Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-02
ECHOES OF THE LATE WAR.


The valiant deeds OF the coored soldiers
at Santiago is fruitful theme for song and
story. you cant praise them too much
said a member OF the Twenty second in
fantry, who was on the firing line and in
the trenches. THE darkies did wonderful
things during the fight. One particular dare
devil deed was the talk of the camp for
days after. When tho charging line passed
the crest Of San Juan hill and raced for the
Spanish trenches and blockhouses, small,
rapid fire gun, manipulated by three
Spaniards, was pumping death hard and
fast. One OF the darkies charged on 1t,
emptled his gun on the run, then picked up
a Spanish saber and rammed 1t home on the
one remaining gunner. The other two we're
killed or fed, we never learned which. In
an instant the trooper turned the gun and
pumped ieau mo The flying enemy How
the boys cheered that darky! How the
gallant deed grew as the days passed The
second time the colored trooper told the
story to a group of admirers he said he
killed FIVE men. Soon the number grew to
seven, then twelve. Before we left that
internal region the darky insisted that he
captured an entire Spanish battery and
slew fourteen measly Spaniards with a
borrowed saber."
During the mix-up OF July and before
Santiago one OF the officers Of General
Lawton's division observed a colored trooper
of the Tenth cavalry among his men, who
explained that he had lost his command, and
asked that he be allowed to remain where
he was.
He stayed and did fine service that day,
and none Of his white comrades were able to
outdo him in notable deeds OF bravery. He
twice risked losing his life assisting the
wounded to places Of safety, but each time
escaped uninjured.
That night he asked the officer he had met
earlier in the day to give him note to his
own commander, explaining his absence, and
certifying 20 his good conduct during the
fighting that day. This was willingly given
him, and with the precious paper clasped
tightly in his hand, under cover OF dark
ness, he started in search of his own COM
mand.
The next morning at Dawn Lieutenant
L, starting on a search for wounded men
in his division, happened to stumble over a
PROSTATE body. He Immediately recognized
the brave cavalryman of the day before, who
was fast losing consciousness.
After struggling a moment for strength to
speak, the PROSTATE man held up his
precious little slip OF paper and said: Give
it to Captain A, of L troop, II you can
find him, and tell him Williams wan no
coward"
With look OF satisfaction In his eyes his
hand dropped to his side and he was dead.
That hero rests now In a shallow trench,
with ten or twelve other unknown privates.
story fortified with an armor plate affi-
davit comes from Alabama concerning Gen
eral Wheeler. The general was down that
way since Santiago and Montauk Point, and,
of course, was warmly welcomed home He
was the center of attraction the admired
of the multitude, the only pebble on the Ala
, bama beach. An old friend Of his, a school
| teacher, invegled him into the school, where
he talked to the scholars in his usual grac-
ious style. When he had finished he stood
| by the teacher while that worthy said few
things, among them that time worn sugges-
tion to the effect that when the boys OF the
school grew up they, too, might be congress-
| men, like General Wheeler, such are the
wonderful possibilities of this great and
| glorious country OF ours.
| AT this point long. good natured, gang
| ling gawk Of a boy about IA years old and
about seven feet tall, stuck up his hand,
grinning sheepishly the meanwhile.
"Me, too?" he inquired.
Certainly, Henry replied the teacher
assuringly, "just as much you as any other
| boy"
| 'T reckon not" insisted the boy. "I
| reckon I'll have to ungrow eff ever run on
that there ticket" nodding toward the gen
eral in a way that brought down the house,
amidst the embarrassment Of the teacher
and the great delight OF the general.
General Wheeler is five feet five in his
stockings and weighs about 100 pounds.