Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22
H0TBED OF TREACHERY

Taking it all in all, believe that If
l possessed any sort OF hankering for
the martial life, I wouldn't do my soldier
| ing either in Central or South America, %
observed Milton Blumenberg. official re-
porter Of the Senate, who has spent a
number Of summers in the Latin-Ameri-
can countries. TOO many peculiar things
are liable to happen to the Central or
South American buck soldier. It isn't in
the least necessary for him to face the
enemy in order to gain his free and sud-
den passage over the big divide.
I'm not naming any countries for I
have occasional little business transac-
lions In quite a number Of them. But
while in one Of the main garrison towns
Of one of the Latin-American countries a
couple Of summers ago 1 heard from the
American consul an engaging story Of a
little incident that had happened there a
few days before my arrival. One of this
republics be-monthly revolutions was on at
the time. 1 should add.y
"A recruit serving in one Of the govern
ment regiments at the garrison skinned
his whole outfit at cards one pay day.
Ihere was NO knowledge on the part Of
the skinned ones that the recruit hadn't
been perfectly on the square with his
game, but, nevertheless. he was regarded
as being whole lot too monte-wise for a
OF the money in the layout, which was
bad enough without any crookedness
Being recruit, this young soldier per-
son didn't know enough to understand
up of his comrades silver it was his cue
to disappear. So he stayed along.
The better to thwart the plans Of the
revolutionary army. the government troops
were stationed on plateau overlooking the
town. There was a lull in the hostilities
While the insurgents were reorganizing
themselves, and so to keep the govern
ment soldiers busy and tuned up, they
pulled off sham battle.
The recruit who had displayed all of
the money-getting monte wisdom went
down with the first rattle Of the guns Of
his company. l was told that 1t took some
not to say sieved. rookie up from the
ground and place him on stretcher, the
poor cuss was so heavy with the lead that
mad been poked into his system by his
prothers-1n-arms Every man in his out
fit had. apparently, handed him at least
one pellet.
Hearing this story led me to make
some inquiries, and l found out that the
soldiers Of the Latin-American armies like
a whole number Of things a great deal
more than they do these sham battles 1t
Is so easy, you see, for Jose who has a bit
OF grudge against Ramon, to make a
fridge instead Of a blank into his gun! I
was told that the soldiers down that way
will do a lot of things to get their names
on the hospital report or sick list when
they hear that sham battles going to be
pulled off, especially those soldiers who
have good reason to apprehend that they're
scheduled to stand for a plugging from the
rear The mere announcement of an ap-
preaching sham battle starts an epidemic
OF scientific malingering in one of the gar
rtsons. And when the desperate ones can't
make the sick list they jump their outfits
in s squads, platoons and battalions.
n fhn
for sham battle the cartridge boxes of the
soldiers are Of course carefully inspected
There was a time when disliked officers
used to attend to this inspecting part of it
IN a perfunctory manner. but they get real
busy at 1t now, 1 understand. The dislked
officers grew exceedingly careful in their in
spections Of the cartridge boxes when a
whole lot OF them became the victims Of
mistakes on the part of their men. They
not only peeked into the cartridge boxes
but they paved around in the clothing of
each man to spring any thoughtlessly hid
den ball cartridges.
made lot Of hauls. and the fellows with
the secreted bullets were incontinently
stood UP before walls with bandages be-
fore their eyes and made sleeves of. Then
the forgetful men in the ranks learned wis
dom. They no longer tried to hide the ball
cartridges. meant for their officers or enc
mics in the ranks. in their clothing but
sailed them away and covered them UP with
counter was booked to take place They
made veritable lead mines of these fields
and each man remembered just where he
mad planted his little lead cache Then, in
the middle of the sham action all they had
to do was to give the ground a little kick
where they had made their plants, stoop
and pick up the ball cartridges, and then
calmly push their bosom friends or the
hated officers over the rim Of the next
world.
of course the officers learned about this
one, too, and they met the scheme by
changing the location of the sham battle at
the last moment. l myself saw this done
once. 1t was really touching to observe the
expressions of acute chagrin on the coun-
tenances Of the little barefoot soldiers
when. after they had cached their bullets
all so handily in the field announced as the
scene of the sham battle. the word ran
around that another spot for the mock en-
counter had been chosen. They looked as
If mean and underhand trick had been
played upon them
"a military prisoner, too. In a Latin
American army. is generally badly out Of
luck when he is put under the guard of an
enemy. Often as not he's just as good as
dead man. or. at the least, sorely bruis-
ed and battered one, when that thing hap
pens. 1t costs as much to keep and feed a.
military prisoner as it does soldier in uni
form. and so when these little things occur
the Investigation Is merely perfunctory.
The sentry kills his prisoner with bayonet
or ball. If he has 1T in for that prisoner,
and when he reports that he put it on the
man because he was trying to make his
escape, it's all right-the sentry's word for
1t is taken, and nothing further is done.
was not far away, couple of summers
ago. from garrison in which something Of
this sort. but turned around in way, too,
came off.
"A sentry took his enemy. prisoner who,
before his arrest for some minor infraction of
discipline, had shared the favors of the
girl with whom the sentry was in love, out
to work in a gravel pit. 1t was the sentrys
first guard-whack at the prisoner, and the
prisoner must have understood very we'll
that he was standing swell chance to fall
down in that gravel pit and not get up any
more.
But the prisoners brother, also a SOL
der at the garrison. perceived the posi-
bilities of this situation, too. So he chased
himself over to the gravel pit and concealed
himself behind a rock.
When the sentry got to the gravel pit
with the prisoner the brother was able to
make his presence known to the prisoner
without putting the sentry wise to 1T. The
sentry followed his former rival into the
gravel pit.
He was just about to get busy with his
bayonet on the frame of the helpless pris-
oner when the latter's brother from above
pushed boulder Weighing about four tons
down on. him.
bot Ill ~.-~l.%