The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-08-31
MEN WELL CARED FOR AND CON.
TENTED AT SAN BENiTO
CAMP.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
From the Capital City, the Various
State institutions and from
Many Different Parts Of
the Sunshine State.
Pierre

A correspondent from San Benito,
Texas, says: of jus: 99S men from
South Dakota in camp at the little
city of San Benito, 20 miles north of
Brownsville, two men are officially
dissatisfied. So far as l can learn
the remainder of the men in the
Fourth South Dakota infantry regi-
ment-every man of them from private
to Colonel Boyd Wales-are as happy
as boys on a picnic. Down here they
call them the happy South Dako-
tans," and a visit to their camp tells
why.
The South Dakota troops have been
In San Benito about two weeks. In
the first place, they were sent to one
of the best towns in the Rio Grande
valley, a town where real fresh veget-
ables can be purchased and where all
the fruit isn't timed. In the second
place, they are camped right inside the
town, where there is water and nc mes
quite trees TO cut down. In the third
place, they didn't leave South Dakota
until they were we'll equipped. In the
fourth place, the coast isn't very far
away and there Is a constant breeze.
In the first place, the men like their
officers and the officers like the men.
The Fourth South Dakota regiment
is in permanent quarters ready for
anything that comes along. The camp
is On lower ground than the camps OF
the Minnesota men at Llano Grande,
and the camp of the North Dakota
men at Mercedes. A complete series
of main and lateral bitches affords
good drainage, however. At the back
OF the camp is an irrigation ditch, and
1t Is or this ditch that South Dakota
has its shower baths and It's laundries.
The laundries-here again Is some
thing that helps to make the Dakotans
cheerful-have stoves.
The South Dakotans, with their
months training In camp at Redfield
before they started, came to the border
better prepared than most other militia
outfit. They had their full quota Of
clothes. They had shoes. though not
all Of them were regulation army
shoes. They had hats and leggings
and other things soldiers need.
The mules and the horses are begin
ming to arrive and South Dakota will
be ready for field service as soon as
any OF the national guard commands.
1t was just the other day that this
Fourth South Dakota regiment was
given its first real touch or border
training. The regiment, with two 9th.
er infantry regiments at San Benito. a
Louisiana and an Oklahoma regiment,
was told that the enemy, represented
by two Virginia regiments. had landed
at Point Isabel, thirty miles away OF
the coast and was to invade San Ben
ito. South Dakota went out to meet
the enemy and came across country IN
army motor trucks. 1t all ended when
the enemy got hungry about noontime
and the South Dakota mer and the
other defendants Of San B. O. 'ked
the enemy into camp for lu far
as | could learn the re, army
officers haven't yet decided whether
San Benito was captured.
The colonel Of the South Dakota
regiment, like most of the Dakota of.
ficers, is smooth shaven and thin. Back
in Howard, s. D., he was the postmas-
ter until Mr.. Wilson became president.
He owns W or three motion picture
houses at home and soldering has
been his hobby for a number OF years.
He was a member of the First South
Dakota regiment that went to the Phil.
ippines in 1898 and he has with him
several officers who were in the Phil
ippines. Lieutenant Colonel w. A. Ha-
zle, who is a lawyer in Aberdeen, is
also a Philippine var veteran, as is
Major f. A. Beckwith, clothing mer-
chant of Pierre. OF the other majors,
one, James McNenny of Deadwood, Is
a Judge, and another, NJ. L. Shade of
Redfield, is a bond man. Major Shade
was in the Philippines with an Iowa
regiment.
OF the other officers there is one
who has rather an unusual distinction.
His name is Guy Squires; he comes
from washington Springs and Is the
ehaplain-a chaplain without a church.
He belongs to no denomination. At
one time he was a soldier. Not only
does this chaplain run the athletics in
the regiments, a thing he is well quail.
field to do, for he is something of an
athlete himself, but he runs the post
| office, as is usual with chaplains, and
the regimental exchange, which is
unusual.
For some reason the health Of the
South Dakota men has been rather