Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-21
FRIEND OF CADETS
Many Stories Told of the Late
Colonel /. n. WaImer, Pop
ular Army Officer.
BELOVED AT WEST POINT
incidents of His Way of Dischargins
His Duties as Disciplinary Off
Ger at Academy.


row over the death of Colonel Leverett |
Hull Walker of the artillery arm
writes the New York Posts Washing |
ton correspondent. Colonel Walker |
was one of the marked executions to
the rule that reticent men are seldom |
popular He would not have been re, |
tired from the service for age foI
some years. He was in the West
Point class of 1871, of which Fred
Grant was one of the graduates. ana
Grant is not yet within sight of the
age limit. About seven years after his
graduation and when he had lust add.
ed the first bar to the field of his
shoulder knot Walker was ordered to
West Point as an instructor in tactics.
This position put him in command of
one of the cadet battaIions, for the
discipline of which he was responsible.
The cadets have nickname for ev-
cry one and everything 1t is doubt
| full if any officer who has served at
| the academy was ever known TO the
cadetS-when he was at a distance. of
| cOurse-by his proper name. Walker
| by an easy transition was made ''Trot.
ter" and ''Trotter' he stayed until his
| tour of duty was over. and certain it
| Is that there are those in the service
, today who must have to think twice
| to give his name the right speech gait.
"Trotter' was we'll beloved by the
corps cadets. He did his duty in
disciplinary way by his cadet COM
| pany. but he never moved by the right
and left flank out of the regular line
Of march to catch the cadets Mt of
fenses, picayune offenseS in the main.
but which some officers, with a mar
tinets view of life, thought it neceS-
sary at all times to play the spy upon.
One night when Walker was on duty
at the academy four cadets stole out
of barracks after taps and ran it, to
| Newburg on a steam launch There
had been no inspection of quarters be-
| tween taps and reveille for some time.
and the runaways thought they would
be safe from detection. AS a precau-
ton one of them, however, a member
of Walkers company, put a dummy in
his bunk. dummy made of stuffed
nightshirt with a boxing glove for a
head.
COmmandant Had a Suspicion.
4 Woe betide! There was an inspec-
ton of quarters that night, an inspec-
ton probably ordered by the COM
mandant who doubtless had a suspi-
cion. The four tactical officers of the
battalion went on their inspecting
work with dark lanterns, one through
each company. After the inspection
they met on the porch of the barracks.
Two of them reported abSentees, and.
Notwithstanding the fact that absence
| from quarters between taps and re-
veille meant dismissal for the culprits,
the officers who had found them out
, announced the fact chuckling AnX-
ious cadets who had been reused from
their sleep by the inspection listened
at nearby windows and heard one of
the chuckling ones ask Walker if he
had found any absentees, and old
'Trotter" said mo, thank God"
California cadet named Dempsey
once struggled a basket of peaches
into his quarters. Dempsey was a
member of "Trotter's' company. One
Saturday night when the cadets were
allowed to visit one another and were
supposed TO be exempt from fear of
: inspection of their rooms Cadet Demp-
sey pulled his basket of peaches out of
its hiding place in the chimney, sat
down in chair with the basket in his
lap preparatory to picking out spe
cially fine peach for immediate con
sumption. Now. the penalty of having
fruit in quarters was ten days con
f1nement and five tours of extra guard
duty Dempsey had selected his peach
There was the regulation army off
GERS tap at the door, the door flew
open, and in walked "Trotter"
i Sheer force of disciplinary habi
brought Cadet Dempsey to his feet a
> attention. with his heels together. bi!
chest well out, his head erect-and tn,
basket of peaches overturned on tn,
floor with the contents rolling abou
the feet of "Trotter' like windfal
in an orchard "Trotter'' seemed to b,
struck with sort of dumb wonder il
which sorrow was largely mixed. IL
\ | kind of bewildered and mechanical
way he stretched forth his arm witt
the forefinger of his hand pointing
Peaches, Mr.. Dempsey" he said
Then he looked toward the open fire
place, and, pointing, he said again
Peaches, Mr.. Dempsey" He looke'
between his feet, shook his head an,
said, Peaches, Mr.. Dempsey" The
"Trotter'' backed toward the door an,
stepped on a peach, nearly losing hi
footing. Peaches, Mr.. Dempsey
and with that be disappeared.
Now, "Trotter" must have though
the matter over. Peaches in quarter
was a breach OF discipline. but the
"Trotter" had forgotten it was Satui
= day night and he had gone to DEM
sey's room on a regular study hou
on inspection, SO he weighed the thin
in his mind. and Dempsey escaped hi
ten days confinement and his fiv
tours of extra guard duty because n
report was turned in against him.
E..,x unreur Rr1,.,.