The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-30
FIRST TIME UNDER FIRE.
How the Marines Acquitted
Themselves at Guantanamo.
SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.

There Was No Exhibition of stas
Fright A Funeral Scene which b
Those Who Saw It Can Never be Fol
gotten.
AS swimming bee It certainly ex
celled anything ever known at Manhat
tan Beach. 1t was just O'Clock in tn
afternoon of June / l that the dispatcl
boat Premier hove to in Guantanam,
bay, and at the sight of the officers ant
men of the marines quietly enjoying
themselves in the water il was small
wonder that three of the passenger.
hustled themselves into small boat il
order to set foot on Cuban soil and al
the same time TO become literally in the
swim. \ brewster, more peaceful scene
could not be imagined. There lay the
camp, its white tents glistening in the
sunlight hundred yards above the sea
level, and the winding path which led
up the hill to it was Uttered with boxes
of ammunition and all sorts and condi-
tions of camp provisions and parapher-
MALTA 1t was the first lull in the days
work, and, barring the sentries, who
were tramping up and down their beats,
every man in camp was taking advan-
tage of it, while as for those great chap
arral covered heights which surrounded
the tiny camp it seemed as though
nothing short Of the crack of doom itself
could ever awaken them to life. Sud
denly single rife shot was heard II
came from somewhere up in the second
ridge of hills. The 100 men in the wa
ter started and glanced toward the camp
apprehensively. For a couple of min
utes everything was perfectly still.
The swimmers began to sport about
again. 1t was an accident. Evidently
some green hand on outskirt duty had
discharged his rifle by mistake. But the
lie was given to this idea moment
later, when, with piff, paff, piff, paff,
each individual hill surrounding the
camp seemed to belch forth flame. A
wild rush for the beach ensued, but
what followed must be told more from
inference than actual knowledge There
isn't man in Camp McCalla today
who can tell you exactly how he man
aged to get TO the top of that hill. IN
der ordinary circumstances it is a good
six minutes climb, and it blows the
average individual at that. But that
day in less than three minutes every
man who had been in the water was
grasping his rife and lying fiat on his
stomach on the brow Of the hill. II was (
distinctly a stampede decollete PERHAPS !
40 OF the men managed 20 get their |
trousers on; the rest merely ran. And |
1t is worth while noting at this point |
that II the Spaniards score no other /
triumphs at Guantanamo they certainly |
captured very fine line Of masculine !
lingerie that afternoon. The Premier's /
party is still moaning the loss of one
truly superfne pink silk undershirt.
The instant the rush was over Major /
Cochrane stood up in the middle Of the /
camp, and after handing the noncom-
batants guns he said: Look here, bows.
don't you be ashamed to duck when the
bullets are flying. There's nothing mira
dig. about 1T. always DO it myself.
Down on your stomach, every man Of
you"
The few men who were standing
when the major spoke laid themselves
put hat. They were just in time. A sec
ond later the steel storm started. 1t
seemed to come from heavy clump of
trees on the second ridge. Good marks
men could have asked for no more stun
ling bullseye. From that ridge-50 feet
above the camp-it seemed as though it
must simply be case of pulling the
Triggers of the Mauser rifles in order TO !
make human bullseye, but though
he fire was terrific and lasted nearly 20
minutes not living soul on the hill
vas struck. It is true that two scouts ON
PICKET duty were killed in the action,
'ut they We're both killed in the woods.
short distance from the Spaniards'
The camp was still in it's
infancy, 80 far that no trenches had been
made. Of course there were various de-
Trees IN the cCClEcss Of the men, but
here was no exhibition OF stage fright.
Every man simply lay down and seemed
o take matters in matter Of fact sort
way. y few clatted, but most Of the
nsn were silent, and every now and
hen a careful observer could notice a
lead oetrichiike trying 20 burrow its
way little further into the hillside.
the staiwaTt mate Of the Pre-
nier, who SMOKED his good old clay
'ipe nonchalantly during the whole en-
yagement, managed 20 construct slight
cut Of four planks, and re-
lind this lay johnson and the reporter.
In 20 minutes the firing ceased; the
couting parties began 70 come in hot
md swearing Justify at their failure to
ocate the Spaniards. The noncombat-
'nts from the Premier were told that il
vas now safe for them 70 row out i'm the
larbor, so they started for the dispatch
'oat, each greatly elated that he had
ctually taken part in battle, and vet
ach down in his heart disappointed at
he very Unconditional methods which
lad characterized the whole affair
Not one, so far as they knew, had
cen killed or even wounded. This was
something 20 be sincerely
thankful for, but it certainly wasn't
ramatic. A conscientious student of