Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1898 — BUNCH OF WAR STORIES. [ARTICLE]

BUNCH OF WAR STORIES.

Incidents that Enliven the Round of Life in Military Camps. A corporal in one of the regiments down at Chickarnauga Park had become entangled with a difficulty, and as a result of it, added to an accumulating of a similar kind, he was called to ap j pear before the colonel of the regiment. “Corporal Jenkins,” said that officer, severely, “you are a fine soldier and a sensible man, and you ought to conduct yourself differently,” “I was drunk, sir,” explained the corporal, very contritely. “That is no excuse. Don’t you know it is wrong to get drunk?” “Yes, sir,” admitted the corporal, Avithout cavil. “Then AVliy do you do it?” “I can’t help it, sir.” “You cannot excuse your fault that way, sir,” said the colonel, sternly. “You know you can if you want to.” “But I can’t, sir.” “Yes, you can,” insisted the colonel. “A man can help doing anything if he puts his mind to it.” The corporal stood up straight and saluted. “Beggin’ your pardon, sir,” he said, “but do you think when 1 heard that Uncle Sain had got into a scrap with them dirty,, cigaroot-smokin’ Spauyards and was askin’ his boys to take a hand with him to lick ’em off the face of the earth that I could help dropping everything right then and there and grabbin’ up a gun and takin’ a hold Avith the old man and the other boys? Say, colonel, do you think a man about my size could help doin’ just wbat I done and bein’ right here ready Avhen he says the Avord?” The colonel was stumped for an in stant. Then he got up and took the col ■ poral’s hand. “Get out of this,” he said hurriedly; “get out, and if you ever get drunk again I’ll have you put in the guard bouse and nailed up until the Avar is over.”

The facility with which the negro coins -words to suit every occasion is always marvelous. The day the District of Columbia regiment embarked for Chickarnauga was, of course, a great day for Washington people and the sideAvalks in front of the revueAving ground was packed to suffocation by colored and white. At one time the congestion of the crowd was really dangerous and an old colored man whose wool was Avhitening Avith age said as he struggled along, wiping the perspiration off his face with his arm: ;“My Lawd! I never see sich a state ob jammeration in all my bawn days!”

“We are a pig short in Mississippi City,” protested a resident of that locality, “and we want to know if Uncle Sam is going to pony up or the Arizona packer avlio yanked it aboard the train Saturday when it slowed up. Everybody about the town had turned out to see the soldiers, as we thought they were, go by, and a white pig was on hand, too, to take in the sight. The train hardly stopped long enough for us to see anything, but that didn’t deter a long-haired individual from the plains from swinging off and, whirling his lariat in the air quicker than you could bat an eye, he had that poor, lonesome pig fast. It all happened in a minute, and evidently willing hands helped to jerk the pig aboard, an unwilling passenger.”