Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-21
A BATTLE STRANGELY WON.
An Army Put to Flight by One Man and
With the Loss of Only One.

The advance had been well planned by
the attacking force. the idea being to
surprise the enemy ut the dead of night.
Every detail had been carefully consid-
cred. The advance would be hidden by
a wood, and the first the enemy would
know of it would be when the troops
swept ont of the wood and carried the
camp by storm. There were apparently
no pickets in the wood. and there seemed
to be no possibility of a failure.
The colouel-in command was gloating
over his expected victory, when one of
his officers called his attention to
bright light some distance to the left of
the advancing column.
what is it" asked the colonel anx-
iously.
Il don't know" replied the officer.
1T flashed up there only a minute ago"
well, if any one suspected we We're
here he wouldn't go along swinging a
lantern to make target of himself" as
serted the colonel.
The column had barely begun to move
again when a light appeared on the right
and little to the rear of the one that
had just disappeared. Another halt was
made. and the colonel was tempted to
order a volley III the direction of the
light, but of course that would betray
the exact VIII areahouts of the column
and would be almost suicidal.
I'VE are being surrounded" exclaimed
one of the officers excitedly.
Then light appeared in the shrubbery
Immediately ahead of the retreating col
umn. The first man yelled Rifle pitt
and cleared the whole thing at one
bound. The second man was not So for
tunate. He stumbled and fell, and as
he fell he instinctively made reach for
the light. He was the only man. killed,
but his death completed the panic Ranks
We're broken, and the retreat became a
wild race to get ont OF the wood.
And the lights seemed to dance here
and there. appearing at the most unex-
pected points and adding to the confu-
sion.
When the excitement was at its height,
n man climbed out of pit some distance
in the rear of the retreating force. He
stretched himself and peered after the
fleeing soldiers.
Hanged if I wasn't cramped in that
hole" he said. Il suppose might as
well turn 4 cannon or two loose Just to
wake the boys up and scare those foot
racers a little more"
He lay down on the ground at theedge
of the pit. reached his hand down to
some keys on sort of switchboard, and
in an instant cannon doomed out. Then
he raised himself to sitting posture. lit
a pipe and chucliled to himself.
Two or three men rushed up and
breathlessly inquired what the trouble
was.
"Oh. l had little brush with the enc
my" replied the man with the pipe
calmly. They tried to surprise the
camp"
And You beat them"
why, they're running yet"
Quite a crowd from the camp had
gathered by this time, and one of them
cried. Three cheers for the electricianm
but the man with the pipe raised his
hand to stop them.
The credit Is not all mine" he said
Remember my able force of hnemen
who ran wires through this wood and
made it possible for NE to win this VIC
tory
Just then some of the men who Ind
gone into the wood after the retreatiug
enemy returned with the news that one
man had been killed.
Wv hat" cried the electrician. Jump
ing up. He hurried to the place where
the body lay.
TOO bad! Too bad" he said regret
fully, but then accidents will happen.
even il "a battle. He had no business to
catch hold of 4 live wire"
"Oh, we'll. there's no use feeling bad
about ii" put in one of the officers "A
victory has been won, and only one lfe
las been lost"
But why have one lost?" asked the
electrician. "Of course it was tiresome
work in that pit. and when got them on
the retreat | was glad of it, but l never
supposed any one was going to grab hold
of the light. It's too bad"
And the man who had won the victory
could not be consoled.- Chicago Tribune