Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1894-03-09

swept out Of the
camp by storm.
/ no pickets in the WOODY ILL.,
to be no possibility Of a'faiInre; =
The colonel in command waf
over his expected victory
his officers called his al
bright light some distance
the advancing column.
'sWhat is it?" asked thei
iously.
81 don't know" replica
at flashed up there only minute> 5
"Well, if any one suspected we we,s
here he wouldn't go along swinging !
lantern to make target of himself. W a.
serted the colonel.
The column had barely begun to mov.
again when light appeared on the ricbt
and little to the rear of the one that
had just disappeared. Another haltvas
made, and the colonel was tempted Il
order volley in the direction Of III
light, but of course that would hetra,
the exact whereabouts of the column
and would be almost suicidal.
1--WE are being surrounded" exclaimea
one of the officers excitedly.
Then light appeared in the shrubbeyy
Immediately ahead of the retreating Ii.
umn. The first man yelled Rifle pitr
and cleared the whole thing at ous
bound. The second man was not So foc
tunate. He stumbled and fell, and a
he fell he instinctively made reach for
the light. He was the only man killed
but his death completed the panic. Ranh
were broken, and the retreat became
wild race to get out Of the wood.
And the lights seemed to dance hem
and there, appearing at the most uneY.
pected points and adding to the conf.
sion.
When the excitement was at its height
man climbed out of pit some distancs
in the rear of the retreating force. IA
stretched himself and peered after Cha
fleeing soldiers.
Hanged if I wasn't cramped in that
hole" he said II suppose | might d
well turn cannon or two loose Just Il
wake the boys up and scare those foot
racers little more"
He lay down on the ground at theedes
of the pit. reached his hand down q
some keys on sort of switchboard, AMI
in an instant cannon doomed out. Tbm
he raised himself to sitting posture, lit
pipe and chuckled to himself.
Two or three men rushed up and
breathlessly inquired what the trouble
was.
"Oh, l had little brush with the enc
N.Y." replied the man with the pip
calmly. "They tried to surprise Tie
camp"
"And you beat themY'
"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 electrician
but the man with the pipe raised hi.
hand to stop them.
1.-THE credit is not all mine," he said
Remember my able force of linemen
who ran wires through this wood and
made it possible for me to win this VIC
tory"
just then some of the men who haa
gone into the wood after the retreating
enemy returned with the news that one
man had been killed.
"What" cried the electrician, jump
ing up. He hurried to the place where
the body lay.
"Too badl Too badl" he said regrsE-
fully, "but then accidents will happen
even in battle. He had no business 70
catch hold of live wire"
"Oh, well, there's no use feeling bad
about it, put in one of the officers. "A
victory has been won, and only one Life
has been lost"
''But why have one lostY' asked tho
electrician. "Of course it was tiresoms
work in that pit, and when got themon
the retreat was glad of it, but never
supposed any one was going to grab hold
OF the light. It's too badI'
And the man who had won the victoD
could not be consoled. Chicago Tribune