New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-04
Farmer Shooting Chickens
Gives Plattsburg Men
Bit of Actual War.
LEAD SINGS IN AIR
ABOUT THEIR HEADS
Another Ruralite Becomes Un-
popular by Stopping Mems
Additions In Pool.
From , st.r Correspondent Of The Ttbuns)


Hardness, n. Y. Aug. 3.-The sud
den influx Of 5000 men into the soil
tudes about his farm did not repre-
sent TO Charles Besaw any reason why
when it suddenly came into his head
to-day to shoot his chickens. he should
not pull his trigger and let the bullets
Av where they might. That is why
rockies who happened to be IN his iine
of fire, and had become hardened "
the rattle of blank cartridges ali
morning, were more than niue tahe,,
aback when they heard the whistle OF
real bullets flying over their heaus'
II was more than they had agreed
TO take Of military science wheh tne
bullets not only whistled overhead but
began to plug holes in a barn rev
yards from them. SO they ducked'
but jim Billings, regular army at,ll-
leryman. who has been under real hre,
made a charge in the Direction from
which the cracking Of the rine was
heard.
what the - you doing!' he de-
manded of Besaw. whom he found with
the gun in his hands. about to sh0o'
again. q,
"Shootin' chickens-whst dye think"
Besaw replied.
Farmer Spells Mems Baths.
what l think is I'll be taking
plug at you. unless you put that gun
up" Billings said. Haven't you got
sense enough TO know there isn't
good enough shot in the world to De
able TO miss all these men,?
There was another farmer who be-
came unpopular with the men to-day
Their camp was not beside cooling wa
ters but some of them had found
pool in which to wash their faces.
when a farmer came rushing out and
declared they were trampling MS
crops. The only visible growth was
marsh grass. but to soothe hin, the
camp officers agreed to pay him for
the right TO damage his marsh grass
TO the extent of two paths across H.
"All right; that will cost $780, he
said.
The offer was withdrawn, and the
rockies tonight sleep as & section OF
the great unwashed.
Henry L. Stimson, former Secretary
of War. has become so enthusiastic
about the camp that he is going 20
remain with it through the rest OF
the hike and will himself become
rookie in the August campaign.
At the post hospital at Plattsourg
there arrive daily men who are hnding
themselves unfit for the big hike;
They are first sent to the regimentai
dispensary which travels with each
command. If it is blistered loot, II
is dressed and the man is sent back for
duty II a strain, it is properly treated
and the man is assigned TO team
until he is sufficiently mended. But If
il is weak heart, a fever, or some
such ailment that makes the field sur
geon rule that it would be unwise for
him 20 20 further, he is ordered back
to the post hospital at Plattsburg.
and his company commander knows no
more about him. He becomes as one
lost in battle.
Surgeon Takes Charge.
The responsibility for proper care OF
him then passes to the post surgeon.
The head camp surgeon is Major Wal
lace Dewitt, of the army medical corps,
/ in absolute command of all things
sanitary and medical in the field and
at the hospital. DR.. Leo F. Schif, a
Plattsburg civilian physician, a men,
/ Der o.. the medical reserve corps, is
( in charge Of the post hospital, assisted
/ by other members of the reserve corps.
/ The hospital was devised for the ordi-
( nary uses of regiment the size Of
the regular Plattsburg garrison. This
( last month it has been put TO the test
10 serve something more than regi-
ment of regulars and more than four
regiments of rockies. It's ordinary ae-
commodations consist Of two wards with
twelve beds each, an isolation ward OF
FIVE beds, officers ward with three
beds, and a prison ward with five beds,
but all these have been increased by
additional beds
/ The prison ward shows the strenuous
character of the one mental case that
came TO it from the rockies camps this
summer as the iron-barred door was
wrenched out Of shape by his violence.
/ A service force usually living in the
hospital building have had to be quar-
tered in tents TO make room for the
Unusual number of cases. and some
patients also have been put in tents.
Under pressure sixty-hve cases can now
be handled at the plant. The largest
number from the training camps at
one time have been about thirty, most
! ly Of a minor nature, but one urgent
operation for appendicitis was success
fully performed.
Caring for Rockies.
When rockies are incapacitated on
the hike and have TO be sent back they
are given such relief at the post hos
pitsl as is Immediately needed before
being transferred to another hospital
or sent home if their condition war
rants.
Al the opening of the camps it is by
the staff of the hospital, assisted by
the civil surgeons in camp taking the
special medico- ilitary course for COM
mission in the medical reserve corps,
that the big job of examining every
applicant TO determine his physical Mt
nes6 is done. Practically the only
weakness disqualifying an applicant is
heart weakness. The average per thou
sand men has been about twenty.