The daily gazette., 1874-09-02
PRICE .I9CENT.

he to anything like, display. When
asked him in private, one day, how
and wherc'he had acquired his skill, he
replied 81
"Oh, have no skill to speak of in
the matter, Ipicked up trick or two
of the sort at Heidelberg-that is all"
In this way we learned -one thing
after another about the man, though
he vouchsafed us no information about
his past history, except SO much as We
had learned in mastering him into SER
vice. 1t consisted of but one fact
that William Russell was born in Ken
lucky and that single fact was false
hood, as Russell afterwards informed
me.
One day, some months after his en-
| listment, there was an explosion in
camp. A chief of caisson had been
tinkering with shell, which burst
in has hands, literally blowing one them
off about midway between the wrist
and the elbow. When l came to the
poor fellow he was lying on the ground,
the blood purting out from the severed
| artery.
The surgeon had ridden away, no
one knew whittier, and was compile.
| tely at loss to know what to do.
| Before ! had time TO decide anything,
| however, Russell pushed his way
through the crowd: drew out his hand
kerchicf, mottcd it and quickly tigh-
tened it around the mans arm.
''Will you please hold that firmly
and steadilye" said he, in the calmest
possible voice, to one of the excited
men. Then turning to men, and touch
ing his cap, he said:
| "Will you allow me to go to the
doctors quarters for some necessary
things? l think j may help this poor
fellow"
| Certainly" | replied, 'If you can
do anything for him, do it by all
means"
He walked rapidly but without
sign OF excitement, into the hospital
tent, and returned almost Immediately
with some bottles and u case of instii-
ments. .
Captain" said he, again touching
his cap, twill do me the favor to put
your finger on the corporal's pulse, and
observe its beating carefully? If it
sinks or becomes irregular, please let
me know immediately"
With that he saturated handker-
chief with chioroform, and directed
ono of the men TO hold it to the wound
ed mans nose.
'What are going TO do?" asked in
astonishment '7z
Il am going TO amputate this mans
ann, ii you have no objection, captain, -
he returned, as he opened the case OF
instruments. And amputate it he did
in q most skillful manner, as the sur
geon testified on his return. The opera
tion over, he gave minute directions
| for the care Of the wounded ta,aii,. and
returned to his tent.
My astonishment may we'll be i'm
agined. The men, however, We're moi
surprised. Their faith in Russell was
unbounded already They had so
often seen him do, as an expert, things
nobody had imagined him capable OF
doing at all, that they come to think
him equal to any emergency, as indeed
it seemed he was.
For myself, l am free TO confess that
my curiosity, was sharply piqued, and J
determined to question Russell in detail
about himself and his past, at the first
opportunity. When the opportunity
came. however. the mans modest digni-
| ty and evident gentility so impressed me
| that could not bring myself to do any
!, thing SO rude and discourteous. ! con
tented myself with saying:
| "Why, Russell, | did not know You
were surgeon"
81 can hardly claim to be that he re
piled, though ! gave some little atten-
tion to the subject while was abroad"
| 1t then occurred to me to suggest the
propriety of his asking for O surgeons
commission, as it was reallya pity that
man so accomplished as he should re-
main private in q company made up
almost entirely of ilGterate mountain
eers, but he refused to entertain the
idea for moment, saying:
81 am entirely contented with my LOT,
captain"
One day, not long after the occurrence.
Twas playing at chess with Russell. and
lapropos of something or other, J. told
him an anecdote illustrative of Japanese
character.
Pardon me-" he replied, ''but you are
misinformed," and straightway he pro
ceeded to tell me many interesting facts
with regard to the Orientals all of which
were evidently the result of observation.
1t came out, presently, that Russell had
been an officer in the United States Navy,
and that he had gone to Japan with Com
modore Perry's expedition. In, subse
ouent conversations he told me many
anecdotes OF the expedition and OF sea
life generally, with which he was appar-
entity very familiar.
| TO DE COMPLETED MORROW.
l