Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-02-22

I and cussing! But never aimed NOR
+ deliberately in my life.
? One--two-three-four and fOu
/, men fell dead.
II That didn't stop the rest. Two o
them fired their big guns at me-
2 And then l felt sting run all owe
J, me. The room was full of smoke
r Two got in close to me, their eye'
glaring out of the clouds. One
, knocked down with my fist. You're
r out of the way for while, | thought
The second | shot dead. The othcl
three clutched me and crowded M,
? onto the bed. l fought hard.
broke with my hand one mans arm
He had his fingers round my throat
: Before l could get to my feet wa.
, struck across the breast with stocE
OF a rifle, and | felt the blood rushing
out OF my nose and mouth. Then
got ugly, and remember that | got
hold of knife and then it was cloudy
like, and was wild, aad struck saw
age blows, following the devils up
from one side to the other of the room
and into the corners, striking and
slashing until knew every one was
dead. ..
"All ola sudden it seemed as if nv
heart was on fire. / was bleeding
everywhere. / rushed out to the
we'll and drank from the bucket, and
then tumbled down in a faint
Breathless with the intense interest
with which | had followed this strange
story, all the more thrilling and weird
when Its hero, seeming to live over
again the bloody events of that day
gave way TO its terrible spirit with
wild savage gestures, | saw then
what my scrutiny of the morning had
tailed to discover-the tiger which
lay concealed beneath the gentle ex
terror.
"4ou must have been hurt almos,
to DEATH" | said. FL
There were eleven buckshot il
me. carry some of them now.
was cut in thirteen places. All of
them bad enough to have let out the
life OF a man. But that blessed ole
DIR. Mills pulled ME through it, afte,
bed siege of many q long week"
That prayer of yours, Bill, may
have been more potent for your safety
than you think. You should thank
God for your deliverance." s
80 tell the truth. Kernel" respond
ed the scout with a certain solemnity
in his grave face, Il don't talk about
SIGH things ter the people round here
but alters feel sort of thankful when
L get out of bad scrape."
sin all your wild, perilous adven
lures" l asked him, "have you ever
been afraid? Do you know what the
sensation is? am sure you will moi
misunderstood the question, for | take
1t we soldiers comprehend justly that
there Is no higher courage than that
which shows itself when the conscious.
ness OF danger is keen, out where NOR.
al strength overcomes the weakness
of the body"
Il think l know what you mean
sir, aud I'm not ashamed to say that
| have been so frightened that it ap-
peared as ifall the strength and blood
had gone out of my body, and my face
was as white as chalk. 1t was at the
Whine Greek fight. l had fired more
than fifty cartridges, and | think
fetched my man every time. | was
on the skirmish line, and was work
ing up closer to the rcbs, when all of
a sudden battery opened fire right
IN front OF me, and it sounded as if
forty thousand guns were firing, and
every shot and she'll screached within
six inches of my head. 1t was the
first time | was ever under artillery
lire and | was so frightened that |
couldn't move for q minute or so, and
when | did 60 back the boys asked
me If | had seen ghost? They may
shoot bullets at me by the dozen, and
its rather exciting if | can shoot back.
but l am always sort of nervous when
The big guns 90 off"
Il would like to see you shoot"
"Would yer?' replied the scout,
drawing his revolver; and approach
ing the window, he pointed to a letter
U in a sign-board which was fixed to
the stone-wall of building on the
other side of the way.
THAT sign is more than fifty yards
away. Twill put these six balls into
the inside of the circle, which isn't
bigger than a mans heart"
In an of-hand way, and without
sighting the pistol with his eye, he dis
charged the six shots of his revolver.
afterward saw that all the bullets
had entered the circle.
As Bill proceeded to reload his pis.
toll, he said to me with a naiyete of
manner which was ment to be assur.
ing:
whenever you get into a row do
not shoot too quick. Take time. I've
known many fellow slip up for.
shootin' in hurry"
1t would be easy to fill a volume
with the adventures of that remarka.
BILE man. My object here has been to
make slight record of one who is
one OF the best-perhaps the very
best-cxample of a class who more
than any other encountered perils and
prlyations in defense of our national.
ity.
One afternoon as General Smith
and | mounted our horses to start nm.
On orr journey toward the East, Wild
Bill came to shake hands, say goodbye
and | said to him:
"lf you have no objection l will
write ont for publication an account