The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1917-06-29
A Breach Of
Discipline
BY JAMES BRANARD

4
army for the great world war the
obsolete in military science has been
discarded and the men are drilled Tn
trench warfare. including grenade
throwing. the wearing Of gas masks
and all such devices OF modern war
fare. There Is one fort where recruits
were drilled which can hardly be said
to have fulfilled these conditions That
is Fort A, located In the west
Fort A had been turned over to
the army as a station for the drilling
of recruits for the great world war.
The commandant, Colonel Whittlesey,
an officer Of the regular army, who
had grown gray In the service and had
added with each year something to his
stock of army discipline, treated new
corners and old Corners alike, exacting
from each the same rigid observance
of attention to the army regulations
There must be guard mounting In
the morning. dress parade In the after
noon, tattoo in the evening and taps
at bedtime The soldiers were drilled
to march, countermarch, load and fire,
! In accordance with the manual of arms,
and otherwise conform to customs the
colonel had learned some fifty years
before at West Point
What use the men were to make of
these observances In the trenches In
France probably the colonel had not
considered. Soldiers had been prepar-
ed for war by being thus drilled from
time immemorial, and 1t had never oc-
CURED to the colonel That any other
way Of drilling them would suffice
He forgot, If indeed he ever knew, that
General Braddock with his trained
British regulars had suffered defeat
from Indians and had only been saved
from humiliation by Virginia militia
| that had never learned the evolutions
laid down In. the books on tactics. Be
forgot that General Gables at New Or
leans, commanding the best drilled
troops in the world, had been slaugh-
| tered by General Jackson's squirrel
hunters from Tennessee and Kentucky.
There wac one ceremony Of ancient
and honorable standing about the OBJ
servance Of which Colonel Whittlesey.
was very particular. The colors must
be daily raised and lowered at the fir-
ing of the morning and evening gun.
There was no likelihood OF the men pay
ing attention 10 this ceremony In the
. presence Of an enemy occupying par
aIlel zfgzag trench to themselves, but
the colonel considered 1t one Of the
! ways to prepare them for this warfare,
I and II the gun was not fired twice
day ON the minute of sunrise and sun
set WOO betide the culprit whose duty
It was to attend to the matter.
Now, It so happened that Colonel
whittlesey, who was q vidower. was
attentive to widow, Mrs. Eleanor
Andrews, whose son was being trained
at the fort and the lady was staying
with the wife Of one Of the officers on
duty there. Nevertheless his courtship
did not prevent him from being watch
! full Of the neglect of any Of his favor-
its Observances,
Mrs. Andrews had tiny poodle NO
bigger thsp q large rat, and 1t Was
Questionable. should she be obliged to
/. give up either the poodle or her mar
I tial lover. which she would surrender.
The colonel seemed to realize this, and
! Il waS generally admitted that Zip, the
! poodle, was the only living thing at
the post who could violate the coloners
orders With impunity. .EEz ~ D.
! Tho opIy m 70 data 90 :, ,,.,x,, -.
the premises was tho contrivance for
the firing of the morning and even
ing gun. A wire had been stretched
FROM the gun to room which con-
tanned an electrical battery, and key
had been introduced to make the cur
rent which fired the gun. No one was
admitted to the room except the officer
! charged with the firing Of the piece at
the specified time morning and even
ing.
One day after luncheon Mrs. An
| drews, having a headache and not
wishing to have her poodle. desired
some place IN which to shut him up.
she sent word to the colonel asking
permission to put Zip in the gun firing
room. The colonel would not have ac-
coded to the request had 1t come from
any one else, but dared not deny the
lady OF his love. He ordered the key
TO the room to be sent to her. and Zip
was prisoner in the gun room.
Evening gunfre was at o'clock and
8 minutes on that day. sunset occur
ring at that hour and minute. Zip was
placed In the gun room at . o'clock. and
at fifteen minutes past boom was
heard that sent wave of consterna-
ton through the dungeons of Fort A.
The colonel was falling asleep over his
after luncheon cigar. Springing to his.
feet, he rushed from his quarters TO see
who had dared fire the evening gun at
the Beginning Of the afternoon He
met the officer CHI rge,l w..h the OBJ
servance hurrying to the gun room. and
the two went there togethe".
There was Zip hopping /. out ON the
electrical machine, and at the very mo
ment Of their entrance he sprang of
the key.
The colonel charged the officer to
make no ey Dlanation of how the gun