The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-03-29
DID He DO RIGHT {?
Trying Experience of an American
War Correspondent

Ihave al my lifo been accustomed
20 get upon my own Judgment, but
an uo- going 50 much 10 tell you a
story as 80 ask you whether ! did right
on ono trying occasion.
The lfe OF q war correspondent Is,
cs yoI fellows very well know. in
many rerpccts hard one, but1the cor
respondent OF a paper not unfrequentIy
sees moro Of what is gong on in a
campaign than the soldier himself, and.
being comparatively unattached and
able ~ nearly all times 10 search a
fruitful field for stirring Incidents.
his mind rapidly becomes stored
with a vast collection OF incidents,
tragic aud comic. humorous and seri-
Gus, dramatic and insignificant. which
too often crowd one another out OF his
mind and only recur TO him when
some special circumstance arises 10
suggest :Lem- The campaign of the
autumn and winter Of 1885 in the
Balkan Peninsula, though short, was
not devoid of such Incidents, and there
was one witch has branded it indelibly
upon my mind. had been in Paris
by number Of American newspapers
to 90 70 the front as their correspond
ent - F7''--'ry----r.
We were q merry crew in the CORE
sponient's tent, but there is something
sinEularly callous about a correspond
ent after he has been through q cam
paign or two-they seldom get killed,
though the fate of Saint-Leger Her
bert, Power and Donovan, who fell at
my side in the SOudan, are exeInpHf-
catiJnsof the provcrb that ''the excep-
tion proves the rule" Still. when the
days fighting is over. when the cur
tain OF night has fallen upon the drama
OF war and the treble OF the infantry
and the bass of the artillery are at
rest, IL is not without q certain grim
hunor that the correspondents look
round for each other TO count noses
OF al the bright Joyous little fel-
lows that l ever met in the field or
elsewhere, MDxIne Durand was the
brightest example. He was the spec
lol correspondent in the Balkan PENN
sula Of Get IA say) the La France. his
real name rs also that of the paper for
which he corresponded. together with
certain other tdeutifcatory particu-
lars, l have suppressed for reasons
which VIII appear. He was tho hap
pic~t fellow in our mess He came
from Douai, and on the most gloornv
days aud in the most deadly snow he
would sin : to US sEatches of his Breton
folk songs, echoes of the Charnps
Eiysees and "reminiscences of the Fol-
les Berseres. He and / had made
friends before We met any of The rest
OF the boys. One night when we were
encamped before TirnUva and I had
been sitting up writing some letters
70 leave at headquarters. for we ex-
pected hot day on the morrow and it
was just a toss up" which of Us
''boys' would be alive 20 dine on the
following evening, / went 70 the Assd-
quarter lines and left my dispatches.
and rs I got back TO the correspond |
eot's tent ] saw dark form standing
az its entrance and the pale face Of |
Durand turned up 70 the moon
light
Cheer up" said, humping him
on The shoulder. you're losing your
beauty sleep and then what will all
those damsels az Douai say when you
get baclz?"
Instead of turning round and chaT-
rr AZ. u -.grfrs f1'a Rr..r, -1.-r