The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-09
COLONEL TORREY'S ESCAPE.
Rough Riders Experience In Rail
road Collision.

rSouSn hlQSTS 5 Experience In q RAIL
road Collision.
Washington Post: Colonel Jay Tor
rey of the Second rough riders is at
the Arlington, and that the gallant
colonel is on earth seems little short
of a miracle. Readers of the Post will
remember the press dispatch annOunc-
ing the ugly railroad wreck at TupelO,
Miss. in which six OF the rough riders
were killed, 40 hurt, and their colonel
badly injured. The rough riders were
en- route to Jacksonville, and the first
section had drawn uD in TupelO one
beautiful Sunday afternoon The flag
man either didn't go back to warn the
second section or else he wasn't seen,
for it came crashing into the first with
terrific force. The car in which Colonel
TOrrey was riding was the headquar-
ters' sleeper, and between it and the
collidinS engine of the second section
was caboose that was torn and crush
ed to minute fragments.
Some one had called out" said Colo
mel Torrey, ito all the occupants of my
car to jump out, for a collision was i'm
minent, but didn't hear it, being alone
in the state room at the rear. 1 shall
never forget the awful shock when the
collision came. The engine plOwed it's
way through twO-thirds of the sleeper,
grinding it to kindling wood. How I
managed to escape instant death VIII
always De a mystery. Though 1 was
cut in many places and severely bruis-
ed, the worst damage was to my feet.
which came near being BROKEN. They
are tender yet, but hope to regain full
use of them eventually.
Another curious thing about the
wreck was that the six members Of my
regiment who were killed We're five
cars ahead of the one that 1 occupied.
The cars were telescoped by the fear
full impact Of the coaches behind.
"The heroism displayed by the poor
fellows was on a par with anything
that occurred in the war. While none
of the six died instantly, not one gave
vent to groans or murmurs. though
their suffering was eXcrUciating. In
fact, in my regiment Of loco men, 1 do
not think there was q man lacking in
personal bravery of the highest order.
1 can't help but feel proud of those
boys. With them it has never been a
question of getting out of any work,
but Of trying to find more to do. In
their patriotism and devotion to duty
they have showed themselves of the
Hottest type of American manhood
1t is only fair to say that his boys"
are as fond and proud of their COM
mander as he is of them, and they
would follow him to certain death if
he gave the order He is here to get
discharges for a number who are sick
and for others who are much more
needed at their homes than in the camp
at Jacksonville.
When the war started Colonel Torrey
was early in the field with a PROPOSE
ton to raise a regiment of mounted
westerners. 1t was his idea that from
the cattle ranches. and farms of Wy
oming, Colorado, Utah. Idaho and Ne
vada. as fine a command Of men could
be gathered as the world afforded. He
knew their ability to handle Winches-
ters and their dauntless courage. They
in turn knew and respected him, and
so it was a comparatively easy task
for him to carry out his plan. Every
body knows that the wishes of Colonel
Torrey and his riders to fight the Span
iards We're not realized, 1t was no
fault Of theirs that they didn't see any
fighting. They were ready and willing.
nay, keenly anxious to 50, and they are
as justly entitled to the palm of vaiOr
and soldierly renown as their more for
tunate comrades.