Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-08-19
A UNIONTOWN BOY
Returns From Cuba Having
Served His Time.
The first Soldier to Return to that
Place-Was in the Regular Army and
Served his time ont He Talks Enter.
tainingiy to the News Standard.
News Standard of the 18th.

News Standard of the 18th.
Fresh from the victorious field OF
conflict came Wednesday the first OF
the hundred or more of Uniontown's
sons who went TO the front to fight
in remembrance of the Maine and
for the liberation Of the serfs of Spain.
This one is William Cunningham,
son of Mrs, Annie Cunningham, now
residing with her son-in-law, Deputy
Sheriff p. A. Johns of Mutt Avenue.
He was In the trying battle before
Santiago, was thought to be dead, and
when he STEPPED of the train no one was
in waiting for him; but the return
home of bronzed, soldierly form,
looking not much the worse for the
untold hardships that he suffered,
made some heavy hearts happy. He
arrived ia New York on Friday, to-
gether with several hundred Others of
his fellow soldiers. After lying in
quarantine for four days he came di-
rect TO this place, making 1t his first
trip home in three years. Three years
ago he became member of Battery
A. Second artillery, U. S. A., captain
ed by George Grimes. At the break
ing cut OF hostilities with Spain he
was stationed at Ft. Sheridan, near
Chicago, and on April the 90 his COM
pany with hundreds Of others was
hustled Off to Chickamauga. After
weeks stay at that point the battery
was sent TO Tampa, Fla, where mos
quitoes and sand builders were more
numerous than the sins OF Calcutta.
Mr. Cunningham isa modest fellow,
still imbued with the formality OF
army life and department. He re-
luctantly consented to an interview
with the reporter, but after he once
got started he talked pretty freely OF
his experience in Cuba.
at all appears like dream to me
now," he said, 1--WE soldiers knew
nothing of the orders issued by our
supeiors and all we had to do was to
obey. About May II we loaded on the
Berkshire and went toTampa, then the
next day we unloaded. rgood cap
tain, Grimsey, did not know our des-
tination, either. He stormed at the
secret orders and said, 'eThey might
be good enough at Washington to let
us know where we are going anyhowi
splicing his words with some forcible
explosives Some of us guessed Porto
Rico, while others seemed TO think
that Havana would be our destination;
but, no, this could not be, because
there wasn't enough of us to whip
the picked men around that place. We
had fine trip down, though. 1.-THE
first sight of the Cuban coast was at
Blaquairi, where we were put ashore.
1t was great sight, those battleships
of Uncle Sam around the mouth OF
Santiago harbor. How did like the
country? I didn't like it at all. My
first sight Of the land was sufficient to
turn me against it, and / would adj
wise no one to go there unless he ex-
poets to have hard row to hoe.
zone time during the second days
battle / went to small creek below
our position to get water and was
shot at three times BY sharpshooter.
The balls passed within six inches Of
my body. This was the nearest call
/ had. Hart Moore and Joe South
were in the company and did hard
work with me. We dug our own
trenches, fed "a horses and cooked
We had plenty to eat, and i was not
sick all the time l was there. From
the time we landed till the 25th of
July l did not change nay clothing
This was hard on us.
81 tell you the way it rains there
beats all. 1t commences ever day at
about ! o'clock and pours down till
near 4 o'clock. We would all be
soaking wet, the trenches would be
full of water and to find dry spot
was an impossibility. After the
rain was over the sun would come out
but not long enough to dry us off, and
we would lie down at night in our
wet clothing After the surrender
/ went into Santiago and took in the
sights. /"
Mr.. Cunningham likes army life
and will again enter the army, per-
haps in month or so. He does not
want TO go to Cuba again, however.
He brought some souveners home for
his friends, including cartridges. His
hat and shoes, the only part of his
Cuban outfit left, are now in possess
sion of his family and are considered
precious mementoes.