For comedy perhaps Gunner Casey takes the prize. Casey was fu Mexico in 1912 and the only feld" piece his outfit boasted was a one-pounder of ancient vintage that hnd before the opening of hostilities been. rebusing in a public park in EL Paco, Texas, Certain enterprising Mexicans of Amenean Cy took it~ upon themselves to steal the remnant and spirit it across the Rio Grande into Mexico.
Casey came across it when his outfit was in sore straits, being attacked by the enemy in overs whelming numbers. As in every, revolution wild stories had pereolatced from one army to the other as te the equipment of each and tale had been told' that Casey's side was replete with the latest in field picces with a complement of importa Americans to work them.
Bat it ro happened that the handle ing of the gun stumped every man
proached the ex-hobo and suggested'
the army until 9 General only that fe it in hand, with the an adobe' shack on posite aide known to contain the opposition's High Command ax object of attack, Casey was equal to the occasion, Though he knew not the first thing about the duties in hand he Sele that "face" was everything. The un was wheeled to n point of vante age and a host of "Generals" stood" around waiting expectantly.
Coney was somewhat perplexed but did not show it beyond a nerve fous scratching of the head, For a moment he hemmed and hawed then it came to him the first move was, to aim the piece and this he proceed ed to do by opening the breach and ooking through until the desired hack came within view.
Several of those present admitted to one another that they had never seen artillery treated in quite this way before, but doubtless Casey knew what he was doing. He had given glowing accounts of his past activities, 1 Once aimed Casey proceeded to pack the gun for half its length with powder, two sticks of dynamite and whatever else came handy. The remaining half he filled with piece of lead, steel bolts, nuts, and rocks When all was in readiness everyone retired to a safe distance and the gun was fired. There came shattering crash as loud as though 'a mountain had been blown up, blinding glare, and when the smoke leared away it was seen that, strangely enough to Casey, the High Command had been blown to the seven winds, Not a trace of it remained.
'Also it was' seen that the gun was nowhere in the immediate vicinity. but spattered in thousand pieces, completely demolished, and further= more that one of the observing generals had been reduced to a corpse.
But after all what is one Gen= eral in Mexico? And anyhow, the army had another, General Case; As for [Any man who can consistently hold down a Generalship i four armies at once should be,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.