Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-10-28
CORPORAL BUCKSKlN'S STORY
He Won His Stripes In a Remarkable
Nam er.

He Won His Stripes In Remarkable
Mani er.
When the Old Soldier club had been
called to order by the veteran, he an.
nounced that Corporal Buckskin, whose
real name was Boosgene, would narrats
one of his experiences-that experience
in fact, had made him corporal.
The corporal blushingly pulled the
soap box he was sitting on, out in the
middle of the floor and began:
ut happened down there on the
Potomac" he said, zone day when there
wasn't much going on-a sort of be-
tween-meal affair, but not pleasant
while it lasted The enemy had punched
over in some woods and about forty of
us hauled up twenty-pound smooth
bore gun and thought we would have
some fun dislodging them. There was
small frame house not more than two
hundred yards away and we tried to get
behind it, but we couldn't reach 1t and
they couldn't We got the gun IN
position in some bushes, with low
heavy tree right over it, and blazed
away once without much damage,
and while wo were loading the
second time, thinking we had it
all our own way, they made
rush, about fifty of them, and
got into the house. Then they
opened on us, and though we had got
the gun SO it covered the house and had
It all ready to touch off, I'll be blamed
if they didn't make it so hot for us we
had to skedaddle. That is to say ev-
erybody did but me, and went up the
big tree and hid in the leaves. di.in't
want to be there bit, | can tell You,
but there was no help for it; was t'eed
and nothing short of providence was
going to save ME. | Rugged the tree
close and was scared half to death un-
til they let up shooting, and then got
cooler and began to look around and
figure on getting away The can 1on
was right under me, almost within
reach, setting in the sun as harmless as
baby on fence, and likely to rempir
SO as long as the other fellows were in
/
the brushes out of sight, waiting 'or
night to come on or for something tc
turn up to change the situation. In the
meantime, was doing deal of thir X
fling up that tree Twas hugging a lirnt
so tight that after while something ir
my pocket began to hurt me in the ribs
and reached in to see what it was and
found sun-glass some of the boys haC
picked up and had traded me for o jack
knife | had the uncomfortable thing
out in half minute and was going tc
throw it away, when all of sudden
noticed the cannon down there in the
sun all ready to be fired if only any body
could set q match to it. Thinks ! tC
myself, what's the good of a sun-glass;
So crept out on the limb as quiet rs
could and got close enough to the gur
I to get focus on the touch-hole. 1t wa
most too far away. out | held her OF
the best ! could for about five minutes
when bang went the cannon, and a
I'm sitting here, | tell you, it blowet
that house clean over and full of hole
and didn't leave n map that could run
Nary man, and before anybody ha'
time to move on the other side our fel
lows jumped out of the bushes ant
yanked that cannon under cover anC
kept it there. The Jar of the sho
knocked me off the limb and / broke HI
arm in the fall, but the stripes they pu
on it cured it pretty quick and didn'
, complain.
, Corporal Buckskin's story excite
some doubts in the minds of few c
his listeners, but when he pulled hi
sun-glass from his pocket and Shove
, it as the identical glass, the testimon
was considered competent, and every
! body came forward and congratulate
| him,-Detroit Free Press