Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-01

Jones palu Inc Dack, Dut not IN my
coin by blamed sight. The night
before the charge on San Juan was
picket, but Jones wasn't. It was
against orders for anybody but the
pickets to be out, but along about 2
o'clock in the mornin' was walk, >
right agin the edge of the bushes
watchin' the lights in the city and
strainin' my ears to hear sound and
wonderin' what the Spaniards were
doin and thinkin' about on the night
before fight, when Jones came sneak
in up to me with stick over his
shoulder making believe he was q
picket, so he could pass the corporal's
challenge if he was caught, an he
says:
Something tells me that this is my
last chance. I've been tryin' 10 get
my nerve up ever since 1 found you,
but some way ! was afraid that You
would cut me like you said you would
the night that you were drunk, an
you're the only man I've ever wanted
as friend, for L picked you out to
tell the story to when l saw you down
at Fort Sill.
''He hadn't gone no further than
that when the corporal came along
an caught us both. 1 gave the coun-
tersign, an it was all right, but I
hadn't had time to give it to Jones, an
he was caught square. 1t was guard
house for kim an irons for me, an I
would have got it right there if there
hadn't been two things happen. When
we went up before the captain, Jones
he says
Captain, I'm the wrong man
here. went out to talk to Dave; let
him off an give it to me.
''The captain didn't have time to
answer when in come scout report
in that the enemy was doin' some
thing out there in the trenches an we
might be attacked. 1 never went to
the guardhouse, but Jones did some
how or other. The corporal says that
after the scare was over Jones reported
armed like he was when he turned out
at the sudden order an says: Cor
poral, l report for punishment They
put him IN the rear, but l stayed out
on the line expectin to be called in
any minute an ironed. Somehow
they forgot me, an I've never heard
word of it since. 1t came light
pretty soon, an it wasn't long after
the batteries opened up on each other
across the valley before we went into
action. L was in the rear line when
we went in, but the line didn't last for
more than two minutes. We had to
scrap the best we could, and every
man was doin' his best to keep nearest
the colonel
"We got right on the edge of the
first ditch when one of them Spaniards
up and iabbed at me with his bayonet.
He hit me full in my stomach, but the
point hit my buckle and knocked me
down backward. 1 was winded an
tried to get shot at him. when he
emptied his six-shooter into me and
left me lyin' there with four scorchin'
wounds an storming like blazes.
''Id have been willing to die the
next minute if could have just got
shot into him, when some feller shot
right over me, an the Spaniard
dropped. It was Jones goin' at him
full tilt to finish him. He'd done
it, too, but the Spaniard grabs pistol
that some other feller had dropped an
blowed hole in his head right there
before Jones could get at him.
81 came to in the hospital with
fever on top of my wounds, an in the
next cot was Jones with q hole in his
head an near breathin' his last. I
got we'll, and Jones got better, but he
knew that he wouldn't get well an so
did I. The men said Jones was
draggin' me off when he got hit and
that they found us both. Jones lyin'
under me grippin' my sleeve and both
of us as near dead as any two men
could be. Jones never would say
that he was tryin' to get me away till
the last minute. He never got able to
walk, if the doctor did say his wound
had healed. They brought him up
here, and came along to take care of
him. He lived till we got in the bay
over there, an then he died, his head
on my knee.
"The last thing he says was: 4
never got to tell you the story, Dave.
You needn't think anything of my
dyin, for 1 tried to do it. I was more
than willin' anyway, an more still for
you. l took life once when there
wasn't any war. haven't been able
to sleep since without seein' my ghost,
an in dark nights when you're on
picket down there, when you go back
to finish the fight, an you see my
ghost, you'll know I've come to do
picket duty with ye, for you look just
the image of her brother, him I killed /;
an IL loved her, Dave, an she
died when did my crime.
The trooper arose and looked over
at the graveyard again, but it was
time for retreat, and already he could
see the night guard coming along the
tops of the distant hills back by the
regimental camp.-New York Sun.