The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-04-20

ed, so muDyi Killed, lVdnOH, private |
from the volunteers. Perhaps they will |
not put the name. Simply, KILLED,
one" A privatei As if they would say
"a dog "
1t was long ago All my life-that is, |
the life when l was not lying here
seems SO long ago. 1 walked in the |
street, where / saw crowd of people |
looking at something white. covered |
with blood. 1t was pretty little dog, |
which had been killed by the tramway.
A man came and carried it away.
Will they carry me away too? Or
shall remain here TO die? How sweet
life seems to me When / saw the little
dog that day, had felt happy. Re-
membrance, why do you torture me;
The past happiness; the present misery.
Homesickness, thou art worse than all
the wounds
1t is growing warm, the sun Is burn
ing. 1 open my eyes and / see the same
bushes, the same sky. but in broad day
light. And there is my neighbor. Yes,
it is dead Turk. What a giant! / re-
member him he is the same killed.
Why did kill him? Why did he come
here? Who is he? Like myself, he may
have an old mother looking out for him.
And 1? And l also. Yes, should like
to change with him. He does not hear;
he does not feel the pain in his wounds,
anguish or thirst. The bayonet pierced
his heart right through.
There is "a great black hole IN his
uniform. This was done by me. did
not want to do it. did not wish to
harm anybody when went to the war.
/ did not expect to kill people. l bad
thought more Of exposing my own
breast to the enemy's balls. And thenp
Fool, fool! And this wretched fellah
Che wears the Egyptian uniformly, his
fault it was still less. He had never.
heard of Russia or Bulgaria. He was
told TO go, and he went. We attacked,
he defended himself. Where is his fault,
and why did l kill him? Why does
thirst torture me? Who knows what
that means? Even when we marched
| through Roumelia, under glaring
| tropical sun, did not feel the thirst as
feel it now. Oh, if some one would
but comet
Good heavensi In his great flask
| there may still be some water, but how
| to reach it? 1t will cost me agonies,
but must try. l begin TO crawl My
| feet drag My weakened hands are hard
| ly able 10 move the lifeless body. There
are but few steps 10 the dead body,
| but for me the distance seems endless.
| / must. Ny throat is parched and burns
| like fire. l should die soon without
| water, but | 60 on. Every movement
| is agony. | scream-I scream with sobs.
| At last reach the flask. There is wa
ter enough to last me until l die. De
whom i have killed saves me now.
try 10 open the flask, but the effort is
too great. lose balance and fall right
on the body of the dead Turk. could
smell the odor of decay. l took long
draft. The water was warm, but fresh,
| and would last me several days. / had
read somewhere that a man could live a
week without food if be had water.
What if l lived several days longer!
Our men are gone, the Bulgarians dis
| persed There are no roads. Die L must,
but instead of three days suffering l
shall suffer week. Perhaps 1t would
be better to end directly. Near my
neighbor lies his gun. / have but to
stretch out my arm. One moment and
all is finished. Shall do it, or shall /
wait? Deliverance or death? No, l shall
have courage. shall struggle on to the
last. If they Lnd re, am saved. Per-
haps my bones are not touched, and then
they will cure me. shall once more see
my home. mother and Mary.
o Lord, never let them know the
truth! Let them think that was killed
at once.
/ am beginning to feel dizzy. My
visit to my neighbor has entirely ex-
hausted me. He is growing black and
beginning to decay. What will become
of him later? / can hardly bear the odor,
and am not able to move. The SUI
scorches my face and my hands. Moth
ing to cover me. If night would but
comet This will be the second, / think.
My thoughts are growing confused.
must have slept long, for when
awoke it was night. My condition is the
same. My wounds hurt. My neighbor
huge and lifeless, is still there.
cannot help thinking of him. Is II
possible that have left all that is dear
and precious to me, that have come
thousands of versts, have starved ano
frozen and been tormented by heat anc
thirst and am now lying here in agony
only in order to kill this miserable Turk
Did / accomplish anything else beside!
this murder!
Murder--murderer And who? II
When longed 10 join the army, my
mother and sister did not keep me back
although they grieved deeply. l wa!
sorry for them, but, blinded, refused
to see their tears. did not understand
how much hurt them. Now do.
If l could but bring back the past
How strange my conduct seemed TO on
friends.
"Madman. you do not know what yo'
are doingi" they had said. How coul'
they talk like this when our countr.
was in question? Where was the low
and patriotism they were constantly ex
tolling? When / aimed at all these laud
ed virtues. y did they call me mad
man? ! went with thousands of others
some Of them like myself, as volunteers
A sharp morning wind stirring th
! bushes reminds me that this is my thir'
day of suffering. The third How man.
, moro' 1 am too weak TO move ava
: from the dead body. We shall soon b
equals I am thirsty. l shall drink tire
times q day. morning, noon and night.
The sun has risen. Its great circle
, crossed and divided by the boughs G
( the hawthorn, is red as blood. 1t wi