The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-24

He was only 20 years of age when ne
first enlisted at Norfolk, Va, in the
United states marine corps. He grew
to middle age; then past il, in barracks
and in active service. Some men find
it hard TO serve their two year enlist
ments. One such was at work just out
side the door where the veteran sat
during an interview. Across the back
of his coat was painted a great p. d"
He had tried to desert few days be-
fore. a small herd of others, similarly
branded, bent their backs at picking
rubbish a few rods away. Men with
loaded rifles stood watching them.
The old man looked at the prisoners.
The armys too young" he said
These boys don't know what they
want. They make IL hard for them
selves and everyone else. They think
it's a fine thing and enlist; and then
they find it isn't what they thought"
What is it Hke?" he was asked
ITS hard work; hard work and obed-
fence to orders Any man that thinks
the army's a place for idleness is
wrong"
And so he was gradually led back in
to telling little of the old days of the
army, days of which he. and a few
others, are survivors. Like General
Miles, most of them have retired in re-
cent years.
More Americans Now.
They had more foreigners then" he
said. That's one good thing about the
new srmy. We've got more Americans.
But they're too young, most of them.
| was 26 when / enlisted, and I'd stead
led down. A man should be steady.
Being d soldiers no play"
1t had been no play with him. Among
% CT hs-
sleeve from elbow to cuff edge. were
two that marked enlistment in time Of
war. He had fought through three In
dian campaigns. He served in Cuba
and then in Porto Rico. He captured
horse thieves in Montana when the ter
ritOry was young, and he tore a Span
ish flag from the arms of a color ser
geant in the last skirmish of the Span
ish American war. Incidentally, il was
guidon of the pet regiment of the
Spanita army. Alfonso III bears the
title of its colonel.
I've seen some hard, hard days"
he said. And I've stood things I
couldn't stand now. But / never got
anything but good treatment. I've no
fault to find with the army"
His wife came into the door and
passed on to an inner room busy~S bout
her work. One of the men with the
loaded rifles said something and the
men with the painted letters on their
backs moved on TO another yard.
It's all in the way you try to do
yourself. the treatment you get" he
said, and smoOthed out the folds of the
Spanish battle flag, which he had
brought out from his bedroom. A
man must work and obey orders"
Career One of Adventure.
Others told something of Fessmire's
record, the history that one could read
between the lines of the red and yellow
stripes that cover his coatsleeve.
He served two enlistments in the
United States marine corps. Then he
was discharged at the Annapolis naval
academy. That day he re-enlisted in
troop F, Seventh cavalry Afterward
he served in battery c, Third light ar
tillery. He was with it sixteen years.
and with the reorganization of this
branch OF the service he was trans
ferred to the Twenty battery,
now stationed at Fort Douglas.
In the cavalry he fought painted saw
ages among the painted alkali buttes
of MOntana's bad lands. He was i'm the
last NeZ Perce campaign. He helped
in the final war against old Sitting Bull
and was present at Woody mountain
when that old warrior finally laid down
his arms i'm token of submission.
When Montana was still cattle land.
and stock rustlers and outlaws in their
audacity stole horses from military
posts, he was detailed TO pursue sew
eraI bands of these renegades, In
charge of small squad he rode day
and night over waste places and into
mountain passes where these thieves
were wont 20 drive their plumber.
Every once in a while" he said, Il
see some fellows name in the paper
that ] chased i'm those days. Some of
them were bad people"
The outbreak of the Spanish war
found him I'm San Francisco with his
battery. They weHt at once to Cuba.