Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-07-21 | Page 18 | Stuttering Squad Leader's Tongue Goes on Strike

Stuttering Squad Leader's Tongue Goes on Strike Raw Recruits Charge on Prison Camp While Officer Offi-cer Waxes Fearful. A SQUAD of raw recruits was being be-ing drilled yesterday near the "deadline" of the war prison camp at Fort Douglas by a squad leader who is subject to fits of stuttering". Xot noticing how near his aquad was to the warning white posts of the prison camp 's forbidden territory and that his squad was facing the prison camp, the leader gave the command: "Forward march." The squad marched straight toward the prison camp. They ohserved that they were over the forbidden for-bidden line, but the leader did not, and with true soldierly obedience the boys marched straight on. Suddenly the air was rent with shouts from a sentry posted in a lookout box of the prison camp; shouts accompanied by energetic gesticulations and commands com-mands to ''get out." The squad leader glanced at his squad, then at the line of white posts and understood. He started to give the command: "Squad halt." Zzzz-sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-' ' He tried until he was red in the face, but that was all he could get out. The squad marched straight ahead. The sentry waved his rifle and shouted louder. loud-er. The squad marched on and the poor leader stood rooted to the spot trying in vain to sav "squad." " X) it," ' gasped the squad leader in desperation. And, as though the safety plug had been pulled from an over-steamed boiler there burst from his lips in resounding tones the command: "Squad halt." It did. "About face, double quick, forward march," commanded the leader with perfect ease, and back they went over thdead line.