The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-29
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

gwen HlSn rank, which some OF the
officers felt ought to have been given
to another who had been with troops
actively In the field for the major part
OF his service, but this feeling long
ago subsidized and theageneral Is an ex.
ceed1ngly popular officer with all
branches Of the service. ..~ r.
It Is known that General Greely's
transfer and promotion were given
him as a reward for the hardships
which he underwent in the early
SOS while conducting a polar expedi-
ton. General Greedy was In Washing
ton during most of his service as q
signal officer, and for much of the
time his near neighbor was Rear Ad-
miral Winfield Scott Schley, who went
north and rescued Greedy and his
party when they were on the point of
perishing "'
Trying Position for Soldier.
General Greedy was once placed in
one OF the most trying positions which
ever fell to the lot of a soldier, and
there are few men who would have
cared to undertake the responsibility
which at that time Greedy, as cap.
tain, shouldered. With his men he
was at the point of dying from starva-
ton in the arctic regions. There was
left barely enough food to stave of
death for week. The rations per
man were cut down to little more than
a mouthful given out once every TWEEN.
ty-four hours.
A soldier OF the command was
caught stealing food. In the hope of
saving his own life, he was willing
that his comrades should perish. The
situation was one requiring the stern.
est measures. Greedy knew from his
own experience the awful temptation
under which the starving soldiers had
fallen, for the meager ration of the
men was the meager ration of the
commanding officer.
Greedy walked apart from his men
into the solitudes. He came back and
ordered court-martial, in which the
enlisted men participated with the
commanding officer. Unanimously a
verdict of death was voted for the
| man who was willing to save himself
at the cost of the sacrifice of others.
Four men were detailed for the exc.
cution of the culprit. -Four guns were
loaded, two with blank cartridges and
two with ball cartridges. The con.
victed one was killed, but unless the
heavier recoil Of the two rifles told the
story, the executioners do not know to
this day which of them it was who
fired the shots that brought death to
one who had been their comrade.
City Full Of Bridal Couples.
Washington at this time of year Is
| full of visitors, and it would seem
that about ten per cent of them are
brides and grooms. Washington usu
ally refers to the latter as 'B's and
G's," and has come to take only pass
ing interest in them because they have
| been so numerous through the years
that they have lost their novelty. =
! Every year there comes to Wash
ington from the south what is known
as the april Cupid Special" 1t is .
train which carries five or six hundred
sfght-seers from various parts Of the
| state Of Virginia. Among them are
! newly married couples In scores, while
! there are other scores who wish tho
novelty of wedding at the capital
| and seek out the license bureau in the
! city hall as soon as they get here and
then HE straight to the house Of some
clergyman, who makes the various
twains ones. -. &. H.
This Is the time of the year when
the rubber-neck wagons and the guides
reap their harvest. The brides all
want to see the room in which the
White House weddings Of the past cen
fury have taken place. There have been
good many weddings In the White
House, some of them dating bach
to the time Of Madison. One president
of the United States was married in
the White House. Grover Cleveland
There was wedding during the Nc
Kinley administration, that Of the
niece Of Mr.. Mckinley to the man Of
her choice. The Grant-Sartoris we'd
ding at the time General Grant was
president and the Roosevelt-Long
worth wedding when Colonel Roose.
welt was president were the two big
gest affairs of the kind which the
White House has ever seen. The
East Room almost invariably has been
chosen for the nupt;aIIs.