The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-25
--=-----a--------------- HOW MEN DIE IN BATTLE.
Mortally Wounded They Await Death
 Calmly and BraNelY

'lf you want to know how men die in battle, ask some of those who have been at Wilson's Creek, on one side or the other," said Judge David Murphy of the criminal court.
 "I was in Totten's battery, and I saw them, wounded and dying, falling thick and fast around me. You may say that l saw not one man funk in the face of death on that terrible day of fight and bloodshed. While I was firing my gun from Bloody hill a youngster, not more than 20 years old, suddenly jerked his leg. He uttered a sharp, quick cry, then bent down and tore the trousers away from the place on his shin where a mimic had struck him. He looked up with smile, patted the wound with his hand pulled the torn trousers down, and went on shoot ing. Five minutes later he yelled again and his hand went up to the fleshy part of his left arm. Hit again." he said sat down behind the battle ranks, and examined his arm. The wound was only skin deep and that seemed to please him hugely, for he tied hand
 
 "'Youre fighting in hard luck to-day,
 Your fighting in hard luck to-day, Pete said a comrade. The younster turned his face to answer back, and by the snap of his eyes it could be seen that his mind framed a saucy reply. Just then his jaw dropped. ball ploughed its way through his mouth, leaving nothing but a tongueless cav ity. With hoarse gurgle the fellow threw his gun on the ground and fled back of the lines. He was found in a cred
 'On that same day I encountered three men under a tree.s Their faces were ashy gray, showing that they were mortally wounded. I asked them why they were not attended to, and one of them said it was all over with them they wanted the surgeons to attend first to those who could be saved. One of the men was smoking a short briar- wood pipe.
 What are you doing, my friend?' asked.
 1" Taking my last smoke, he an- swered, his glassy eyes looking stead fly at me Another was reading a let ter. lie held it up to his face, but I could see that he was not making any headvay. His eyes were growing dim and his weak, trembling hands folded the n1isive and thrust it into his breast pocket. He was perfectly resigned to his fate. and had not a, word to say. T 1&of1 iy1 ino a lull, I found the three men dead Their faces were white and set in the shadow of the tree under which they lay. By the placidity of their features I knew that they had met death with out fiunking.
 That's all bosh about men raving about mother, home and heaven. All the men I have seen die, or near death, were quiet and perfectly rational. They made no fuss Those that did were usually out of their minds. The faces of these were frequently distorted and gave every evidence of the mental and physical agony they unconsciously had endured.
 "One thing struck me as peculiar. Nearly all the regulars exhibited an instant desire to examine their wounds when they were hit, and the expression of their faces indicated in a moment whether they were slightly or mortally wounded. They seemed to know with unfailing certainty. If the wound was slight and in a place where they could tie it up conveniently they did so, and then they went back into the fighting lines If it was mortal, their grave, pale faces betrayed their knowledge. The volunteers were not so well post ed, but they were brave as lions, and seldom gave up unless seriously hurt St. Louis Republic.