Arizona citizen., 1872-07-27
saturday. July 27. 1S72.
FROM THE SAN CARLOS.

|
 Three Other Soldiers Severely Wounded.
 SAN CARLOS, A. T., July IS, 1872.
 You have, I believe, already men,
 toned the fact that Troop M, Fifth
 Cavalry, (Captain E. H. Leib and
 First Lieutenant Jacob Almy), had
 been ordered from Camp Arivipai (3O miles southeast from Grant) to the
 site selected for proposed new per-
 manent post on the east bank of the
 San Carlos river, about three miles ] above the Gila. The weather at this new camp where said company has
 been the past two weeks, has been most terribly hot and oppressive.
 Wind and thunder storms have come up almost regularly in the afternoon.
 On Saturday July 13, between 3 and B o'clock P. NJ. (the mercury showing
 no degrees in the shade), there was a severe thunder storm at the San Car los camp. It was characterized by awfully loud and crashing peals of thunder, accompanied by very sharp,
 brilliant and vivid flashes of light ming. Such slogans of heavens ar- tillery were ably never heard be- fore in Arizona. It was truly great Leyden battery discharged. Corporal Charles E. Elward, of M Troop, with privates Frank Butcher, John Gillis and Samuel Latimer were at the time the storm arose out on duty, looking after the herd of horses, on flat some 400 yards from the main camp. Suddenly an alarm was sig naled as if an accident had happened, and Lieutenant Amy and A. A. Sur geon Mullan hastened to the spot, where these four men were, as rapidly 1 as they could; but, alas! too late to effect any good, for that was impossi- ble, for Corporal Edward, who had been sitting on his horse, was knocked therefrom to the earth by the light ming and killed outright. His horse was also dead. The mans hair of head and whiskers were singed and scorched as if by fire There was no fracture of bones, but the course of the terrible current of electricity, so long confined within the arid atmos- phere, was distinctly traceable along the body, from the head downward. There were several contusions also about the body ED. and on the extremities. Edward had a pistol on his waist at the time. Neither barrel was discharged by the concussion.
 Privates Butcher, Gillis and Lati- mer were within from six to ten feet of the corporal. They were all more or less stunned by the lightning-lame in the legs, could scarcely walk. They must for the time being have been rendered insensible by the blow. Butcher states that, a few minutes be- fore the sad occurrence, Corporal FL ward had remarked to them as they were seated upon the ground convers- ing, as follows: "Get up, you men, and put the brides upon your horses and keep them together, as this storm may cause them to stampede" These were the last words they heard him utter.
 Lieutenant. Amy. the next morn ing had the body properly inferred with military honors, the officers and his late companions in arms paying the last solemn rites of burial. The grave, to bear the remains, had been dug just where the poor man and his horse fell, and the echo of the carbines discharged by his sorrowing comrades over his tomb broke the almost appal- ling stiffness of the San Carlos, which no sound of white mans mus ketry at least had, perhaps, thereto fore disturbed. Among that little band of sturdy soldiery an unmoist- ened eye was not to be found-all | dropped the tear of affection over his grave-for Corporal Elward was very greatly respected and beloved by all his comrades.
 The deceased has, it is said, friends residing somewhere in Wisconsin. In citizen life he had been clerk. | His term of enlistment. five years, would have soon expired-September A, 1872. His age was about 2S or 30 years.
 May he have received the crown re-