Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1910-03-11
"u.,-4 LITTLE LIKED
GUARDING PRISONERS THE MOST
UNPOPULAR OF SOLDIERS
DUTIES.
some Hard Characters Amonc Those
serving Sentences at Military
Posts--The Punishment of
the "5ulI Rina."

inc hardest duty that a soldier 70
ever called upon TO perform in times
Oh peace and the duty which he breads
tne most is the guarding OF n.:..tary
prisoners. These are divided into two
classes:
Rlfst--Garrison prisoners, who have
received light sentences for minor
breaches OF discipline and will be re.
turned TO duty In short time.
second-Military convicts. who for
attempted desertion or other serious
nliitary crimes have been dIuhonor
ABLY discharged by order Of a court.
maftial and have received sentences
varying from few months to several
years confinement at hard labor &C.
cordtng to the gravity of the offense
INTO their ranks the vicious element
OF those who hold their oath Of en-.
nstment too lightly, eventually find
their way.
avery morning at fatigue call the
prisoners are drawn up In a long line
In front of the guard house and sur.
rounded by chain of sentries. The
somoer prison garb Of the generals"
military convicts were formerly
known as general prisoners"-is
marked with gigantic capital "P's"
which render them conspicuous and
therefore make escape more difficult
Some are evil looking fellows with
long and unsavory records. Doubtless
many have done time" more thu
once In civil prisons before evadi
the watchfulness of the recruiting OF
hcer and finding their way into the
army Others are rosy checked lads
who In all probability have yet to see
their twenty-first birthday, and in
nine cases out of ten the charge
against them is desertion. Homesick
ness or restlessness under military
restraint and discipline have led them
into the rash act. the heavy penalties
of which they may not have fully re.
allied.
In groups of twos and threes and
guarded by sentries with loaded rifles
these men perform most OF the dis
agreeable work and re-ial labor
about the army post. Which is highly
varied In character and may consis-
Of anything from sprinkling the fiowe
beds on the officers lawns to digging
bitches for monster sewer pipes. Al
though they generally perform their
enforced tasks cheerfully, occasional.
ly a particularly disa e. saable piece
Of work causes miniature strike and
q dozen men may buck. is, re
fuse to work.
1t Is then rat the '-.oric bull
ring" is reso;!od to. Il huge circle
ls marked out on the ground and the
malefactors are required to walk
around its circumference In Indian
die for eight hours a day, preserving
absolute silence. A ten minute respite
ls allowed at noon for a bread and
water lunch. A day G: TWO of this
treatment usually sufflces to break
the most stubborn will. If not there
still remains solitary confinement on
the bread and water diet, and as a
last resort the dungeon.
The prison duty is by all odds the
grimmest phase of tha so!.'iers life.
He may find himself sta-,,ing guard
over his best friend, with orders to
shoot to kill should his man attempt
to escape.
The effect of intercourse with mill.
tary prisoners is, If nothing more,
very damaging to the morals of the
new recruit. and 1t is r!cst unfortu-
nate that some provision las not been
made for transferring this class of
evil doors to civil peniten iaries or to
some large military prison far re.
moved from the army post.-Youth's
Companion.