The age-herald., 1898-08-28

McComas was but a stripling, barely out of his teens. He had lived all his life on a farm in Western Massachusetts and had not been accustomed to the continuous element of tinseed glory which were the features of his new environments. His parents-arS we'll to do country folks whose -.sofsS ambition in life was the rearing or the boy who has been driven to his death by the thoughtlessness of his comrades:
 It was openly claimed that McComas was a coward of the rankest type, it was even said that he had purposely fnfictea the wounds upon his hand in order 10 es- cape duty upon the battle line. His com-, rades learned to loathe him. they had no time for a man who played what they eaii- ed the "baby act" and the remarkapfeS attitude assumed by the soldier boy from the old Bay state was proof conclusive lns the minds of his comrades that McComas was an arrant coward.
 The circumstances attending the general bearing of McComaS may have lustl1ed the boys of the Second in placing the young recruit under the ban, but later develop ments have placed an entirely different as- pect upon the calibre of the "Greenhorn as he was generally called and today there is not one man in all Company D, who has not expressed sorrow for the many unlxind acts which they had thrust upon the forbearing farmer boy.
 
 by President Mckinley McComas, al- though but 19 years of age, was among the first to offer his services to the govern ment He was accepted and assigned to Company D. Second United states resu, gu, lars. and within one weeks time ne hao given his last farewell to his father ana mother and friends and was on his way to join his regiment at Tampa.
 Of all the men in that particular regi- ,nent there was not one among them who tar phVSip1l SDeclmen than did McComas. His outdoor country ire had given him a constitution or lron' ne was strong as an OK, and per-ormeo the hardest duties with an ease wh1ch won for him the admiration or all ms mess- mates.
 If was this strength that the boys Of the Second admired. They talked among themselves of what McComas could do Tn an emergency: they naturallly thought that he would be fearful adversary II oro,,sed to anger and for the first few weeks in the army every man in Company Jo left McComas strictly alone.
 When the Second regiment was removed to Key West some of the boys or Com pany D took advantage or the saloons ,n III that place and mbibed freely Of the pols- onous rot which is called pure whisky and sold at twenty cents a drink. McComas had been detailed to guard duty ana It was while in the pursuance or thls par ttrular branch of his military duties that he acquired the sobriquet or coward Mc- Comas."
 If was said that he halted a party Of ,oan from his own company who were strargling into camp after hours. He ,narched them to the sergeant of the guard and the following morning each or the seven disturbers were sentenced {o three days in the guard house on bread and water. ,,
 After the men were liberated they all beean to quietly abuse McComas. He said nothine and the men noting his action be- came more forcible in their unpleasantr1es and finally one of the number steppeo up tn McComas and dared him to fight. Me- Comas. much to the surprise of bis admir- CTS. flatly refused to engage in any such encounter whereupon the belgerent sol dier struck the inoffensive lad a sharp blow in the breast.
 Tn explaining afterwards why he did not resent the open insult McComas quietly