Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-10-24
GREASER SHOTS
NOW AND THEN
HIT AMERICANS
So Says Capt. W.. S. MapeS,
U. S. A., Who is in Homo
lulu for Short Time

the Mexican border The captain has
been on the occasional-firing line tas
he calls it, for several months; was
called back here on a case and will
return 10 continue his work as inspec-
tor-instructor Of the 10th militia divi-
sion which includes the Kentucky,
North and South Carolina and AlaDa-
ma national guardsmen.
Gen. Pershing with his punitive ex-
petition is about 150 miles south of
the border. with a force of about 5000
men VINO are supplied by thousands of
motor trucks running heavily guarded
through -500-yard strip of Mexican
country Carranza says he cannot so
on and he does not: Uncle Sam will
not send the recall order nor let him
go after Villa Meanwhile the bandit
chief is growing stronger every day.
Regulars Don't Shoot Back
Mapss says that although the reg
ulars don't shoot back across the line
when they are sired upon by the Next
can shippers who are continually pep
pering out of tall grass, the
militiamen are not yet so well discip-
lined and do not always follow the
exacting order that is enforced on the
shooting habit The temporary sol
diers have not yet learned to sit pas
sively and wait always wait, when a
greaser bullet picks off comrade at
their side and he crEmbles up in a
heap and passes out quickly.
The militia boys were certainly a
green lot when they came to Mexico
and IL this big war game Uncle Sam
is playing to the tune of about $1,000
900 a day down I'm the great southwest
has done nothing else, il has con-
elusively demonstrated how poorly
prepared the United States was for an
emergency and has shown just how
inadequate our whole military organi-
cation really was says the captain.
All Soldier Boys There
Practically every regular soldier in
the states. is now at the border and
the garrisons of Alaska, the Philip
pines, Panama and Hawaii have been
depleted. Hawaii has probably the
best standing army now, outside of the
Mexican border, of any place In the
United States, while Alaska has only
enc battalion of four companies Even
llOLl oliN
Atlantic coast defenses have been TAX
en- to the border, according to the mli-
tary man.
The militiamen want to go home,
according to Mapes, and are chatting
under the continued inactivities. Gen
orally they are eager and willing to
learn the war game, but see little rea-
son in sacrificing their positions,
homes and savings to play soldier for
Uncle Sam when they are not needed.
Generally they were very green and
raw when they came to the border
because about 60 per cent of their
numbers were excepted from duty on
account of physical disabilities and
that number was substituted with
men who had never been in uniform.
The s1oo,ooo,ooo Company
One Of the most amazing statements
made by Mapes about the militia is
that one Massachusetts company OF
about 1l2 men represents wealth OF
$I00,000,000. This is the Ancient &
Honorable Artillery Company of which
Miles Standish of Longfellow and Pu-
ritan renown was the first captain. 1t
has continued as an army company
ever since but has been changed to an
infantry organization although 1t still
retains the original name.
"The company fund of this bunch
was $4,000 laughs Mapes, "and
money is no object to that company.
When one of the privates told his dad
the machine gins they were using
were not the best, the father asked
n, c1Nnl-a for fhp
new lewis gun and the good old dad
sent down carload. This was the
first Lewis gun to arrive. Now there
are ESQ of them, mounted on Ford
chassis which fly over the desert cac.
tus. sagebrush and all, just like an
Indian cayuse.
The captains own company is
known as the motorcycle and armored
car company. There are three of the
latter with seven men each and the
remainder of the company is divided
into three men each. for the motor.
cycles
Gen. Gonzales Gives Cigar
Capt. Mapes says the Mexican gen.
eral, Gonzales, is a ~sood scout and
is imbned with a certain amount OF
humor not unlike that of the Yankee.
He tells the following story to prove
il:
Two American privates Of the reg
nlar army, knowing they were not al
lowed across the international line
on the fridge from FL Paso to Juarez'
although the MeXicans came this way
without interru: ton, met a private.
militiaman who passed the time of day
and asked where the regulars had
been. They told him the Mexicans
were giving great festival. with lots
of pretty girls, in Juarez and that an
American was more than welcome
and could not spend any money if he
wanted to. The militiaman swat
lowed it all, went across the line, was
taken prisoner and dragged before
Gonzales. When the latter heard lis
story he gave him a cigar, detailed
4 Mexican corporal to show him the
civ sights which he had come to see
and then told him to 20 home and