Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-02-07

further in advance the rifle pits. The
distance between federal and confed-
crate pits was not above three hundred
feet in any case. and here and there,
owing to the lay OF the ground, they
were only thirty or forty Certain Of
the pits were reached by covered ways,
from the rear-others isolated. In all
cases two men were detailed to a pit,
and when the siege had fairly begun
they might be relieved at the end Of
two hours or held prisoners, ss IT were,
for eight or ten. On moonlight
night as well as during oil the hours
Of daylight, the firing was continuous
and vengeful. II the night was dark
one. IL slackened of after about ten
o'clock, though person exposing him
self anywhere within range was liable
TO be struck.
From daybreak TO darkness the men
In the rifle pits had no other thought
except to kill. No mercy was shown
on either side, while every trick and
device was resorted TO that u man
might be lured TO his death. The rife
pit was only hip deep, and neither
wide nor long. Two men not only oc
cupied every inch Of room, but were
obliged to assume such positions that
to be penned up there for two long
hours was enough to use one up for
the rest OF the day, to say nothing Of
the danger. Each man must squat
instead of sit or kneel, and ten min.
utes in that position puts dozen
kinks into the spinal column. From
the day those pits were occupied to
the hour the soldiers left them ii was
kill kill, kill. Many Of the men dc.
tailed were armed with fine rifles or
shotguns II the latter arm was used
it was loaded with coarse buckshot,
and Its contents were almost certain
to wound or kill To fire with any ac-
curacy one had to raise his head until
the eye could glance along the sights.
If he had his head up and was ready
to pull the trigger when one Of the
men in the opposite pit started to do
the same thing the latter got bullet
IN the forehead or had the top of his
head blown off. The advantage was,
OF course, with the one who was in the
position first. When the occupants of
a pit suspected that it was "held up"
BY tho other side one Of the pair got
his rifle all ready for quick shot and
the other resorted 70 trickery TO draw
the fire Of the enemy. There were q
dozen articles practiced, A hat or
cap might 10 slowly and cautiously
elevated on stick, hand thrown
into the mir or a dummy head ex-
posed This dummy was made OF
wood and painted to closely resemble
4 human head. In some cases glass
eyes and false hair were used to make
the deception more complete Some
would last a week, but most of them
not over two days, One OF them used
in front of Fort He'll had sixty-two
bullets sent into 1t in one day.
II a man was killed in one Of the ex.
posed pits at sunrise there was no way
Of removing the body before night,
and sometimes not then. ! knew
three or four cases where the survivor
had to remain with body for from
twenty to thirty hours II one OF the
pair was wounded little or nothing
could be done, and within two hours
he would have empticd both canteens
OF their contents. was in pit one
day when my comrade received a bull
let In the left shoulder We were both
crouched down and supposed ourselves
perfectly safe. The bullet struck
small stone In the loose dirt hcapel
around the edge Of our pit and was
detected downwards. II was a severe
wound, and within sixty minutes we
hadnta drop OF water left, To stand
up meant death as sure as death can
be, and yet after suffering for another
half hour my comrado determined 10
leave the pit and make break for tho
rear, several hundred feet away lie
realized the danger, but all my on
treaties were useless. lie simply re-
piled that he would rather be killed
than suffer any longer He had to
stand up, thus exposing head AID
breast, before he could scramble out Of
the pit, and 1t did not seem to me that
he had been on his feet five seconds
when he sank down again. To show
you how yigilnnt the enemy were, and
how rapidly the hands OF death move,
J will state that the poor fellow was
struck by five bullets In the head and
neck, lie was not only fired on from
the pit opposite, but from those 10
right and left Had he got out OF the |
pit he would have been struck By