The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-07-19
CHAPTER xxlI-continued.

This punishment IS AWARDED where
there is a doubt as to the willful guilt
of a man who has committed an Of
fence punishable by death.
Then comes the famous field pun
ishment No. /. Tommy has nicknamed
1t "crucifxion." It means that man
is spread-eagled on timber wheel,
two hours a day for twenty-one days.
During this time he only gets water,
bully beef and biscuits for his chow.
You get "crucifled" for repeated minor
offenses.
Next in. order is field punishment
No. 2.
This is confinement in the "clink,"
without blankets, getting water, bully
beef and biscuits for rations and doing
all the dirty work that can be found.
This may be for twenty-four hours or
twenty days, according to the gravity
of the offense.
Then comes pack drill" or default
ers' parade. This consists of drilling,
mostly at the double, for two hours
with full equipment Tommy hates
this, because it is hard work. Some
times he fills his pack with straw to
tighten it, and sometimes he gets
caught. If he gets caught, he grouses
at everything in general for twenty
one days. from the vantage point of
! timber wheel.
Next comes &C. B." meaning soon
| fined to barracks" This consists OF
staying In biIIets or barracks for TWEEN.
ty-four hours to seven days. You also
| get an occasional defaulters' parade
and dirty jobs around the quarters.
The sergeant major keeps what is
known as the crime sheet. When g
man commits an offense, he is
"crimed," that is, his name, number
and offense is entered on the crime
sheet. Next day at a. m. he goes tC
the orderly room" before the captain
who either Furnishes him with &c. b.
| or sends him before the o. @. (officel
commanding battalion). The captain
of the company can only award &c. B.
Tommy many time has thanked
the king for making that provision il
his regulations.
To gain the title of "smart soldier
Tommy has to keep clear of the Grim,
sheet, and you have to be darned smar
to do it.
have been on it few times, most
ly for yankee impudence."
| During our stay of two weeks Ii
rest billets our captain put us through
a course of machine-gun drills, tryini
out new stunts and theories.
| After parades were over, our guns
crews got together and also tried GU
some theories of their own in referenc
to handling guns. These courses ha,
nothing to do with the advancement o
the war, consisted mostly of causing
tricky jams in the gun, and then tn
rest of the crew would endeavor to 10
cate as quickly as possible the caus
of the stoppage. This amused then
for few days and then things came +
standstill.
One of the boys on my gun elaine,
that he could play a tune while tn
gun was actually firing, and demon
strated this fact one day on the large
range. We were very enthusiastic an,
decided to become musicians.
After Constant practice I becam
quite expert in We tune entitled AL
Conductors Have Big Feet"
When had mastered this tune, GU
two weeks rest came to an end, an
once again we went up the line an
took over the sector In front of c.
wood.
At this point the German trenche
ran around the base of hill, on tn
top of which was a dense wood. Thi
wood was infested with machine guns
which used to traverse cur lines a
will, and sweep the streets of it'll
village, where we were billeted Will
In reserve.
There was one gun in particula
which used to get our goats. it had tn
exact range of our elephant dugou
entrance, aud every morning, about tn
time rations were being brought up, it
bullets would knock up the dust on tn
road; more than one Tommy wen
West or to Bighty by running int
them.
This gun got our nerves on edgt
aud Fritz seemed to know 1t, becaus
he never gave us an hours rest Gu
reputation as machine gunners was o
stake; we tried various ruses to loeat
: and put this gun out of action, bu
! each one proved to be failure. an