The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-08-18


to Us His eyes snapped ard his
voice rose higher than the noise Of
the rifles. Give them hell, BOYS.
They ve killed our captain, Fight
to the end. We will die right here:
Shoot to kill and die If We must with
Caprou
In another instant he had gone
further down the line and not for an
instant did his encouraging words
sink amid the racket He stood up
all the time while we were Hat on
our stomachs.
l began to feel faint and after
had emptied my magazine four times
the blood started to How from my
nose and mouth and ears. could
feel my penetrated lung rattle with
every breath. The stock of nay gun
was smeared with blood where l
rested my cheek to take aim
Once or twice l tried 10 revive
Fish by rubbing his arms But he
was dead and beyond all aid. My
eyes felt heavy and L heard a dull
roaring sound in my ears. Up and
down the line the whole column was
peppering away and not q man was
finching. 1 could feel my heart
beat slower. 1t became diff
cult then for me to handle my gun.
1 am a Cherokee aud I can shoot
and did shoot that day.
The hot sun poured down on me
like lead and the blood began to get
sticky on my gun stock. It even
clogged the breech. Six shells at a
time 1 slipped into the magazine and
with each shot the effsrt became
more painful. Presently a Msuser
ball came singing along and knocked
the rear elevation sight from my
gun. The shock was too much for
me My throat throbbed and the
noise in my ears sounded like cam
nonading. l tainted.
can not tell how long lay un-
conscious. But after while l came
to. The line was still unbroken.
Puff after puff of smoke came from
the ambush on all sides and the bull
lets seemed to come faster. l turn
ed to the man next to me. 1t was
Thomas Mier, of troop L, from my
part of the country.
Don't let them take me alive,
Tom" 1 said. If the Spaniards get
away with US, kill me before 1 am
taken prisoner
Il can't promise to kill you Ed,
he said, 'but I'll stay with you until
we are both dead. II you are badly
wounded I'll take you back now.
[ could not bear to think of going
back as long as / had a round OF
ammunition and was able to fire it.
What would the folks say at home
in Muskogee2 How would 1t look
to have a man with Cherokee blood
in his veins to leave the field when
his comrades were in danger, and
the fight was at it's height? l could
not stand it so began firing again.
For a few III oments little strength
came back to me and l put every
shot where it counted. The barrel
of my gun got hot, and the forearm
began to shrink away from the bar
rel
Every time I turned to FIJI my
magazine caught sight OF Fish
with his face staring up into the hot
sky. 1t almost set me crazy with
rage to think that be had been killed
at my very side. was beginning tc
choke again with the blood thai
came from my lungs and in a few
moments | tainted once more.
Again l came around and fired 6
few more shots
I fought as long ss 1 could bu
gave out and I collapsed. Thought
was dying when 1 went off the las
time, and knew nothing to the con
trary until came Up in the hospita
aud the boys told ne had emptiec
by belt of forty five cartridges which
/ they found between ne AID the scr
| geant. have a clear recollection 0
firing over thlrty-fve shots. Blu