm, and him
| not saying word, but just submitting like
a young one. He'd be prowling 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 hm-and he was
| square to us bucks of the barracks. ana
| fought our battles in the teeth OF the Ola
| man-and always won, too. He Wouiun
| stand for anybody imposing on us, and
| WELL as near men can get to loving
man, l guess US fellows loved that good
| man and square officer.
scraped out a hole In the hard-frozen sur
| face for that one. and tossed MIN INTO H.
and fired vOlley over him ana Hs'eheu ~
| the numbering kid of a wind-jammer SOUND
| Ing taps.
| "The assertions began the next DAY
| '"They missed him. They said that the
post was not only lonesome, but uncahn ny
without him. When. month later .ne
outfit was shifted to the southwest, We
| were not much more than one troop, msteao
| OF two-and the cashing IN of an omcer
| with the heart and the gizzard Oh q suie
! enough man was the cause OF IL.
| "vTha REMEMBRANCE in a post OF the Tor
| rner member Of an outfit dressed out In JOY.
| Gus multi and exhibiting other EVIDENCES VI
| nrosperity always has the erect OF Gre
| atinr such envious discomfort that oe-
| sertions result from that slight ana 1901
tsh cause I belonged to troop once
that was stationed at the Presiolo on san
| FRA ncisco One of our men. a pri8ht
chap with a pleasing way about MIN ano
skillful and inveterate gambler, caught
| on as the main faro dealer OF Dig san
Francisco gambling house at the Snn
| clusion Of his second term OF ehilst-
| ment 1t wasn't long before ne mad an
interest in the business himself. ana ne
made money fast. All arrayed in expen-
sive clothes. and wearing dlamonds; ne
used to drive out to the Preside behind
| a stylish PAGER, in a trig trap with yellow
| running gear Well, after a few months.
| the commanding officer OF the Presiolo
had to request that ex-swaddfe, as spe-
cial favor, to cease his visits at the post.
Desertions by the dozen were easily
traced to his visits The gang would look
of a sudden If he had made such fine
thing of it in civil life. why couldn't they.
! too, or. at any rate. make some sort OF
stab Al 1t? so they were going out OF the
Preside gate. not to come back any more.
| in platoonS, Just because they had seen
the visible signs of prosperity on a man
who had formerly bunked under the same
roof with them.
Talking of the transferring of out
| fits that. too has got to be taken into
| consideration as a cause. and. in the ag-
gregate big cause of desertions Men
who enlist in certain part of the coun-
| try for service in that same section don't
| like to make long shift to different
! part with another climate. More deser-
| tiOns result from the shifting about of
regiments than ever appear in the fig
| lreS.
Soldiers who get mixed up with wo-
men outside the post gates are particu-
| larry liable to desert when their outfits
are ordered away. The soldier rarely
| has the funds to pay the woman's way to
the new station, and he doesn't feel like
| leaving her, and there's only one thing.
| so he imagines-left, and that is to quit
Amy old country looks good enough to
| some soldiers who become involved with
women. The most aggravated case of that
| kind ever saw. and I've seen a lot of such,
| happened when the outfit to which j was
| attached was about to leave the Philip
pines.
with us was a snappy. hustling young
ster from Kentucky, a boy of about twenty
two or so, who got the corporafs chevrons
right soon after he took on for bright work
| in campaigning, and who had all of the
! makings of fine soldier In fact it wasn't
! out Of the question that he might have got
| into line for commission being a young
ster with an education.
But he got wild over a pretty Filipino
| girl. the daughter Of Filipino presidente.
! and when were ordered to Manila to
| take the transport for the states he couldn't
| see the thing Of leaving her. I believe thy
had been married. too. or some thing iiYe
| that. Anyhow. when went to Manila
| this judgment-lacking fool boy stayed with
| his Filipino woman.
| But he did something even more foolish
| than that. When the old man sent a nom
| com. and some men back for the kid he
\ was insane enough to join the enemy in
1 stead OF just taking to the underground
| and staying there for WHILE until the
search for him was over
They got him by the time our transport
reached the states. Dye know what that
| promising. good-looking boy from Kentucky
| is doing now? He is doing ninety-nine
| years on Alcatraz Island for deserving TO
| the enemy-the court-martiars sentence
was death. but 1t was RENTED.
| Did you ever happen to take a look at
Alcatraz? No? Well. most men would
prefer death to ten years there-but ninety
III