Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-14
ASLEEP ON DUTY, GETS
SIX MONTHS At LABOR
Camp Lee Soldier Falls Asleep While
Guarding Prisoner in Rcgi-
mental lutirmary.
BROWNING GUN APPEARS
Engineers Construct Pontoon Bridge
Part Way Across AppomattoN
Eivcr-Niurc Cooks and Walters
for Next Draft.

4 Especial TO Tho Times Dispatch.1
s., CAMP LEE. March 1$.-f.x
4 Ing circumstances connected with his
oHense was the cause of the reduc-
. ton OF sentence of ten years at hard
4 labor, which had been imposed upon
Private Hunter Bowler. being reduced
to six months At hard labor by Major
{ General Croukhite.
Bowler who is member OF Com
pany b. 31Sth Infantry, is from King
Z George County, Virginia. on Janu-
AIRY 5. while doing sentry 60 NJ Camp
Lee Va. he was found sleeping. IN
time Of war. regardless OF whether
this offense is committed in the war
zone or not. It may be punished with
death. There are now several men upon
!, whom tho death sentence has been
imposed for sleeping on guard while IN
: Franco, whose cases are before the
President for approval When Bowler
faced tho general court he pleaded
guilty to the charge and was SEN
+ fenced 20 ten years at hard labor and
dishonorable discharged from the army
The eXtenuatinE circumstance which
caused tho sentence so be reduced
WAS that Bowler was guarding a pris-
oner In the regineutal inhrmary. The
officer OF tho guard gave tho sentinel
permission 10 sit down and perform
his sentinel duty. There was com
Portable hre burning. Bowler was feel
ing III. He had only dozed 4 few
minutes under these ideal sleeping con-
dftions when no was found. Tho
prisoner he was guarding did not at
tempt to escape. Besides cutting the
sentence TO six months. General Cronk-
hite also suspended that part Of the
sentence carrying dishonorable dis
charge.
The new Browning rino made its
nrst appearance AT any OF the camps
of the country upon the pistol range
of the division this afternoon. Under
Captain Zinn, a regular army officer
who has Just arrived here from Fort
Sill. Okla. the gun was demonstrated
to n class OF officers from the division
school OF arms.
The gun IS lighter than the Lewis
or French Chauchat. which weighs
fourteen pounds l; uses two sizes OF
cartridges. With one II Is capable OF
being fred twenty times and with
the other II IS capable OF being fired
forty times. 1t can be used on both
offensive and defensive movements
Members OF the Three Hundred and
Fifth Engineers to-day constructed a
portoon bridge on the Appomattox
River. The equipment that they have
does not quite extend over the river
but the bridge IS thrown almost to the
other side. First the nontoons or
{ canvas boats are extended into the
\ river. over these are placed the balks
4 and chesses For the benefit OF the un-
/ Initiated, it may 10 stated without vio-
lating any censorship regulations that
i n balk is the beam which connects TWO
or more nontoons. while the chcsscs
! arc the planks which arc laid across
b the balks, forming tho flooring Of the
/ bridge.
The river can be hridEcd By one com
i pany Of engineers with this equipment
( within an hour. The light poncoons
that they used to-day are capable OF
having regiments OF light artillery pass
over them, as well as Infantry organ
izations. Tho heavy pontoons. which
are part OF tho equipment o; TIA. Three
{ Hundred and F!fth Engineers are now
1 being used in the training OF embryo
officers In the engineers training
! school. These heavy pontoon bridges
7 moved. -.
In anticipation %. the. arrival OF
4 mem bers Of the second ora!i, the Schooi
TOR cooks and bakers viii Immediately
begin training 200 additional cooks
Orders have hccn issued 20 unit com
1nanders TO recommend men who are
physically unit for heavy work, par
ttcularly nat-footcd members OF the di-
vision for these positions.
Expert pigeon men arc needed for
servlc. in the pigeon section or the
eisnai corps and orders have been
( issued that any members OF tho dlvl-
f sion who are experienced N the han
J ding or ihe birds be transferred TO
the signal CORPS There arc nearly
Z 100 birds now with The division, ana
they are being trained iu the work
Z that they VIII have TO perform "oycr
there"