Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-23


ler!" and then fell back, dead.
Then the general rode down the lin
of X COMPANY and in turn presenting
his saber point at the breast of eacl
and every man of them, demanded
"Will you do duty?"
And from each got vigorous, l
not whole-hearted, "Yes!"
The rest Of the day X company wa
kept at the hardest kind Of drill. AM
when we were all formed for dress
parade in the evening, he addressed
JUS.
Soldiers, want you to understand
that there have been over fifty. deser
ton from this command in the face
of the enemy; that hereafter any maj
who refuses to do duty will not live te
repeat his offense."
Pretty hard seemed to us then the
generals discipline. but have since
come to realize he was undoubtedly
in the right.
In March, 1863, we were ordered tc
| Fort Stanton. On the march up past
the soda lake and through the enor
nous deposit Of pulverized gypsum
known as The White Sands, that ex'
tends over much Of the plain between
San Augustine and Tularosa, signs OF
Indians were seen.
Our orders were to keep we'll closed
up and never to stray from the COM
mand But when we got up into the
timber near the head of the Ruidoso,
game, for We used to get deadly tired
of nothing but bareback and bacon.
They had not been gone long be-
fore We heard heavy firing, and ten
of us were ordered to the rescue.
Double-quicking over a little hill to-
ward the sound of the firing, what
should we charge right into but a
flock Of about a hundred wild turkeys.
our hunters close upon their heels.
Resist the opportunity, Of course, We
could not, and joined our comrades
bombarding them.
Startled by the still heavier firing.
forty more men were rushed out to
our relief, our first lieutenant, Thorn
as Chapman, leading then. And once
he reached us and discovering that,
while, to be sure. we we're actively en-
gagged with befeathered enemy, that
the alarm had been
false one, he was mad all through.
Presently when he learned that we
had not brought down a single bird,
we got about the worst cursing l ever
heard a bunch of men receive. Just
then saw a turkey ducklng through
the grass about fifty yards away, and
took after him, shooting my best, but
to my discontinue in double sense.
For both failed to get the turkey and
succeeded in getting myself sent back
to camp under arrest.
But when I was brought up before
my captain, the worst got was,
"Sorry I've got to dismiss this COM
plant: you ought all to be court
martialed for your Internally bad
craftsmanship. If I could spare you
out of the ranks, I would turn every
man Of you into camp cooks"
How we came to do such shocking
shooting cannot explain, but I sup
pose things have to happen that way
sometimes.
Fort Stanton had been occupied
and burned shortly before Its, occupa-
ton by the New Mexico and Califor-
MIA troops. The post was In ruins.
Only the suffers store had been made
habitable. The troops were all I'M
der canvas, set up within the black
ened adobe walls.
At the time, famous old Kit Carson,
the greatest scout and Indian fighter
the southwest ever knew, was the
colonel commanding the post. His
own troops were all native Mexicans
from Santa Fee and the northern placi-
tas among which Kit had spent most
Of his life.
In his own command was contract
surgeon, DR.. Whitlock, kindly cd
man, who previous to the outbreak OF.
hostilities had been very friendly with
the Navajos, and who was beloved by
them for the uniform justice and kind
ness with which he treated them.
One day Lieutenant Graden re-
turned from scout through the Capt.
tan mountains with his troop Of New
and it became noised about
camp that he had made big kill of
Navajos. In his troop was a sergeant
named Kelly who hated Lieutenant
Graden, and who went to DR.. Whitlock
and told him that Graden had made
his big kill by inducing a village he
found to come to a parley and then
getting them drunk and helpless and
the lot.
II don't believe that Of Captain
Graden," the doctor replied "but If 1t
is as you say, 1t was cowardly trick"
Keen for the chance to embroil his
captain, Kelly fastened to him and
told him that DR.. Whitlock said he
was a coward for killing the Indians
Drinking heavily in celebration OF
the success of his scout, and infuriat-
ed by the alleged charge Of coward
ice, Graden fastened across the pa
rade ground to the suffers store,
where the doctor and other officers,
Colonel Kit Carson included, were
playing cards. He cursed the doctor
outrageously, called him cowardly
old squaw-man, an1 slapped his face.
Colonel Carson ordered him to his
quarters under arrest. AS he turned
to leave the room, the doctor calmly
said to him.
Captain Graden, do not know
why you have made this assault on
me, but when you are sober Will
show you that I am not coward