The times., 1898-08-10
BOY HERO OF SANTIAGO.
A F0urtcen-Year-OId Lads Expert
nence at the Front

A FOurtcen-Year-OId Lads Experi-
eence at the Front
New. York. Aug. 9.-Although Charles
Escudeso. fourteen years old. doesn't
realize 1t yet, time will show that as the
water boy of the Ninth Infantry in Cuba
he was as much hero as any man who
carried a gun in the wild fight and fear
less charge up San Juan hill.
Charlie arrived on the transport Lou
isiana yesterday morning and was ship
ped to his home. Columbus, o.. last
night by the Chfdrens Aid Society.
Mr.. Brace doesn't often get chance to
extend the aid of the society TO such
distinguished boys, and after he had
inspected the water boy he announced
that If his head wasn't turned by the
hero worship he was getting In this city
'ohere was good stun in him.
Charlie looked like picturesque re-
concentrate, wearing regulation brown
cavalry hat, an old brown jacket and a
pair Of trousers much the worse for the
Santiago campaign. The remnants of the
shoes that carried him up the rocky hill
of San Juan held his feet, and a blue
flannel shirt. much too large. was Tapped
about him.
at the Army Building. where he tried to
get transportation to hts home. His
father was bugler in the Ninth Infantry.
which Charlie managed TO join at Tampa.
There he was snluggied a transport.
and when he got to Cuba he told
he might act as water boy for the Ninth
| Infantry.
| He was In all the fighting at Santiago
| and wherever there was man of the
| Ninth with his gun there the water boy
went at the call of the soldier
| he did at San Juan hill.
II carried water to the soldiers. My
! father is bugler and I was with him
nights When there was fighting 1 had
| to work When | saw our men getting
killed I wished I had "A gun. but l had
TO carry water. / had four canteens. One
| held about two quarts. The men firing
would see me and yell to ask if I'd got
any water. II they were all empty
went TO the creek and filed them. At
! the last 1t got long way to go. Wasn't
] afraid?' I just thought I'd get killed,
and we'd all get killed that day. the hui
lets came so thick. l saw men knew get
! hit. There was Fargo He got shot in
! the foot. When man got hit he didn't
/ scream nor shout ne dropped l tried
to help Fargo when he fell, but couldn't
| do much and the doctor and ambulance
/ men came and took him away.
| 81 kept run of my father by the bdSle
| mostly. Did ] see many wounded? Yes,
| I carried water to them wren | could.
| Sometimes I had to pour IL iEI7 the'r
| mouths. but most of the men | saw
| wounded were able 20 get on their ell
bows to drink. l know I saved some
| mems lives that day. They told me so,
! and I'm glad / went. but 1 want TO go
| home. I'm tired
II Just did what my father told me.
| got used 10 the bullets You had to-
| There wasn't any place 10 run to. and
| didn't think of running for anything but
| water That's what l was told to do.
/ and | did 1t.
After we got up the hill we were all
| In the trenches. My father talked to me
as we lay there The men near us not
| on guard were asleep-dead tired. Father
said he must find some way to get me
home. He wasn't going to have me in
! any more fighting.
''Tll never forget any of IT, / guess. as
long as live lost twenty-five pounds.
| Oh. / got enough TO eat same as the
| men got. That's enough for me. Seemed
! TO me everybody was starving there.
| You ought to have seen the women and
| children that came out of the town
! You know the hardtack the soldiers
! have? These women. would give dollar
| for one OF them. Did / sell mine? Not
much / gave all / could get TO the
| women. My grandfather was a Spaniard,
but he was in the regular army here
! twelve years.
Il saw Gen. Shafter, but I didn't carry
| water 10 him. l took water TO soldiers
| that was lighting. No; don't know Mr..
| Roosevelt. / want to go home.
| II had the fever and was sick in the
! theater at Santiago, where lots of our
men were sick. / saw lots of dead Span
| iards when we got up the hill. 1t SEEM
| ed as If they'd ust piled EN- up before
| they ran away.
i've got plenty of relics for my mother
| Spanish cartridges and other Spanish
relics I'm going back to school I'm in
! the fifth grade"
The boy seems to have suddenly become
| aged by his experiences. He Is only a
| little chap. with big brown eyes and long
lashes, and he says he does so want
to see his mother and sisters.