Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-01-28

~
~ gathered about the recruiting station
AS9&I in Hudson street. II was 1864, the
blackest year of the great war. Over
million men had gone TO the defense Of the flag,
and still, so long as he stuck to Virginia, Lee was
invincible. Five hundred thousand more had
been called for, and though men sang Were
Coming, Father Abraham" they came but slowly.
The government was paying millions for its new
levies. Bounty iumping"-that liveliest indus
try Of the war-days-was in its glory. The re-
cruiting officers had great sums in ercenbacks to
pay out to acceptable recruits. The Nation. the
State, and the county each had subscribed its
share, to the end that there were places where
over one thousand dollars, cash on the nail, y
was given to recruits who could be Credited as
the saying was to the quota demanded of GER
tain wealthy districts. 1t was uncommon
thing for the expert to enlist under different
name in half-a-dozen different places within the
month"; and finally escape with the plumber 1t
was an era Of glaring fraud and corruption, a
time when officials were able to pocket thousands
intended for families of recruits hurried away to
the front. But the captain commanding the
rendezvous in Hudson street had thus far, at
least, figured only among the victimized.
This evening there was trouble at the office.
A young and comedy woman weeping at the
front steps. A policeman was striving to coax
her TO come away. Two sergeants and an armed
sentry had refused her admittance. and the Curl
Gus little crowd was impartially guying the cop
and the soldiers.
The reverend Rector of parish whose sanct-
uary was but few squares away came driving
up at the moment. He had just said adieu at
Cortlandt street ferry to gallant son.. lieu
tenant of regulars returning to his regiment after
l,,.,of al bo,- opd thn pantaiu n
recruiting duty were strangers-the one in the
regulars, the other in the volunteers but the
fathers heart was in the service, and just as he
and the Lieutenant were leaving the rectory for
the ferry they were stopped by wan and al
most breathless girl, who had begged them to
come to the aid of her brother, in prison, she
said, at the Hudson street recruiting office, while
their mother lay dying. There no time then.
Dr. Ormsby gently said, az will come at once
after seeing my son to the ferry" and, true to
his word, within the half-hour he was here at
the rendezvous.
A sergeant came to the carriage door and OK
planned: This young woman says that she is
the sister of man who enlisted yesterday. She
wants him to 20 home with her. and we can't let
him. That's the way we lose men every day,
sir. They list, get their money-part of it, any
how-and then skip. Captain Pollard makes
and once they're signed they have to stay The
sister got her money yesterday-now she's back
and wants him."
And by this time the girl herself had managed
to push her way to the carriage, and now, with
streaming eyes, was repeating her story. 1t was
all as the sergeant said-her brother had enlisted
he felt that he could no longer stay when his
country needed him; besides, the money was a
great object. Oh, yes, they had gwen her money
but what was that when mother lay dying and
weeping for her boy? They had promised he
should have leave to go to her, and now they hat
him locked in upper room ike-a-like thief
and the poor girls sobs broke forth afresh.
"Ah-h, let the man go!" cried the crowd, ever
sympathetic with sorrow, if not aggressively
"ag'n' the government" "Ah-h, amt ii
enough to take man off to be kilt, without lock-
in him up like jail-bird?"
dear me-" said the Rector in genuine sympa-
thy. 'this does seem hard case. Are you sure,
sergeant? Couldn't you let the man go with a
guard, say"
did that last month, sir. Sent two of our
best men to the Sixth ward with fellow whose
sister was dying-our men in hospital yet.
Captains orders we're that after that we're to let