Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-27
TARANTULA TALES
MAKE WISCONSIN
MILITIAMEN Wary
Sleep on Bath-House Tops Instead of
Blanket When Weird Stories
Are Told.
ILLINOIS CHEF A HUMORIST
(From a Wisconsin. Regularly

chances with reported ''tarantulas and
rattlesnakes." In fact, they have
quite determined to give them a wide
berth, the whole camp ground if nee
essary, provided the soldiers are not
sleeping on it.
After tents had been erected follow
ing their arrival Sunday many of the
men were permitted to visit San An
tonic. During their off time they met
with men from other regiments who
had been stationed here some time
From them came weird tales of the
"horrible and poisonous tarantulas"
and other things that infested "the
poor old state Of Texas" These same
stories had probably been told to the
first arrivals as a joke, and they in
turn passed them on.
"By the time the men returned to
camp" said an officer yesterday, ''they
were full ofthese tales and looked as
kance at everything they saw on the
ground. Along toward II o'clock one
of the officers had occasion to ask for
some of the men. When word was
sent to their tents there wasn't
sign of them.
can investigation showed that most
of the tents were likewise unoccupied.
After a search the men were found
lying at full length, in rows along
the tops of the bath houses at the end
of the company streets.
"When we asked them what they
were doing up there at that time of
night, they told US that they were not
going to be bitten up by tarantulas.
1t was then we learned of the stories
that had been told them"
Sleeping cots have not as yet been
issued to the Third Wisconsin, and the
men choose the tops of the lighthouses
in preference to blankets on the
ground.
at isn't that we are so much afraid
of them," said one of the men, "but
I'm blamed if [ want to wake up in
the morning with a couple of those
things making a home, and meal
on me. I don't care if those fellows
were kidding US. There may not be
tarantula here, but there are
spiders, and blamed big one, at that,
I know, because I've killed at least a
dozen already"
Explains Ration System.
Captain Wait Johnson, of the Twen-
ty-Sixth United States Infantry, call
ed conference of the captains of the
various companies of the Third Wis
consin during the afternoon and eX-
planned to them the system they were
to employ in ordering rations for the
men.
Beginning July q and for the bal
ance OF the month to July 81 the
amount of money to be expended per
man per day according to the table
figured out by the War Department
will be 27A cents. The method for
determining the amount of credit that
each company should have at the
Quartermaster's Department at Fort
Sam Houston, he said, was to multi
ply the number of men actually in the
company, discounting those that may
be in the hospitals, by eleven days and
| the total by 27A cents. This amount
will constitute their purchase limit
| for the balance OF the month, and he
cautioned must not be overdraWn, or
the company commander will be re-
sponsible for the deficit.
The men were given their third in
oculation for typhoid yesterday and
| many nursed uncomfortably sore
arms.
Company K, of the Fourth Illinois
Infantry, was awarded the prize in
the company and battalion competi-
tive drills of the Second Brigade, held
Sunday. Captain William K. Naylor,
of the regular army, acted as judge
| for the occasion.
1t is planned to hold these COM
| petitive drills at intervals in the vari-
Gus brigades The First Illinois Bri-
gade will probably be the next to en-
| ter the contest on the maneuver field
of Fort Sam Houston.
One of the chefs in the First Hi
nois Artillery is a humorist. There
are times when he is too busy to give
vent to what is on his mind. Yester-
day morning, however, he was in a
talkative mood and finding a willing
| listener he philosophical on human
nature in a vein that wauld have done
justice to Bill Nye.
Artillery Chef Talks.
"You know" said he, slowly STIR
ring a mess of beans as they simmer
ed over the fire, "soldierin's funny
proposition, and you see lots Of funny
things in uniform. Everything from
bellhops to good fighting men, they're
good soldiers-some Of 'em-regular
fellows. But there are others.
"Now, for instance, we've got a
fellow in camps who's got uniform
| loI+ L .,