Washington telegraph., 1851-08-27
CATCHING BULLETS IN THE
MOUTH.

Dxheld, oxford county, Maine, who ac-
tualiy caught in his mouth bal. dis
charged from musket. He was at the
battle of Bldgewater, in the war of
1912. and while biting off the end of a
cartridge, for the purpose of loading his
gun, was struck by a bail. which entered
the left side of his face, knocked out
eight of his teeth, cut off the end of his
tongue. and passed into his throat. He
raised il went to the hospital, STAYED out
the remainder of his enlistment. and re-
turned home with the bullet in his pock-
et.-E1 Paper.
The New Orleans Picayune, one Of
whose editors was all eyewitness OF
most of the leading battles in Mexico,
copies the foregoing paragraph and ap-
pends to it the following relation:
We can relate an Incident even more
strange than this. At the seige of Mon
terey, in 1916, and while Gen'l. Worth S
troops were advancing to storm the small
fort known as La Soldada, 9 man named
Waters, an excellent soldier belonging
to Captain Ben McCulloch's Rangers.
caught large grape shot directly in his
mouth 1t was fully the size Of a hen S
egg, was rough, uneven in shape, and in
lis course completely carried out four up
per front teeth of the ranger and part OF
the Jaw, cut off the four lower teeth as
with chsel, split his tongue in twain.
carried away his palate. went through to
the back of his head, and striking a ten
don glanced down and lodged under the
skin on the shoulder blade, where it was
extracted by surgeon and safely placed
in the pocket Of Waters for future refer
ence.
No man thought the wounded ranger
could live-he could swallow neither
food nor water We saw him two nights
afterwards, iii a room in the Bishops Pal
ace, which had been converted into a
hospital, sitting bolt upright among the
wounded and the dying. for the nature OF
his terrible hurt was such that he could
not lie Down withou: suffoca;ing. His
face wassswolIen TO more than twice its
ordinsSy siZe-he was speechless, OF
coprse-his wants were only made known
by piece Of broken slate and pencil,
and he was slowly applying wet sponge
to his mouth. endeavorlng to eytract
moisture. which might quench the fever
aud intoerabie thirst under whichhe was
suffering by his side lay Young Ihom-
as, Of Mary land, member of the same
company, who was mortally wounded the
morning after, and who was now dying.
Wounded men, struck that afternoon III
Worlh's advance upon the Grand Plaza.
were constantly being brought in, the
surgeons were amputating and dressing
the hurts of the crippled soldiers by pale
aud sickly candle light, and the groans
of those in grievous pain added new hor-
ror to scene which was at best frlghtfal.
We recoIlect perfectly Well poor tel-
low. struck in both legs by grape shot
while advancing up one of the Streets
He was begging Justify, after one of his
limbs had been smputated, that the other
might be spared him on which to hob
BILE through the world. Poor Thomas.
as gallant spirit as ever lived, finally
breathed his last; we brought Waters a
fresh cup of water with which to moisten
his wounds, and then left the room to
catch an hours sleep; but the recollec-
tions Of that terrible night will not soon
be effected from our memory.
* X X II X X
The above incidents occurred on the
night Of the 23d, aud morning of the Oath
of Septe m0er, 1916. During the early
part of the month of February follow
ing, while passing into the old Saint
Charles in this city, we were accosted
with strange voice by fine looking
man who seemed extremely glad TO see
US, although he had most singular and
unaccouutable mode of expressing HIM
self. We recollected the eye as one we
had been familiar with, but the lower
features of the face. although in no way
disfigured, for the life of US We could not
make out.
"Why, don't you know me?" in a
mnmbIing, half indistinct and forced
manner said the man, still shaking our
hand vigorously; "I'm Waters"
Aud Waters it was, in reality, looking
as well and as healthy as ever. and with
out showing the least outward sign that
he had ever caught grape shot IN hls
mouth. A luxuriant growth OF NOUS
tachous completely covered his upper
lin, and concealed any scar the iron mis-
sic might have made; an imperial on his
under lip hid any appearance OF wound
at that poiut; and with the exception OF
his speech there was nothing to show
that he had ever received the slightest
injury about the face. His tongue.
which was terribly shattered, was par
TALLY henumbed, rendering articulation
both difficult and tiresome; but he assur-
ed US he was every day gaining more and
more The use of it. and in his own words
he was soon to be 'just as good as
new
Ii is needless to say that we were truly
rejoiced to see him-to meet one we had
never expected to encounter again IN
such excellent plight. Any one who