Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-02

equipment of the units of the depot
brigade and the First Pennsylvania
| Cavalry will, in all probability, be
made before the end of the month.
Officers are busily engaged mapping
out the transfers and as soon as the
paper work is completed the physi-
cal transfers will take place. Practi-
! cally all the infantry regiments are
filled to war strength, and it is very
probable that the men of the depot
brigade and cavalry will be sent TO
the engineers, the artillery or to the
signal corps.
What will become of the bands,
the colonels, the majors, the captains
and other officers is not as yet
known. II is very probable that all
captains and lieutenants will be'pro-
vided for, as we'll as a few of .he
majors, but there is bound to be
surplus of colonies as well as gem
erals. The general mentioned in this
connection is Brigadier General
Christopher T. O'Neil. He is former
commander of the depot brigade, but
now that his command is shattered
and is to be scattered to the four
winds of the earth, he is a shepherd
without a flock, and will, in all
probability, be sent to some other
division. Yesterday morning. in
speaking of the situation, the general
smilingly said: Orders are orders,
and soldier must obey"
The colonels of the depot brigade
are: Colonel George e. Kemp, of the
old Third; Colonel Thomas Biddle
Ellis, of the old Sixth; Colonel Maur-
ice L. Finney, of the old Eighth, and
Colonel Ezra II. Ripple, Jr., of the
old Thirteenth. Colonel Shannon, of
the old Fourth Infantry; which was
demolished completely to form ma
chine gun battalions in the recent
reorganization of the division, has
been attached to division headquar-
terS as chief of staff during the alb
sence of Lieutenant Colonel King.
With Colonel Shannon provided for,
the demolishing of the depot brigade
leaves four colonels without COM
mandS. If one of these is placed in
command of the Engineers, which
lacks colonel, and another. in COM
mand of the 10th Infantry, which is
also lacking colonel, there will still
current as to just what will be done
with the four colonels, whether two
of them will be used to fill the va
cancies or whether all will be sent
to some other division.
Sixteen officers of the Twenty
eighth division yesterday afternoon
went to Trenton, S. c., to call on
Senator Benjamin r. Tillman, South
Carolina War Horse" The officers
| remained over night the guests of
| those citizens of Trenton.
Absent without leave cases are oc-
cupying the attention. of officers of
| the division. While the matter has
not become serious it is noticeable,
and a strict lookout is being kept by
the military police for the men, many
of whom are stopping in town with
friends. This was evidenced Wednes-
| day,the day the troops remained in
camp, when several soldiers were
| caught in the net of the military po-
lice on guard in the city to aDpre-
hend all soldiers in town without
passes. Absent without leave is not
q serious offense, although similar
to desertion, and despite the fact that
man absent without leave is gener-
, ally looked upon as a deserter after
being away from camp ten days. To
| prove desertion, however, the intent
! to desert must be shown. The Of
! ficers of the various regiments, to-
| gether with the military police, are
| coping with the situation admirably
| and already it is showing vast i'm
provements over records of a week
or so ago, when, it is understood one
regiment had 124 casss of men alb
sent without leave.
Inc men VINO violate Ine rules are
being thoroughly disciplined and
warned of the dangerous nature of
the performance should it be re-
| peated.
General Price, during the past
week, refused to interfere with the
carrying out of a sentence imposed
upon a member of the division who
! deserted his post while the troops
were still in Pennsylvania. The
man was given two years at Fort
! Leavenworth.
The circumstances of the case are
interesting, especially as it is under
stood that tthe soldier is a former
| Augustan, whose name is withheld.
| The soldier, it. is understood, was on
| guard duty at q bridge when he
placed his rifle against one of the
abutments and departed. He came
! South, even to Augusta. and was ap-
| pretended in South Carolina. He
was sentenced to Leavenworth by a
general court martial.
/ The 10Sth Artillery is the first unit
! to begin firing, and although actual
! artillery practice has not begun, in
| the sense of ammunition, smoke
bombs and blank cartridges have
been pressed into service and are
| giving the men material for practice.