The Washburn leader., 1916-12-01
CAMP ENLIvt.> o
BY SCOUT TALES
Soldier Life Dull Now That Pic.
turesque Guides Have
Gone Away.
TELL. OF WEIRD EXPLOITS
Considerable Swift and Accurate
Shooting Seems to Have Been Ex.
perienee Of Most Of Them
Call Villa by First Name.

Field Headquarters, American PQ-
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 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 great clat.ering Of
hOOfs. 4
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 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. It
just happens when we're out for game
I'm lucky"
Strong on Spotlight.
What can one do with scout like
that? Now the earlier scouts 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 that 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 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, I had to shoot" sa:d Mall
Order. "'Cause these here hombres
were axin' to wipe me out. But don't
care none fer killin' men. Every time
I kill 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 an
official report of the expedition's en-
gagement with band Of outlaws.
'sThat aint really no fun" he yawn'
ed. "When I was with Pancho some
of them greasers tried to run off my
cattle over to Sonora. gets up and.
while my breakfast coffee Is a-cookin'.
I goes out and kills fourteen Of EN-"
Dressed In Trophies.
Another claimed to be dressed en-.
tirely in trophies and relics. He was
forever glancing 1T an enormous sill.
ve2 watch.
"See that wntch?" he would then
ask. 'Took that often Suierro the
Sutcher after I killed him."
Then he would call attention to his
boots, claiming that they were the me-
mentoes of another bloody encounter.
His pistol was highly priced, inasmuch
as he declared 1t was a gift from Pan
cho Villa on the occasion Of the scouts
assassination Of eight personal enc
mics of Villa.
Thus ran the stories Of the scouts
who have departed. Their tales are
sadly missed in camp. Reviewing
some of them the writer questioned
Jack Boyd closely. ...
"You must have remarkable shoot
ing story somewhere about you," he
was urged.
yes" said Jack, II have. Day be.
fore yesterday Lieutenant Patton and
were out shooting and we ran into
a herd sof l75 antelope. We got one
apiece" NJ,
Jack Boyd is a very discouragins
sort Of scout.