Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-08-05
INDIANA SOLDIER.
a Boy From Winsmsc, Indiana.
Leaves Tampa Tor Home, TO
Oie-A brave Lad.

A correspondent writing from Port
Tampa under date of July 2s. tells
of the wounding of Lewis Freeman.
of WInamae, Indiana. and his return
home to die.
II. IN Just as eager 10 get back to
| Tampa as | was to get away from it. !"
said wounded trooper of the third
cavalry, as he stepped or rather wss
fairly lifted off the train and led into
the station at Tampa. I'm going 70
get the best of the Spaniards yet.
The doctor don't think I'll get WELL
| but he dosent know the things I've got
to live for"
Troop ; yelled again AID cheered
| for Lewis Freeman, of Winamae, 1ndi-
ana. and his comrades. The crowd
gathered around, but all they saw was
a young private of the regular army.
- years old, wi fresh. young face,
his body bent almost double from a
serious wound in his back.
| Freeman, in company with wound
ed sailor from Simpsons fl sef, was
lifted on to the train.
| Freeman, you ought TO be in thu
Pullman, said one man Then al
his comrades began TO feel around their
pockets.
IF you'd only LIT US know you
were coming" they said in chorus,
I'VE would have saved money,'
| ALLOW me the pleasure" said a
| newspaper Y oman, and she secured a
berth and made arrangements for nice
| meals TO be served TO the wounded
soldier until he reached his home.
NO MAN WOULD YIELD.
Only an upper berth was TO be had,
every lower berth had been taken by
bus ness men. The reporter was nom
plused, SO was the conductor. The
| train was to leave in ten minutes.
| Finally the woman plucked up cour-
| aga and told the men IN the ear OF the
heroism of Freeman, and that he was
going home to die, and in his condi-
| ton could not get into an upper berth.
They all settled back to their news
papers mumbling something about war
| running business anyhow. Finally
the stateroom was secured by the re-
porter and Freeman fixed up comfort
ably.
The newspaper woman. who was
also an attache of the Red Cross,
bathed the mans head, relieved him
of his bundles and made him a palata-
| BILE luncheon. She told him to rest,
| but he was laxative and feverish and
| could not.
'Oh, you women he said, Il
might say it was a Red Cross woman
who saved my life. 1t was the first
day befor Santiago. We were charg
ing up the sleeps and being shot at
from everywhere. Three lines were
shot down in front of me. My chum
Armstrong was killed at my side al
most. \ Mauser got me in the back
and side and exploded after it bored a
hole in me. | dropped and tainted.
don't know how long | lay there
when a chap came along and filed me
up with 2 package of First all to the
injured He was a Red Cross or
army doctor. don't know which.
The Spauiards shot him, though. and
fell fiat on my stomach, my face TO
the erouad. aud whispered to in 70
go on; we fellows would die anyhow
and he might save himself.
But ne woulden't go. He deliber-
ately bathed my wounds. cut eff q
branch of a tree, carved my name and
said: Young man, the hospital is IN
that direction; take this cane and
crawl and knee yosr way over and the
surgeon will attend to you
Il started and must have tainted
again. for | awoke and it was dark
and raining. and | was in the trench
/ could see the Spaniards moving
around as plainly as anything, and |
thought il was all up with me, and |
lay quiet and still. and nearly whole
day must have passed.