Free press., 1907-12-28
SOME CAUSES
OF DESERTIO

What's the matter with the army?"
said a grizzled old sergeant at one of
the Chicago army recruiting Offices.
THE reasons given for desertions are
pretty close to the mark. too. But
there are some others.
Pretty often desertiols become cpl
demic in a military post. Any num-
ber of things can start an epidemic of
desertions. and nothing can stop it
short of switching the whole layout to
another post. and even that doesn't al
ways work.
4 recall the desertion epidemic that
broke out in Fort Sheridan a few
years ago. Inside of three months
only a skeleton of the command was
left. The thing was started by an out
fiji OF unpopular officers. who fell to
quarreling among themselves.
One domineering or unjust officer
in post can cause more desertiOns
than bad rations or crucifyirg ia
tigue or practice march duty. Once l
knew little runt of a shavLtail just
out from West Point cause 2S men
from one cavalry troop 20 jump the
outfit within two months after he'd
joined down in Arizona
THE death of well liked officer or
even of a very poRular enlisted man
will often start an epidemic of deser-
tions. Once at a little two-battery
pest in the far northwest where I was
stationed there died a first lieutenant
who was immensely popular with the
enlisted men, and that in spite of the
fact that the drink had got him
THE desertions began the next day
The post was not only lonesome. it
seemed almost uncanny without him
Little unscheduled things vii, start
desertions. The temperance at
post of a former member of the out
fit logged out in joyous mufti and
showing other evidences of prosperity
always has the effect of getting the
gang a-gOing.
Once l belonged TO an outfit that
was stationed at the Presidio of San
Francisco. One of our men caught on
as a faro bank dealer of a big San
Francisco gambling house at the wind
up of his second enlistment 1t wasn't
Tong before he had an interest in the
bank himself, and he got the money
fast
We'll, all diked out in expensive
clothes and wearing the sparks and
dingdOngs. he used TO drive out TO the
! Preside behind a stylish PAGER in a
trig trap with yellow running. gear.
After a few months of thai the com
manding officer of the Preside had TO
request that eX-swaddle as q special
favor to him to cease his visits at the
posi-. a large number of desertions
were easily traced TO his visits
The gang would look their ex-mate
| over and become ambitious all OF a
| sudden. If he had made such a fine
| thing of ii in civil life why couldn't
! they do the same or make some kind
! OF a stab at it anyhow? So they
! hoped out of the Preside gaze. not tC
come back any more. just because
they had seen all of these signs OF
| prosperity on a man who had once
| bunked under the same roof with
| them
''Rumors about the transferring of
| outfits, too is another cause, and IN
the aggregate a big contributing cause
! TO the desertion business. Men whc
| enlist in certain part of the country
! for service in that section don't IKE
| 10 make a long shift to another part
with a different climate More deser-
| tions result from the shifting about OF
! regiments than ever appear i'll the zig
ures.
! Queer too. the distance some sol
! 6iers will so when they set mixed up
with women. The most aggravated
! case of that kind | ever saw was when
was in the Philippines the first
| time
With my outfit was snaDpy
hustling youngster from Tennessee. ?
| boy not much past his majority. who
! got the corporaPs chevrons very soon
| after hitting the islands for nervy
work in campaigning. The kid had al
| the makings of a fine soldier, and. as
he was well educated, commission
wasn't any too high for him to look
| if he'd been of that mind and had
| kept out of trouble
But he got all wrapped up with a
| Filipino girl, the daughter of a Fill
! pino president down Mindanao way.
! and when we were ordered to Manila
| to take the transport for the United
| States he couldn't see the thing of
/ leaving the girl. | believe they'd been
married. Anyhow, when we went to
Manila this judgment-lacking gossoon
stayed behind with the Filipino wo-
| man.
But he did something even more
! idiotic than that. When the old man
sent i non-com. and some bucks back
| for the kid he was insane enough to
/ join the enemy-the war was still
| going on down there-instead of just
taking to the underground and stay
ing there for spell until the search
for him was over They got him by
! the time our transport reached the
| States.
We'll dive know Wbat thar Dica