Evening journal., 1911-03-23
A Deserter
BY EDWARD B TAPPAN
Copyright. by American Press Asso-
citation. 1871.

ing In Virginia. a rawboned man In
butternut entered the camp OF q regi.
ment OF Tennesseeans and said to an
officer he met:
Cap. when you uns goin' to fight
the Yankees7"
The officer was passing on when the
man in butternut called to him.
Say. capt | want 70 enlist"
"Who are you. and where do you
come from?" asked the officer, molli-
fed at the prospect OF recruit.
I'm Ben Riggs. and l hail from
Tennessee
"Tennesseeg This regiment is from
Tennessee"
| "Waal. thar's whar | hail from Some
Union men driv' me out. come over the
mountings 10 to jine this yere army"
Riggs was enlisted and turned over
TO q drillmaster. After three days
hard drilling the sergeant went TO the
captain and reported that It was sim
ply impossible to teach the Tennessee
an the manual of arms When be had
taught him movement the recruit
would forget Il while he was teaching
to become soldier. but had no ca
pacity to learn anything The sergeant
was told TO do the best he could with
him and turn him into the ranks for
service
The first night Riggs was sent out on
picket be fred his gun and came run.
ming In full tilt. alarming the whole
, picket line Supposlng him to be a
coward as well as stupid. at the next
brush he was put in the front rank,
but he stood up well. proving conclu.
sively that he was simply stupid
/ Riggs stupidity was OF the kind TO
cause trouble. He went one day TO the
: brigade commander and asked him II
he had any tobacco The general sent
him with n note to his captain. order
ing the officer In future to keep this
fool away from these headquarters
This mortified the captain. and he put
Riggs in the guardhouse. The colonel
hearing OF the episode. directed the
captain to release Riggs. since there
could be no crlminality attached C
the act OF "blamed fool"
After this the captain spent most OF
his time thinking how he could get rio
OF Riggs He tried surreptitiously e
, have him transferred to another com
pany, but the plot was discovered an'
failed No other company would hav'
him. Then one day Riggs met the di
, vision commander and told him b.
thought be would like a position on hi
stan ne was sent back with repri
mand for his captain for not bette
instructing his men In the proper rels
ton Of soldier to his commander
The captain now vowed he woul
a get rid OF Riggs II he had to sho'
him. Whenever there was a hght
" put Riggs right in the middle of
n, but somehow the stupid fellow {
ne capped. while the best men were bel
s. shot down After a weeks exp0su
nv Of Riggs the lighting suddenly cease
:. Then no sooner had Riggs got BIZ
- self furblshed up than there was
oi be a grand review. AZ which be place
his captain again In trouble PassiI
v. the reviewing officer. he swung h
s, gun ln the nir and sang out:
r "Three cheers for General CT
% Riggs captain was desperate
q formed a malicious resolveA he wou
= put The fool In the position Of d
serter and get him shot He told Rigs
a one morning that the Yankees wei
q offering bounties as high as a thousan
4 dollars to any one who would enlis
IS II might he good move for Riggs
" desert. go over to the Yankees. enlii
d and bring back the hounty
II "By jing." exclaimed the Ounce. 'thi
'ud be good idee' could set Il
hull company up with that"
!, The captain offered TO conpive az h
"a desertion He took Rings out on Il
" " picket line and told him 10 run for
The captnin had arranged that the d
,r serter must pass through narrow d
W fle between two low hills at the IA
Dr. ther end of which were posted tv
Sc men who had been instructed 20 ARE
Is Riggs and bring him hack TO cam
His trial and execution would speed
~ follow
&c Riggs triangulated his long '~-s
rapidly that when he met the men WI
were 10 arrest him somehow he couldr
he stop. They attempted TO head him o
m but he had got by them before the
reached his path They fred AZ hir
whereupon he turned. shot one vii
his musket and the other with bis r
volver and sped on n he was stup
he was certainly quick. but quick 4
r the first time in his life
In "well." said bis captain. I'm rid
him. though fear he's really 70
enough to come back However. II
10 does he'll be shot for desertion
o But Riggs never returned On reac
ing the Federal pickets he asked 10
taken al onre TO the headquarters Of
certain general
"Hello. Bakerr exclaimed the ge
ha eral You back, thought yoT
NJ got yourself hanged by this tin
Ell Hope you've got lot OF information
Ie, 81 have. general ! enlisted In I
re tebel army as a Tennesseean-l did
ny say from east Tennessee prov
lt 30 stupid that they wouldn't keen N
y, "Well. what are they doing o'
IN there?" asked the general
nd "stonewall Jackson has been wi
&C. drawn from the Shenandoah vail
and IL marching toward RichmoI
re- What he will do ther I couldn't q
OF out. hut all the scattered forces 2
IN ordered to Join Lee. and Il looks as