Arizona republican., 1910-09-27
IA Very Live Question Al
 Camp btasCadePO
THERE WAS TALK OFs TR|KE
But the Militia Thought Better of It and Decided to Go on Fighting for the Love of Country and the Game.

Atascadero, Cal, Sept 23.-(Special l Correspondence.) )-"What about our | government pay?' is the question 1 that is tonight upon the lips of four hundred and fifty national guards men of Arizona, encamped here. Last
 nights bivouac. today's sham battle | and the chuck" the cooks are hash 1 ing up are merely secondary topics i of conversation.
 Three days agO-Wednesday to be
 exact-a report began to circulate among the Arizona soldiers that they
 would receive no United States pay
 for their services during this en- l campment. Little credence was giv-
 en the rumor until today When the l troops plodded into camp, after the mornings sham battle the days mail
 was distributed. One of the com ! pany B boys received a letter con- taining a clipping from Wednesday mornings Republican, stating that
 that the paymaster of the war de- partment had decreed that the money which would, under ordinary circum- stances. be paid the Arizonians, could be used to help defray their trans | portation charges. The news spread | through the camp like wildfire and for some hours there was consider able angry talk A few hotheads counseled an immediate strike on the government but the cooler think CTS advised against any such radical course Tonight all is calm and | peaceful. The boys seem to be | reconciled to the prospect of going home without any money in their tockets.
 l This action of the war department
 will work a severe hardship upon
 many of the men. Hundreds brought along little money in their pockets, l expecting to receive government pay 1 before leaving camp. This pay, they | thought, would be enough to pay for 1 few days fun in Los Angeles on | the return. All such plans are now { knocked sky high except for those 1 who brought along enough money to 1 pay for the fun they desire. Some are writing back to Phoenix to have money orders forwarded. Fortunate
 indeed are those who have friends or relatives in Los Angeles whom
 they can touch for few dollars. The BiVouac.
 As a preliminary to the big battle, the troops which participated there | in-and practically all the soldiers in camp were engaged-left Camp At | ascadero yesterday afternoon and bi-
 vouacked at points several miles dis tant. The national guardmen from
 Arizona and New Mexico marched about two miles north, and pitched ] their shelter tents. The spot chosen for the nights bivouac was an ex- ceptionally beautiful one. It was among big oak trees on a sandy
 hillside, near big farm. At the gate of the farm was a spring, from which twenty-five or thirty inches of water flowed. This supplied ample
 water for the camp. The owner of the farm sold the boys grapes while several sandwich, pie and ice cream men followed up the column. It must
 be confesed that few of the guards men subsisted for the night upon the army rations issued.
 Each of these rations consisted of tin containing 3-4 of a pound of bacon, two cartons of hardtack, su- Sdls SdlNg pepper AOALII- lliN nardtack diant suit the boys a lit tie bit but the other food was fairly good. Someone made the facetious suggestion that the city of Phoenix secure a supply of the hardtack to pave it's streets.
 The Arizona and New Mexico troops were on the red" side in the sham battle. With them were the eighth regiment of infantry, one skeleton battalion from the fifth field artillery, two troops of cavalry, company F. of the signal corps, a detachment of thirty engineers and an ambulance company. The red troops were all encamped close to- gether, though Arizona could not
 see teh camps of any of the other di- visions. New Mexico was just over hill while the regulars were scat tered through the woods.
 An Anxious Night.
 A night attack by the blues was expected so the Arizona boys did not go to bed at their usual hour. They lay awake, listening for the alarm. Outposts and guards were set and everyone was on the alert for the coming of the enemy.
 Early in the evening six cavalry men advanced too close to a hidden outpost and were captured The war had begun and the guardsmen had grabbed the first glory.
 The various companies were told to fall in and taken to various points on the outskirts of the camp. Com pany B was the only one which re- mained close to it's tents, being held in reserve.
 Along about nine o'clock the thun- l der of approaching hoofs was heard. 1 An outpost of company men saw | half dozen mounted men approach ] ing and ordered them to halt. This order was not obeyed. but with an ardor that in wartime would have | been nothing less than fool-hardy.