Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-07-02
GUERRILLA WARFARE.

of injuries caused by small calibcr modern
projectiles.
One of the best illustrations of the fact
that the Spaniards in those days were
using the regulation cartridge is found in
the ease of Major Guerin of the Cuban
army. Tho major was riding beside Go
mez and accommodating the Spanish breast
works when he was struck in the groin by
n bullet. At the time he was wearing a
light linen codt, the pockets of which were
filled with rife cartridges The bullet
from Mauser rifle passed directly through
one of these cartridges and went obliquely
through Major Guerin's body, coming out
above the hip joint on the right side AL
though 1t must have cut through the in
testines, Major Gucrin did not dismount
and was not inconvcnicnecd by the wound.
DIR. James Herbert Stevens, surgeon in
chief of tho Cuban hospital service in the
early Says of the war, collected q list Of
six cases of injury by Mauser bullets in
locations which with larger caliber bullets
would have been certainly fatal Recov-
cry was made in every case In one case
soldier, riding from action and leaning
far forward in his saddle 10 escape from
fire. was stuck in the back by Mauser
bullet. The bullet passed through the up
per portion of the shoulder blade, through
the superficial neck muscles beneath the
angle OF the jaw and had its exit through
the eye socket, carrying with 1t u portion
Of the ego The man made perfect recov-
cry, suffering only the loss of his right eye
lt has often been claimed that when a
Mauscr bullet struck cavity filed with
soft tissue such as the abdomen, such in
icrse vibration was set up that mutilation
resulted. DR.. Stevens contradicts this
from his records. He says that he remem-
bcrs the case of soldier who at range
of 300 yards was struck by Mauser bull
let almost in the center of the abdomen
The bullet passed directly through the
body. ranging upward and to the left. II
made its exit considerably to the left OF
Tie spinal column. There was very little
hcmorrhage and no pain The man re.
ceived no treatment for four days other
than that afforded by some peasants, who
swathed his body in some very dirty
cloths. On the fourth day the wound was
dressed by surgeon. The temperature
did not rise at all, the pulse was normal,
and, though the ball after going through
the abdominal cavity must have passed
through several coils of intestines, the man
made q perfect recovery and was in the
field and fighting within two weeks.
Captured Cubans probably convinced
the Spaniards that the bullets of the Mau.
scr rifles, while fatal enough If they hit
the right spot, were deficient in what SOL
diers call stopping power, " and led them
to experiment For the last six months
the members Of the Cuban junta have no.
tced that the hospital reports showed
much more severe injuries from rifle fire
than were inflicted in the carly part of the
war, but no one guessed that the reason
was to be found in the Spanish adoption of
the "Dum-Dum" bullet Explosive and
expanding bullets are we'll enough known
TO sportslnen, but in modern times they
have been generally abandoned By civil
lied nations
1t has been common custom among
the Spaniaris whenever n rebel chief was
killed to drag his nude ard marClcd body
into the nearest town at n horse tail and
parade 1t in triumph. nominaliy in order
that the body might be fully identified.
When Nestor Aranguren was killed, his
body, literally covered with wounds in
flicted by bullet, bayonet and rnachete. w as
taken into Havana and exposed TO the gaze
OF curious thousands. The same frightful
spectacle was seen when Castillo was killed
q few months before. 1t excited no atten-
ton, being evidently regarded as a usual
custom.