The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1866-02-10
The Gettysburg Hero.

John Burns is a stoutish. slightly bent
hale old man, with light blue eye. long
aggressive nose, frm-set mouth, express
siVe determination of character, and a
choleric temperament. His hair, originally
dark brown. is considerably bleached with
age; and his beard, once sandy, covers his
face (shaYed once or twice a week with a
fine crop of silver stubble. A short, massy
kind of man; about five feet four or FIVE
inches 10 hight, I should Judge. He was
never measured but once in his life. That
was when he enlisted in the war of 1919
He was then 19 years old, and stood FIVE
feet in his shoes. "But I've growed heap
since" said the old hero.
He introduced me to his wife, slow
somewhat melancholy old lady, in i'll health.
"She has been poorly now for good many
years" They have no children.
At my request he told me his story. He
is of Scotch parentage; aud who knows but
he may be akin to the plowman poet. whose
"arrowy songs still sing in our. morning
air 20 He was born and bred 10 Burling
ton, N. j. A shoemaker by trade, he be-
came soldier by choice, and fought the
British in what used to be the last ''war ,"
l am afraid he contracted bad habits in the
army. For some years after the war he led
wandering and dissipated life. Forty years
ago he CHANGED TO find himself in Gettys
burg, where he married and settled down
But his unfortunate habits still adhered to
him. aEd he was long looked upon as a man
of little worth. Al last, however, when
there seemed to be no hope of his ever being
anything but a despised old man. he took a
sudden resolution to reform. The fact that
be kept that resolution, and still keeps it so
strictly that it is impossible to prevail upon
him to taste drop of intoxicating liquor,
attests truly heroic will. He was after
wards constable in Gettysburg. in which
capacity he served some six years.
On the morning of the first days fight
he sent his wife away. telling her that he
would take care of the house. The firing
was near by. over Seminary Ridge. Soon
a wounded soldier came into the town and
stopped at an old house on the opposite
corner. Burns saw the poor fellow lay
down his musket, and the inspiration to go
into the battle seems then FIRST to have seized
him. He went over and demanded the gun.
what are you going to do with it 30
asked the soldier.
I'm going to shoot some Of the damned
rebels !'' replied John.
He is not aswearing man, and the strong
adjective is to be tai en- in a strictly literal,
not profane sense.
Having obtained the gun, be pushed out
on the Chsmbersburg Pike. aud was soon
in ths thick Of the skirmish,
81 wore high crowned bat, and a long
tailed blue; and was seventy years old. .
The sight of so old man. in such cos
tune, rushing fearlessly forward to get
shot 10 the very front of the battle, of cours,
attracted attention. He fought with the 7tt
Wisconsin regiment, the colonel of which
ordered him back, aud questioned him, and
finally. seeing the old mans patriotic deter
mination. gave him good rife in place Of
of the musbet he had brought with him.
"Are you a good shot 90
"Tolerable good" said John, who is an
old fox hunter.
"Do you see that rebel riding yOndsr .
81 do.''
"Can you fetch him 90
E 81 can try"
The old man took deliberate aim and fred