The record-union., 1898-12-28
CAPT. M'CLINTOCKS STORY.
THE FIGHTING BEFORE SAN
TLAGo, CUBA.
GTaphic Account Given by the
Arizona Rough Rider, For
merly of Sacramento.

When Theodore Roosevelt organized
his regiment Of Rough Riders for duty
In Cuba Captain j. H. McClinteck OF
Phoenix, Ariz.-son of the late City
Auditor McClintock of this city-placed
himself at the head Of a company and
went with the regiment. He is now
in Los Angeles, and referring to his
presence there the Times of that city
remarks that as Captain McCHntock
hmps about Los Angeles, helping his
stiffened tread with a cane, few OF the
passers-by know that it is two Mauser
bullets from Spanish rifles that robbed
his gait of it's springiness. 1t was al
Las Guasimas, the hottest battle or the
war, that Captain McClintock received
his wounds, and it was an amazement
to the surgeons that he reached Amer
lea again alive. On the morning ot
June oath, Captain McClintock's active
participation in the Cuban campaign
ended.
THE CAPTAINS STORY.
THAT was the first battle ever fought
In the world" said the Rough Rider,
sin which both sides used nothing but
smokeless powder. The Spaniards We're
at a distance from our forces varying
from fifty to six hundred yards. They
were hidden behind earthwo1ks and we
were out in the open, with nothing to
even hide us but the long grass 1t
was impossible to tell from what place
the bullets came which were spattering
all around about us. The smokeless
powder cartridges makes no more flame
than sulphur match, and from a slight
= t. to th1f =
all
Suddenly felt an eXcruciating pain
in my left ankle. I instantly dropped
1t was so with every one who was shot
If only in the hand. Some men were
seriously wounded, but felt no pain
whatever One soldier was shot through
the lung He did not suffer except
that he felt a keen apprehension Of in
ternal hemorrhage.
LAS 1 lay there on the ground, some
of my men came and picked me ur
and carried me under a mango tree
where I would be sheltered from the sur
though not from the enemy's bullets. A
private named Foster, sick and wound
ed, lay there beside me. Once 1 tried
to move, merely to see how mucf
strength had. I found that was too
weak from loss Of blood to raise my
self or to move from where I lay.
Don't try to move he said, You're
as much sheltered there as you would
be anywhere. I'm between you and
the bullets
He had deliberately crawled between
me and the enemy's fire. Wasn't that
an act of simple bravery? He had not
Jo7III would
have gone clean through his body and
right on through me, too, and still
have been ready for half a company.
The surgeons came up and did what
could be done. They found that two
bullets had struck the front Of my left
ankle. 1 recoHect only one shock and
so far as I know the two must have
entered my ankle simultaneously. There
are two big holes clear through the
ankle, and a swab could be pushed from
back to front.
There were surprisingly few deaths
from blood poisoning. The bullets
moved through the air with such speed
that by the time they struck a man
they We're red hot from the friction
and consequently they cauterized the
wound themselves made. In my case
some of the cloth of my clothing must
have been carried in, for the wounds
were fouled, and that prevented rapid
healing.
"As I lay there the bullets kept on
falling around me. They plowed up the
ground all around and knocked up dirt
until my hair WAS full of dust and peb-
bles I couldn't help swearing. it was
SO annoying. Fully a dozen must have
hit the ground between me and my
comrade, within arms reach Of me, but
not one struck either of US.
Edward Marshall, the war cores
pondent, came up and saw me lying
there. You're in hard luck old man,
he said, bending over me. He asked
my name and found out who I was
wrote it down, and then started of
down the hill to follow my troopers.
few minutes later he himself was shot
in the spine.
"All that day and all that night We
lay under the mango tree. I had {
macintosh for covering and the thicI
foliage of the tree kept off the dew
During the day the land crabs KEPT
slxurrying around us, and when might
came it turned cold.'
Were you given any nourishment?"
mo, I did not eat anything for twC
weeks-or about as near to nothing q:
IS possible.
when morning came I was picked
UP and placed on a piece of a canva:
shelter-tent. Eight men started to carry
me to the seacoast, twelve miles away
The fmprovised litter was not Ions
enough, so my head hung over the real
end Every eight minutes. the mer
who were carrying me would chang'
off with another set. Each time they
did this my body had to rest for mo
1nent on the ground, and the jar wa!
exquisite agony.
about half way to the coast we me
a litter going to the rear. The mel
took that and transferred me to tn
more comfortable conveyance.
LAS we drew near the coast w
reached the top of high ridge. l
was a beautiful view, the mountains
wooded and green, stretching down t
the purple sea, the streams ana IN