The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-10-28
CAMP ENL|VENED
BY SCOUT TALES
SoIdic Life Dull Now That Pic
turesque Guides Have
Gone Away.
TELL or WEIRD EXPLOITS
Considerable Swift and Accurate
Shooting Seems to Have Been Elk
perienee Of Most of Them
Call Villa by First Name.

Field Headquarters, American Pu-
nitive Expedition, in Mexico.-There
are not so many scouts now as there
were In the first days Of the punitive
expedition.
One by one, with many a scoutlike
whoop and much business of twirling
six-shooters on the fingers, the greater
number of them have departed in "a
cloud Of dust and a great Gathering of
hOofs.
That they were allowed to depart
may lay the commanders of this expe-
dition open to some criticism. 1t is
difficult to entertain an army in camp
and those earlier scouts were enter
tanning. Those that are left devote
an awful lot of time to scouting and
very little to conversation.
For instance, Jack Boyd, scout chief,
was in this tent but a few minutes ago
and an effort was made to draw him
out on his experience with the rifle.
"Shucks ~ said Jack Boyd, glancing
in embarrassment at the gold watch
on his wrist. I'm not a good shot. 1t
just happens when we're out for game
I'm lucky"
Strong on Spotlight.
What can one do with a scout like
that2 Now the earlier o were just
the other way around. Take the chap
they called Mail Order" The name
was given him by the soldiers, who
seemed to feel hat his wide-brimmed
hat, vivid neckerchief, embossed hol-
sters and other props had been ac-
quired by the system invented in Chi
cago.
Mail Order had been detailing q kill
ing in which he had played the spot
light a good deal. There had been
considerable swift and accurate shoot
ing, it seems, and Mail Order had come
out of the blue smoke with two hot
revolvers and three dead men on his
conscience.
in course, 1 had to shoot" said Mail
Order. "'Cause these here hombres
were fxin' to wipe me out. But 1 don't
care none fer KILN men. Every time
1 kill a man it gives me the shivers."
Nearly all those early scouts seemed
to be personally acquainted with Pan
cho villa and referred to him almost
exclusively by first name. One OF
these sighed heartily upon hearing al
official report of the expeditions en-
gagement with a band of outlaws.
"That amt really no fun" he yawn
ed. "When l was with Pancho SOM
l Of them greasers tried to run off m,
Il cattle over to Sonora. l gets up and
j while my breakfast coffee is a-cookin'
1 goes out and kills fourteen OF 'em.
Dressed in Trophies.
Another claimed to be dressed en-
tirely in trophies and relies. He wa
forever CHANGING at an enormous sill
ver watch.
"See that watch?" he would thel
ask. TOOK that often Suierro tn,
Sutcher after l killed him."
Then he would call attention to hi
. boots, claiming that they were the me
L mentoes of another bloody encounter
His pistol was highly priced, inasmucl
as he declared it was a gift from Pan
4 cho Villa on the occasion of the scout
assassination of eight personal enc
mics of villa.
Thus ran the stories of the scout
4 who have departed. Their tales ar
4 sadly missed in camp. Reviewin
some of them the writer questione
Jack Boyd closely.
n "You must have a remarkable SHOOT
ing story somewhere about YOU" h
was urged.
e YES" said Jack, 81 have. Day b'
IS fore yesterday Lieutenant Patton an
l were out shooting and we ran int
If a herd of 70 antelope. We got on
s apiece"
'e Jack Boyd is a very discouragin
n sort of scout.