The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-03-09
ARMY SUPPLIES IN CAMP
Shopping Methods of Russian
Officers at Mukden.
SOLDIERS COMMISSIONED TO BUY


plies From Hardin Soon Surround
ed by officers and Priyates-Cars
Containing Provisions, Cigarettes
and Liquors the Host Popular-Re-
marks About a Tardy Lieutenant.
Harbinr'
That was the Joyful message that re-
Gently travelled by word of mouth all
over Mukdep and up and down the
Sha river on the north bank, says
Richard H. Little, special correspond
ent of the Chicago News in Manchuria.
Officers came posting into town from
every direction. The twenty seven cars
were loaded with all sorts of supplies
for the Economical society, the organ
1zation which furnishes rations and ar
ticles of equipment and wearing ap-
parel to the Russian officers in the
field
The depot Of the society is on the
tracks at the Russian settlement at
Mukden in the very cars that bring
down the supplies. We mounted and
rode down in haste.
A crowd Of over a thousand officers,
soldiers and Chinese surrounded the
cars. The customers for each car
formed long. snaky line that curved
and twisted around through the crowd
and away to it's outer edge. Soldiers
commissioned to buy for officers or
holding places in the line for officers
made up the majority of the prospec-
tive customers of the cars, but many
officers held their own places in the
line. The provision cars and those
containing the cigarettes and liquors
were the most popular. The crowd
surged up TO the doors Of these cars
all day long The doors of the rail-
road cars are five feet from the ground,
and planks and steps have been made,
on which the patient crowd ascend
inch by inch and hour after hour to
that proud eminence where they stand
the envy of all beholders and buy and
buy and buy
AS each separate article bought is
handed out the purchaser passes it to
his faithful soldier servants or his Chi
him on either side of the line, holding
up their baskets ready to be filed.
Some of the officers when after long
hours Of waiting they finally reach the
pest of honor seem loath to leave it.
They run through one long list, and
Just as the man behind thinks his turn
has arrived at last the officer in front
fishes out another list and begins buy
ing all over again When he gets
through with this list he half turns
away, and the man behind gives sigh
of relief and bawls out, twenty-five
boxes of cigarettesv' but the man in
front is only reaching for a third list
of things he has promised to buy for
his general and his colonel and his four
lieutenant colonies and two doctor
friends in the hospital and three cap
tains who have a mess close to his
regiment.
Then sinister whispers run down the
line. My friend Dukewich translated
some Of the remarks made the other
day when an officer who had purchas
ed from four lists dug UP the fifth.
'Why don't the army purchasing
agents buy their supplies in st. Pc
tersburg?' growled black whiskered
Cossack captain.
"Shp' whispered another In a sub
dued voice that couldn't be heard more
than 500 yards away. '"That is Cen
eral Kuropatkin in disguise. He's buy
ing six months rations for the army"
eff he's going to buy out this train,"
volunteered a very cross looking Cir
: cassian, "why doesn't he say so? Then
Wen go away and wait until train
comes down that he doesn't want"
The little lieutenant who was the OBJ
ject of all these pleasantries never bat
ted an eye as he reached down in an
other pocket and brought forth fresh
list.
Fifty tins of ham, he calmly an
nounced.
"Cannibal" roared somebody.
The little lieutenant smiled sweetly,
while the patient line snickered
Thirty pounds of rice" ordered the
lieutenant.
"Um-huhr' said the Cossack captain
ga japanese! l thought so. It's Jap
anese trick to keep US from getting
supplies"
So the muttered lameIts kept up IN
til the lieutenant finished his purchases
and squeezed himself out through the
crowd on the side and disappeared, fol-
lowed by a large retinue Of Cossacks
and Chinese bearing his plumber.
There are all sorts of warm clothing
designed especially for bitter cold
weather to be found in the Economical
store. The overcoats are lined with
Sleeps wool and sell at the very rea-
sOnable price of q rublss about $13
gold apiece. The favorite coat with
the officers is a leather jacket that
looks like the automobile coat worn in
the United States. 1t is called ''the
Swedish coat and, being lined with
Sleeps wool, makes a garment that is
both warm and very strong for camp