St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-15
LEFT AMONG THE DEAD.
Awful Ree1llectiols of a Wounded Sol
der in Turkey.
SCENES OF CARNAGE.
Rescued at Last by Gomrades---A
Strikingly Realistic Descrip-
ton.

UEdncueS anu IIHOS 10 lall at our I6tt.F
As we wendell our way through the
blooming hawthorns on the skirt of the
wood the shower of balls became ter
rife. Siderof, a young soldier of COM
pany A, suddenly fell forward. | shall
never forget disappearing glance as the
blood gushed from his mouth. An in--
slant after his eyes closed in death.
caught a glimpse of the man who
fired the shot. He was tall. heavily
2 built Turk. l ran toward him. though
was sick and famished. Suddenly l
heard report. something passed rapidly
before me, and my ears tingled.
''IIe'has fired upon me-" l thought.
The same moment my enemy uttered a
shrek, as he erawled through the
thOrny bushes. With blow 1 broke
his gun, and then buried my bayOnet in
his heart. l heard cry. between a
grOan and howl. Then l ran.
The others shouted 'HurTahi" Sew
raj fell around me. / remember dis
charging my gun two or three times.
As we entered an open plain the cry
"Hurrah" became stronger. ana we all
charged upon the enemy. No. not all,
for l fell to the earth and could not stir.
| was astonished at this. and my as
constituent increased when | no longer
heard anything, neither shouts, COM
mands. nor reports. l saw,only some
thing blue-the sky. perhaps. An in
slant afterward | aid not see even this.
The sensation was novel one TO me.
There | lay with my face toward
the earth, on which l saw only a
few blades of grass. over which a
tiny ant crawled. could gaze at this
my whole world-with only one eye.
The other was covered with something
hard-perhapS branch against which
my head had fallen. My position was
extremely painful. [ wished TO change
it, but il was impossible to do SO. l
heard the Tasping of grasshoppers and
the buZZing of bees. then came silence.
AT length. by great effort. | drew my
arm from under my body and supported
myself on my two hands. | wished TO
get on my knees, but pain shot like
lightning from my legs to my breast,
thence 10 my head. Again l saw moth
ing.
When l reawakened | wondered how
l happened 10 be beneath the star
spangled sky. Why was | not in my
tent? VINO had taken me from it? /
tried to rise. but | again felt the eXcru-
eiating pain in my legs. and it dawned
upon my mind that had been wounded
in the skirmish. Was my wound fatal?
| touched the part of my legs in which
| felt the pain. They were covered
with coagulated blood. The agony, like
a continual jumping toothache, became
more intense at the contact of my hand.
There was buZZiEg in my ears. and
my head felt heavy. Why had they
left mere alone?
HIDDEN FROM SIGHT.
With agOnleS worse than death | man.
aged to sit up. How often. since my
distress began. had dispaired of doing
even this. Above me | could see
large brilliant star. around which
twinkled mirades of smaller ones. |
was completely surrounded by thick
dark bushes.
Now | understood why nv comrades
had overlooked me, and my hair rose as
j thought that | should never be found
here. The stars locked like iiyid sears,
the rising moon seemed like wreath.
All what blessed thing it is TO have a
roof above the head at night.
heard strange sounds. The air
was full OF heart-rending cries.
Did they come from some tor
tured wretch near me? l looked around,
but could see no one. GOdl it was nv
seIft hat groaned. What plaintive cries
uttered. Could it be that my pain was
50 AItdN Nlldt L lOSt dill hllQn1Ct Vi lUN
own identity? Yes. l suffered a thou
sand deaths, though l hardly realized
it, because my head was 50 heavy. Oh.
if [ could Sleep-Sleep-slee forever!
l cannot tell how long | lay upon the
ground with my eyes shut though |
was not asleep. Through my closed lid
l at length felt the cruel rays of the
sun. l no longer wished to stir.
1t must have been yesterday that |
was wounded. a day has passed. How
many more must go by before | die?
Oh. if | could but keep my brain from
working! Millions of thoughts torment
me- Oh, my pains cannot last long.
They must end soon. Two or three
lines must be inserted in the papers
about the skirmish. ''Our losses are in
significant. So many wounded, one vol !
unteer killed" [ shall not be men-
toned: only Siderof's death shall be re-
corded.
The sun grows scorching. l open my
ewes upon the same bushes. the same |
sky.
Thank God. am not alone. have a
neighbOr there. Oh, heavens. it is the !
TuTk-a corpse. How large he looks. !
Yes. it is he. There he lies covered |
with blood. Why did kill him? What !
accurSed destiny has sent him here?
Who was he? Perhaps. like me, he has
an aged mother. l picture her seated |
at the door of her hut. stralning her I!
eyes to see her darling son-her one |
consideration. her only support.
ALONE WITH TSIF DEAD.
Alasl il never occurred to me, when | !
set out for the war. that / should inf1iet 1
pain and death. / thought only OF the |
way in which l should bare my breast |
to the enemy. With this feeling l |
marched forth, and l have done my |
duty. What has been the result? [ |
have made monster of myself, and |
this door fellow (he wore the Egyptian |
uniform) is less guilty than |. Before !
being packed like herrings on war |
ship, and brought to ConStantinOple, he |
and his comrades had probably never |
heard of Russia and Bulgaria.
He was commanded to fight, and he |
obeyed. Had he refused he would have |
received some hundreds of stripes, after |
which bullet would have been lodged |
in his heart. AS he retreated over a !
long and rough road from StambOul to |
Rustchuk we attacked him, and he de- !
Tended himself. Seeing that his rifle |
could not brighten Us he lost all pres |
ence of mind; then a little soldier that |
he could have killed with one blow of |
his black fist. buried his bayonet in his |
heart Whose was the fault?
And now thirst begins TO torture me. |
Where can L get drop of water? Hap |
PLY, l think of the Turks flask. |
make up my mind to get it. l writhe |
toward The dead body. My feet seemed |
nailed TO the earth, and every motion |
redoubles my agony. | weep, | gnash |
nv teeth. l shrek while dragging my |
self along. At length | attain my end. |
There is the flash more than half full.
Oh. | shall have water enough until |
die
Poor victim. you are my benefactoT. l |
commence to drink, supporting myself |
on nv elbow, but suddenly losing my |
balance, fall with my face upon the |
breast OF my deliyerer. A horrible |
stencil tells me that the corpse is be-
ginning 10 decompOse.
The sun is in the zenith, His Great |
dis. . ...e.. see through the trees, looks
red as blood. What will become of my
Of fhfc fnrriH