Huntsville gazette., 1881-09-17
A Soldiers Wife's, HerOism.,

i The good ship paart Castle has Just
brough home to Portsmouth a very re-,
markable woman, who IS a fit and proper
candidate for the newly appointed order
Of St. Catharine, 50 highly, esteemed by
nursing sisters who bear an English
name. From the same vessel was re-
Gently disembarked Major Nee Gregor, of
the Royal Engineers, who advanced up
the Majuba hill that fatal day with l20
men, but only brought back three to tell
the story Of the disastrous oussengagement;
but of all those on board there was no,
more notable person than Mrs. Smith,
the widow, offthe brand master of the
Ninety fourth, Regiment of foot, who
has SO actedtas richly.to deserve the title
of heroine, even in days when chivalry
!, is, comparatively speaking a dead let
ter. Details have yet to be. supplied in
order to account Tor the presence 81
Mrs. Smith at thesbattle of iBrunker'sl
Spruit. A soldiers, wife, is seldom at
the front. Her heart, indeed, is there,
but her loving. eyes are spared the hor-
rors of the actual, 'conhict.81-Sheiis at
home, tortured with an intolerable long
ling, or creeping as far as she, dare to
the din and turmoil of battle abut as a
rule she has to wait till =the rest of us
hear the upshot by word of mouth ten
1derly conveyed, ofibyA the curt tincer-
tainty contained in telegraph dispatch:
The wife of the band d-master. in one of
cur line regiments. appears to have been
an exception to this inevitable rule, for
she was not only here when the lighting.
took place, but was accompanied by her
| little daughter, three years old. At the
battle Of Brunkerls Sprqits the husband
of this marvelously brave woman, was
shot dead at her side: Such a shock
would be enough toiparalyzet a woman
OF ordinary nerve and render her for a
moment helpless. To leave SO attached
a friend, and, as thes ancientss used to
say, $50 dear a head, ''zamid the agoniz-
ing horrors Of the bfood-stained battle
field, is not what many. women
could or would 4 have Il done, nos
matter how strong. VII their inclina-
ton or sense sfOft duty. Bit
brave Mrs Smith, the Lbahd masters
wife, did far more than this to- entitle-
her to the just name of ,heroine. Her
husband was shot, dead; She was her.
I self wounded in The head and So was
her. little daughter. No matter how
serious her own wound was, it is quite
certain that herS chim's Injury was not.
! Very severe, or she would not have left
it. even for an instant. There were,
however, cries. so poignant, so search
ing, SO full of exquisite anguish, that this.
good woman was irresistibly reused to-
the grand duty of humanity. Thinking
nf bo,. II
body of her dead husband sand com.
forting her injured child, this. soldiers
wife became for the moment a saint. In
what she did she was dead to the world
and all its self shness, and she. became
transcendent, if the; story told be true.
Her child had been wounded; but there
were others whowould have died had it
not been for the heroic devotion of this
noble creature. Her call was not to the
dead but to the dying. 81 A narse was
wanted, and she, could not turn deaf
ear to so many sad appeals While the
fight lasted the wife of the dead, band
master busted herself with her hus--
bands dying comrades. She brought
them water when they were parched
with thirst; she istanched their gaping
wounds; while men were crying for
help around her, she tore upiher own,
clothing and bound it around the bleed
ing limbs; she, neglectful of her own
sorrow, appeared where she was most
needed, comforting others, while her
heart was dead within her breast; and
it was not until the din of battle, like
some terrible thundercloud, had rolled
away that the reaction came, and with
it the horror of her forlorn condition. 80
Lo,ldon Telegraph. 3.i1qbrg Bai vi l1