The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-18
THE END
OF IT ALL.

Say, captain" said the recruiting
sergeant as he entered the room where
his superior was seated In building
ON South street, New York, "pve got a
Jim dandy Of recruit. He's a SWELL"
"He isn't the sort we want"
but he says he's bound to enlist
either In the army or navy"
Bring him In"
The captain had seen Thomas Dal-
tons kind before. 1t always began
with false name-the first name that
came into their heads-and it almost
always ended In desertion or tragedy.
He sized the young man up as he
stood at the desk, and be made mental
memoranda as follows:
Hasn't got through college yet. Got
into some scrape. Old man has given
him dressing down. Young fellow Is
proud and won't stand it. Hasn't the
money to go abroad or take tour out
west and is going to enlist in spite Of
the governor. Old man will buy him
cut of the service in six months. The
mothers tears will make him do 1t.
He's bound to take the army or navy.
Six months of discipline will take
some of the frolic out Of him, and Ill
give him show to settle down."
The usual questions were asked and
answered, the young man was sent to
the surgeon. and before sundOwn he
belonged to Uncle Sam. The sergeant,
being now his superior officer, started
out to patronize the fresh fish"
1t didn't work. He wanted to talk
confidentially. The recruit was mum.
Nothing further was learned about
him, and after three or four days he
was sent Off to Jefferson Barracks to
go west to Fort Thomas. They want
ed recruits out there. The Sioux were
threatening to 60 on the warpath again.
There are men among army officers
who should never have been commits
stoned. Their temperaments unfit them
to preserve discipline and rule as they
should. Such a man was Captain Cole
man Of Company G. He was quick
tempered, irascible, peevish and mar
tinet, and of the ten captains In the
regiment he was oftenest in trouble
with his men and was obliged to re-
port the most desertions. James Dali
ton was assigned to Company G, and
within two days and for no reason that
he or his comrades could argue out the
captain was down on him and showed
it in various ways. 1t wasn't two
weeks before he was In the guard
house for some dereliction that would
have been passed over In another. The
colonel was fatherly man, and In his
desire to be fatherly toward the young
recruit he made matters worse.
Dalton asked for no ones sympathy.
He gave no one his confidence. He
tried his best to obey all regulations
and fit himself for u soldier. He would
have had praise from the right sort
Of officer. Indeed, he did have it in a
way from the lleutenants Of the COM
pany, but there was nothing but
captain. His conduct almost created a
scandal at the post. One day on COM
pany drill he was singled out and
needlessly rebuked and sneeringly crit
icised and ordered off to, the guard
house under arrest. There was q NUT
tering up and down the ranks, but this
only provoked Captain Coleman to add
other charges. That night In the
guardhouse gray haired corporal said
to Dalton through the Stats Of the
door:
"What it's about l dunno. but the
captain Isn't giving you square
deal"
"And 1t will grow worse instead Of
better" replied the prisoner
"YOu can bank on that. He's hound.
ed dozen men out Of the company
since got these stripes. It'll be court
martial and five years for you II he
can bring it about"
"And what shall I do?"
1--WE got to go out to post No. 8. !
shall be gone fifteen minutes. The
heavy iron poker has got In with you
somehow. If l was inside there, be-
lieve l could pry of these Stats with
It."
THANK you"
When the sergeant returned, Dalton
was gone; also one Of the muskets and
belt Of fifty cartridges. Over on off,
GERS row private soldier with mus
ket in his hands stood for three or four
minutes looking up at certain win
dow as II thinking to send a bullet
into the opening. Then he lowered the
musket and turned away and crept
from the fort between posts Nos and
3. 1t was a summer evening, with the
crickets singing, and the sentinels
drowsed as they walked. Daylight
brought excitement and hustle. \
member Of Company Glhad deserted
Three mules had been run off from the
corral. Indian signal smoke had been
seen at daylight, and by sunup set
tiers came pouring In with the news
that Red Bull had broken loose and
was In the hills with 500 warriors.
Dalton had made for the hills. He
must go into hiding and exist some
way until the hue and cry was over.