The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-27
SHOI WITH AAOSERS
Wounded Men Tell About
Their Sensations.
LITTLE PAIN AT FIRST
Men Either Killed Outright or
Soon Recover.
LITTLE PAIN AT FIRST

| brought down by a Mauser bullet:
The hrst Mauser bullet that slew Ser
geant Hamilton Fish, thefrst American
officer to die on Cuban soil. passed clear
| through his body. Fish at the time was
lying full length on the narrow trail
Beside the aristocratic New Yorker lay
his chum and comrade. Private Edward
| Culver. a Cherokee half from the
| Indian Territory. Culver's body received
the bulle. that passed to him from Fish.
Culver is now a patient at the Staten Is
land United States Marine hospital, and
the Mauser projectile is lodged, perhaps
for ali time, in the soldiers back, near
the spine.
1t is a greWsome memento to carry
around in ones body. But Culver regards
it as a trophy of war that will ever be
dear to him. He considers it a dying
legacy from his sergeant, and says he Will
take it with him to his grave.
OF the great fight in the pass of La
Cuasina no man is better able to write
tnan Private Edward Culver, who now
brings back to America with him. lodged
killed an American officer and who tells
tho story for the first time.
To the Editor Of the Journal:
Under the careful and kindly treatment
I nave had here at the United States Ma
rine hospital, I am recovering from the
wound l received at the battle of the
Rough Riders, and after a brief furlough
shall be ready to go back to the front.
There is much for me to do in Cuba.
The Spaniards killed my best friend,
Sergeant Hamilton Fish, as he lay by
my side. and the score is not settled YET.
I have Cherokee blood in me, and I carry
in my back the same bullet that passed
through his body, and 1 will take it back
to the front with me and stay there un5il
the whole debt is paid and I get revenge.
I know what l have lost, and who is re-
sponsible for Il, and I am going back.
Does anybody believe that 1 have for
gotten srgle moment of that event?
Every day. as ! sit on the edge of my cor
and the hospital surgeon dresses my
wound, it all comes back, and l can hear
Sergeant Fish say to me: You're all
right, old man; but I am done for. You'll
live, Culver" It was an awful hour and
a half that 1 spent beside his CHASTITY
face after he turned over and stiffened out
There was no time lost in that fight.
We got the order TO lie down when the
first shots began to spout from the AM
bush, and 1 was on my stomach on the
extreme left. Fish was some distance
from me. Pretty soon 1 heard his voice
ring cut: Where's Culver?"
Down the line a bit" answered some
one, and before 1 knew it Fish crawled
in on my eft and threw a cartridge into
his gun. 'It's a fine place, Culver" he
said to me, and the next instant we were
peppering away.
Right ahead of u.s. not ten yards. lay
Captain Capron, wounded almist to death
In fact. he was dying. From every con-
ceivable direction Mauser bullets were
flying at Us. There was a perfect hail OF
steel and the dust was flying up in front
Of our faces like sprays of gravel
ish had fired three shots, when all of a
sudden his mead fell forward, and clutch
ing his side, he said slowly: Culver 1
am badly wounded. I can't live"
At the same instant 1 felt something
sting me in the lower ribs and the blood
began to flow through my shirt. I'm
killed too, sergeant" said l to Fish He
was growing paler and paler as the blood
gushed from him. He made a sign for
water and l passed him my canteen. He
pressed it to his lips and wet them. Il
am done for, old m an. Don't mind me.
Thank you for ehdrink. You'll live,
Culver. Youth live
The sentence died with MIN. His great
shoulders shook violently and with his
sun stalk grasped tightly in his hand, he
expired. Just then Captain Thomas, walk
ing along the column and blazing with
anger, came up to US. His eyes snapped
and his voice rose higher than the noise
Of the rifles. Give them hell. boys.
They've killed our captain Fight 10 the
erd! We Will die right here. Shoot TO kill
and die # we musts with Capronr
In another instant he was 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 We're fat on our stomachs
began to feel faint, and after I had
blood started to flow from my nose and
mouth and ears. I could feel nv peDe-
trated lung rattle with every breath. The
stock Of my sun was smeared with blood
where 7 rested my cheek 10 take aim.
Once or twice tried 20 revive Fish bv
rubbing his arms. But he was dead and
beyond all aid. Ny eyes felt heavy. and
/ heard dull roaring sound in my ears.
Up and down the line the whole column
was pepperinS away and not a man was
iIncAins. l could feel my heart beat
slower and slower Il became difficult then
for me to handle my gun. I always took
steady aim though, and / know I killed
a third OF the men l shot az. am a
Cherokee and l can shoot. and did shoot
that day.
The hot sun poured down on me ike lead
and the blood began 10 set sticky on the
gun stock. 1t even clogged the breech.
SIX shells q a time slipped into me mag
aziae and with each shot the effort be-
came more painful Presently a Mausar
bail came singing along and knocked the
rear elevation sight from my gun. The
shock was too much for me. ! tried 70
fire back. Ny throat throb0ed and the
noise IN my ears sounded ike cannonad-
Ing. I tainted.
canno, tell now long I lay unconscious.
But after a while came 10. The line was
SIN unbroken. Pun after pun Of smoke
broke from the ambush or al the sides
and the bullets seemed 70 come faster. /
turned 20 the man next 10 me. I. was
Thomas Mier. Of Troop I. from my part
OF the country
Don't let EN- take me alive. Tom 7
said. IL the Spaniar6S sc; away with
Us XIII NE herore I'm taken prisoner
i cant promise 20 XII You. Ed" ne re-
Piled but I'll stay by you until were
bo,h dead. II you are badly wounded T.!
carry you back now"