The evening times., 1898-08-09
BOY HERO OF SANTIAGO.
A Fsarteen-Year-0fd Lads Expert
enee at the Front.

enee At the front.
New York, Aug. s.-Ahhough Charles
Escudero, fourteen years old. doesn't
realize It yet, time wiil show that as the
water boy Of the Ninth Infantry in Cuba
ne was as much a hero as any man who
carried gun in the wild fight and fear
less charge up San Juan hill.
Charlie arrived en- the transport Lou
isiana yesterday morning and was SHIP
ped to his home. Columbus, O., last
night by the Children's Aid Socie.y.
Mr.. Brace doesn't often get a chance to
extend the aid OF the society TO such
distinguished boys, and after he had
inspected the water boy he announced
that n his head wasn't turned by the
hero worship he was getting In this city
6here was good stuff in him.
Charlie looked like t. picturesque re-
concentrate. wearing a 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 b!re
flannel shirt. much too large, was Tapped
| about him.
| The boy is reserved. but told his story
at the Army Building. where he tried to
| get transportation TO his home. His
| father was a bugler in the Ninth Infantry.
which Charlie managed to join at Tampa.
| There he was smuggied on transport,
| and when he got to Cuba he was told
| he might act as water boy for the Ninth
Infantry.
He was in all the fighting at Santiago
and wherever there was a man of the
Ninth with his gun there the water boy
went at the call of the soldier.
Charlie is modest in his stories of what
he did. at San Juan hill.
81 carried water to the soldiers. My
father is a bugler and l was with him
nights. When there was fighting had
to work. When / saw our men getting
killed wished l had a gun. but had
to carry water. ! had four canteens. One
held about two quarts. The men firing
would see me and yell to ask II I'd got
any water. RI they were all empty l
went to the creek and filled them. At
the last 1t got a long way to go. Wasn't
/ afraid? Just thought I'd get killed.
and we'd all get killed that day. the bull
lets came so thick. ! saw men knew get
hit There was Fargo. He got shot in
the foot When a man got hit he didn't
scream nor shout, he dropped. tried
to help Fargo when he fell. but couldn't
do much and the doctor and ambulance
men came and took him away.
"I kept run Of my father by the bdgle
mostly Did I see many wounded? Yes,
l carried water to them when l could
Sometimes / had to pour II into the'r
mouths. but most of the men l sav
wounded were able 70 get On their ell
bows to drink / know / saved some
mems lives that day. They told me SO,
and I'm glad l went. but / want to go
home. I'm. tired.
II Just did what my father told me.
got used to the bullets. You had to.
rr-n ynra tn Il
didn't think of running for anything but
water That's what l was told 10 do.
and l did II.
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.
I'm never forget any of it, / guess, as
long as l live lost twenty-five pounds.
Oh, l 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? Those women would give dollar
for one of them. Did I sell mine? Not
much. I gave all ! could get TO the
women My grandfather was Spaniard,
but he was In the regular army here
twelve years
II saw Gen: shafter. but 1 didn't carry
water 10 kinS, took water to soldiers
that was fighting. No: don't know Mr..
Roosevelt want to go home.
Il had the fever and was sick In the
thea,er at Santiago. where lots of our
men were sick. i saw lots of dead Span
iards when we got up the hill. 1t SEEM
ed as If. they'd. ust piled 'em 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 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 SD want
to see his mother and sisters.