The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1908-04-17
SOME CAUSES
OF DESERTlCN

| ! see, with replies to that question,
What's the matter with the army?'
said a grizZled old sergeant at one of
the Chicago army recruiting Offices.
'The reasons given for assertions are
pretty close to the mark, too. But
there are come others.
Pretty often desertions become cpl
demic in military post Any num-
Der 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
Il recall the desertion epidemic that
broke out in Fort Sheridan a few
years ago. Inside of three months
only skeleton Of the command was
left. The thing was started by an out
fit of unpopular officers, who fell 10
quarreling among themselves.
"One domineering or unjust officer
in a post can cause more deseTtions
than bad rations or crucifying ia
tigue or practice march duty Once
knew little runt of a shavetail just
out from West Point cause 2S men
from one cavalry troop to jump the
outfit within two months after he'd
Joined down in Arizona
The death of well liked officer or
even Of a very popular enlisted man
will often start an epidemic &C deser-
tons. Once at a little two-battery
post in the far northwest where | was
who was immensely popular with the
enlisted men. and that in spite of the
fact that the drink had got him.
THE assertions began the next day.
The post was not only lonesome, Ii
seemed almost uncanny without him.
Little unscheduled things will start
deserions. The temperance at a
post OF former member of the out
fit logged out in joyous multi and
showing other evidences of prosperity
always has the effect of getting the
gang agoing.
Once | belonged to an outfit that
was stationed at the Preside 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
long 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
trig trap with yellow running gear.
After a few months of that the COM
handing officer of the Preside had to
request that eX-swaddle as a special
favor to him to cease his visits at the
post 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 it 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 gate, not to
come back any more, just because
they had seen all of these signs OF
prosperity on man who had once
them
"Rumors about the transferring of
outfits, too, is another cause, and in
the aggregate big contributing cause
to the desertion business. Men who
enlist in a certain part of the country
for service in that section don't like
to make a long shift to another part
with different climate. More deser-
lions result from the shifting about of
regiments than ever appear in the fig
ures.
Queer, too, the distance some sol
diers will go when they get 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 snappy,
hustling youngster from Tennessee,
boy not much past his majority, who
got the corporals chevrons very soon
after hitting the islands for nervy
work in campaigning The kid had all
the makings of fine soldier, and, as
he was well educated, a 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
Filipino girl, the daughter of 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 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 a spell until the search
for him was over. They got him by
the time our transport reached the
States.
'Well dive know what that nfce-