Many times the argument will become
so warm between Privates "Hicky" Flynn and "Pie Faced" Sullivan that
theology will be settled _a la_ Queensbury out behind the wash-house.
Among soldiers this argumentative spirit is called "chewing the rag."
One morning shortly after Wounded Knee with its direful results had
been fought, I thought it would be a great joke to post a startling
bulletin, just to start the men's tongues a-wagging.
So I wrote the following:
"Bulletin
"San Antonio, Texas, 12 | 26, 1890.
"Reported that the 6th and 9th Cavalry were ambuscaded yesterday by
Sioux Indians under Crazy Horse, and completely wiped out of
existence. Custer's Little Big Horn massacre outdone. Not a man
escaped."
I chuckled with fiendish glee as I posted this on the bulletin board and
then started for breakfast. I thought some soldier would read it, tell
it to the men of his company, and in that way the fun would commence. My
scheme worked to perfection, because some of the men of G Company, (mine
was D) had seen me stick it up and had come post haste to read.
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