then we have the jelly-fish, spineless slackers, the pussy-foot pacifists--conscientious objectors, chicken hearted shirkers--and--"let George do it" fighters--coming down to the secret renegades--traitors, and Bolshevist anarchists and bomb throwers-- They have always been the curse of this Nation--the natural result,--as a rule--of the "Melting Pot" that does not melt--breeding a lot of mongrel curs and hybrids that should no longer be a part of our American life. It is feared they will always be with us-- Thus they reasoned--and the propaganda poison spread. These were some of the contributing, but not all of the real causes that led to what soon became almost an epidemic of desertions in the regiment-- The last snow storm in which they had floundered and wallowed into Fort Richardson, seemed to have destroyed the last atom of patriotic ardor and martial enthusiasm among even some of the best of our Indian scrappers-- The loss of Quan-ah Parker's village in the snow, sleet and hail of that black, awful night on the solitary plateau of the "Staked Plains", when the entire command came so near perishing, and the swiftly moving mass of fleeing panic-stricken Indians was "so near, and yet so far"--had taken nearly all of the gimp, snap, and live-wire spirit out of our hitherto bold Fourth Cavalry warriors-- Following this--the terrible monotony of the life--without amusements or recreations of any kind--no athletics or competitions; no libraries--infrequent mails; no hunting except a few men selected on account of their being expert shots (no ammunition then being issued by the Government for that purpose); no theaters or concerts; nothing but the dreary monotonous grind of guard and police duty--detached service, and the rather questionable pleasure they got out of some saloons and gambling hells which generally landed them "broke" and subjects for the guard house and disciplinary measures and more forfeiture of pay, hard labor or other punishment-- These were the causes for the desertion epidemic. During this period of unrest and discontent, however, on account of the conditions described, there were few courts martial, nearly all corrective or disciplinary measures being applied by the Troop Commanders through the First Sergeants, under proper restrictions or limitations by the Colonel-- "Knock downs" and "drag outs" were not infrequent, and at no extra expense to the Government-- Sometimes the victim of an unfortunate "jag" was got under control by a 24 hours sojourn in the "orderly room", a "dip" in a water hole near by, the "boozer" being thrown in a few times "by order", or, if he became too obstreperous, abusive or insubordinate--a "sweat box"--a "30 pound log on a ring", or a "spread eagle on the spare wheel of a caisson" was resorted to to fully control the habitual drunk, shirker or malingerer, all with the knowledge of and under the direct or indirect supervision of the Commanding Officer--