The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-27
ONLY PLAY FIGHT.
4 Glimpse of the Military
Maneuvers.
Kansas Troops Show They Are
Well Trained.
HOLD OFF REGULARS.
Successfully RsFend Attack on
Wagon Train.
Mysterious Fort Is Being built
Somewhere in Hills.
OLD OFF REGULARS.

It was Friday evening, and the in
vading army. composed of James NJ.
Nation, assistant state auditor, and the
war correspondent of the State Journal,
had just taken its position on the bald,
limestone brow of the precipitous ridge
overlooking the camp Of the Kansas in
fantry brigade at the Fl. Riley maneuV-
ers.
Grand" said Nation as he gasped
for breath after his hard climb. This
view is as fine as anything we could
see on the Rhine, or the Danube or in
Yellowstone park, and we'd rave about
it if we had to travel few thousand
miles to get here"
It was grand A quarter of a mile in
front of US, the Kansas river, framed in
verdure and broad bars of yellow sand,
comes glittering and blazing toward US
in the oblique rays of a dazzling sun
set. It sweeps off to the east, and then
doubles back in a giant horseshoe bend
leaving behind it the thousand acre bot
tom known as Ogden flats. on IN the
other direction, toward FIT. Riley, as far
as we can see. are the tents; the khaki
colored cones of canvas; all marshalled
with military regularity in lines and
squares.
The rocky backbone on which We are
sitting walls the camp ground on the
north with its white limestone yerte-
brae, while string of Union PACING
freight cars down near the river marks
the southern side Of the tent city. The
old Ogden road follows along the rail-
road through the camp, past the doors
Of the historic stone ruin which was
the first capitol of Kansas territory, and
center of the town of Pawnee. Between
the Ogden road and the hills there is q
broad parallel band of dust which con-
stitutes the main thoroughfare of the
Il
aristocratie splendor are the tents of
commissioned officers, While between
the road and the railway tracks the pri-
Yates live, six to tent, in the DIG
Sibleys. Two miles and half OF these
tents we can see, and we lose track OF
them in the dimming sunlight where
the red roofs of Fort Riley crop out
through the treetops against the back
the other side of the river.
This is the camp in Pawnee fats,
where peace soldiers are being taught
how to fight; where citizen militia is
being rubbed up against regulars; where
one-third of all the available artillery
of the Omitted States army is assembled
for the summer.
Up from the Kansas camp a hundred
feet below us there comes the softened
sound of hi1arity, ana we can see the
state soldiers enjoying their shutdown
playtime. Two or three groups are toss
ing spraWling victims from blankets,
-0lEA above the IOESeOI Inc tOillH.e (hCA
in the Second regiment end of the camp,
the khaki-colored soldiers are assem-
bled in long lines in front of the pay
masters feadquarters, to collect the
dollar day pay for their work IN camp.
Now a drum and fife corps attached TO
one of the Kansas regiments takes pos
session of a vacant place in the camp
street, and rips and rends great holes IN
the atmosphere. Far off to the left, at
the extreme end of the camp, the South
hatta1fnTfS hand starts and
about the same time strains of music
from the Ninth cavalry band are waited
to US from half a mile over in the regu-
lars camp.
At the base of the hill midway of the
regulars camp. a cloud of steam and
smoke is rising. It is the governments
field electric light plant gel ting down
to business. Soon the big Y. NJ. G. A..
tent in the middle of camp, is ablaze
with lights, and the officers school tent
just across the street follows suit. Here
and there across the tented fats, lights
begin to fash; we can hear the negroes
of the Ninth cavalry singing ragtime
songs; the figures of soldiers moving
about below US to grow indistinct
Softly and slowly, as we puff away at
our cigars, the scene is silvered by the
overhanging crescent, and we are look
ing at Pawnee fats by moonlight.
And then Nation remarked with con-
siderable feeling: Il have no more room
on me for chfgre bites; everything is
taken, and all chigres moving in from
now on can not be guaranteed proper
accommodations. We might as we'll
climb down..
This preliminary reconnaissance having
been made. and the general position Of
the camp ascertained, the invading
army descended from the rocky hill, and
wandered down the crowded highway of
the dim-lit camp.
one of the things which impresses a
visitor first is the thoroughbred cussed-
ness of the average soldier in the reg
ular army. OF course it may be that
/ soldiers are inclined to show off for the
benefit of visitors, but the effect is that
an outsider will conclude from what he
hears that a man isn't eligible to the
army unless he can blaspheme in six
I different languages, and make it sound
4 like poetry Gambling is the regular
/ thing after pay day, and the ones who
get the money use it to get drunk on.
I For its size. Junction City IS one of the
4 toughest towns in the United States
! and the soldiers make it SO.
It isn't much wonder. after ALL Herd
a lot of men together, and give them lit
tie or no opportunity for the society of
| decent women. and they return in short
order to a state Of civilization about OIL
a par with the average wild cat If 1t
wasn't for the uplifting influence of wo-
men, the men would be a bad lot in this
world.
And the OFFICERS in the army treat
their men very much as the tiger train
er in the circus treats his beasts. Bob
Tasker of Topeka showed up around
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49, a.