The Coconino sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1891, 1891-08-15
She Was n Heroine,


pasture land, sweeping through thick
cts and fording a creek which seemed
to be all turns and elbows, man
about ten feet from me on the lett
dropped dead. NV company was on
the extreme left of the line, you see,
and the man was tanker. He had
been shot from the window Of an
humble looking cabin which stood in
open ground about rife-shot away.
Sergeant take ten men and clean
those bushwhackers out and burn the
house," was the order | got from my
captain, and minute later had
squad marching away.
There had been more or less fight
ing over this same ground all the
forenoon, and the artillery and mus
kerry fire had been pretty hot. We
were now driving the line, and as
we advanced we found many
of the dead still lying whore
they fell. 1t wasn't lawful
warfare for bushwhacker to hide
away in farm house and shoot SOL
dier in the back. Even If battle
was raging such Il deed smacked OF
murder. II he could shoot it was his
business to be in the lines opposed to
us. Then If his bullets found hui
man target it was the chances OF war,
and il he happened to be captured by
us he would be treated as a prisoner
of war.
How many men were in the house
we could not say, but as soon as in posi-
tion we opened fire on the doors and
windows. Not shot was fired in re-
turn for three or four minutes.
Then one OF my men at the wall, who
had exposed himself, got bullet in
the shoulder and crawled away TO
hide under a bank OF earth. Our
bullets soon riddled doors and wind
ows, and must have searched every
part OF the house. We expected to
see three or four men dash out
and make run for it, or white flag
to be displayed in token OF surrender,
but all was grimly silent. About ten
minutes after my man had been shot
one of the men at the shed got his
head out too far while shooting and
received bullet in return. 1t didn't
kill him, but carried away the right
half of his upper lip and moustache,
passed through his cheek. carried
away four teeth and split his ear, and
after term in the hospital he was
discharged and sent home.
That was two killed end two
wounded and all apparently by the
same weapon. We knew it to be an
ordinary rifle by the whip-like crack
of its report. But there might be
three or four men in the house for all
we could determine. We kept blaz-
ing away at doors and windows on
the chance Of hitting some one, and
from the silence OF the next ten
minutes felt confident that we had
disabled them. All OF us were up
and half way there when rifle bar
rel was poke through broken pane
and fash followed. The ball grazed
my cheek and struck the man behind
me in the forehead and dropped him
dead. Next moment we were at the
doors, front and back, and they were
banged open with crash.
This is what saw: "A boy SOL
dier lying dead on the floor with an
arm torn of by a fragment Of shell.
On the bed was a gray-haired woman,
with bullet wound in her face.
Standing in the corner Of the room,
proud and defiant with the unloaded
rifle in her hands, was girl OF ia
regular country belle in grace and
beauty.
II can do no more. Shoot us II you
willrn she said as she confronted us.
AYE! shootr added the mother.
There lies my only boy, kill by your
guns this morning. lie here wound
ed, and my gal jim has dropped four
or five of you to get even! One gal
to dozen soldiers. Come and finish
your work."
But we simply took the rifle away
and left them with their dead, and we
pitied them even as we smarted with
our own loss. zee go.