Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-12-11
nd would consume several pounds a

and would consume several pounds al
one sitting.
/ The departure Of the headquarters took
along Lieutenants Darlington, the regs-
mental adJutaEt and Saruum, the reg
mental gUartsTrnastsr.
There was. In these days. corps IN
army known az the quartermastsT De
parEment which was ssparte from the line
and no officer in the corps below tns RANK
Of captain. Such officers were. as a rule.
assigned TO duty on the staff OF some
general officer, or in some city as depot
and purchasing quartermaster. IL there
were who did not have the political pun,
or sGcIaI graces, would be assigned To
some isolated frontier post as post qquar- :
terr1aster II they CHANGED to be placed
at a post which was reginentai head
quarter their lot would not always DE-
a bed Of roseg. The regimental com
nia..der when commanding post would
always want his regimental quarterrnas-
cases If a captain was assigned for duty
things would often emade so unpleas
ant for him that he would soon want
change. Captain G. Of the quartermasters
mates Perhaps ne did not have the soc.
ial graces 10 grace society in city, and
don't think ne did. but he was a jolly
good fellow.
! had served With this officer. some
years before, at Fort Concho, Texas.
When the news was received at Lincoln
that he was coming there, ] was asked
the kind Of man he was, and II his ca
pacity was not rather large. i did not
know. 4 short time after ms arrivai
when I CHANGED to see him alone in
formed him Of the news that had pro-
ceeded him, regarding his capacity, and
warned him to beware Of the Major who
might lay him in the shade for time.
He said to me: They think they will lay
fsiIy ", I uil
will put them ali under the table Be-
fore the year ended he was in his grave.
When ordinance stores were to be sent
to upper river posts. they were turned
over to the auartermaster's department
for wagon transportation to the uepot
In Bismarck. Once when wagon loaded
with cases Of army RIFLES was enroute
10 Bismarck, q case Of rifles. in some I'M
way. slipped Of the load, in |
the woods near the river, and were not
in Bismarck. The loss Of the rifles was
luly reported when the teamster return |
I'd. The clerk who had received the case |
gave the ordnace department a receipt, !
The teamster claimed he had
ost none but had delivered all he had /
'eceiyed. The Major" when he learned I
, fthc loss claimed that he was in Bis |
narck on that particular day and when |
IN his way home saw the case Of rifles |
vas living nearby to keep her eye on the |
,ase But the Major failed to make any
epOrt Of this when he came to the post. |
The Major felt certain he could recover /
he lost rifles, II he could visit Bismarck.
Ind for many days he with Captain CT
would call at headquarters for permission |
o visit the city to hunt rifles. --fter |
many trips Col. Otis came to the concru-
ion, that as detectives, both the Major /.
md Captain G were failures. The rifles /
we're never recovered by the government. I
'Ome old Bismarck man, or men, may yet t
ell what became Of the guns When the /
iajor's report reached department Hean (
quarters at Saint Paul. the Major came
lear getting lin bad" Gen. Terry de-
ided that as an officer Of the armw. it /
vas the duty Of the Major wnen he saw
government property. as he claimed he
ad, to purOtect it. even If he had to stand !
" until some one came along. ! never
new what answer the Major made TO .
his. always believed he was sorry that {
e saw the case in the road.
>As the. grade proceeded west more
rOops were called for and furnished Cap
ain Poland and his company a 9th In
antry was the next to tafle the field I
Or escort duty.
The changes before mentioned brought |
Their troops to Lincoln this year. Cap
aims TT. S. Hawkins and w. w Sanders
nth their companies Of the 9Th Infantry
rom Fort Buford With these came the
>olan family Of Bismarck and the Walsh