The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-03-09
He Knew Whereof He Spoke.


Harrisburg Telegnph.
The Growler came down stairs this
morning looking as IL he had passed
very restless night His eyes were
heavy, and there were deep lines across
his forehead Likewise were his jaws
FIRMLY set. He had a morning paper
in his hand, and as he settled down to
real the other bOarders saw at once
that he was in no mood for cOnversa-
ton. There was a subdued eOnversa-
ton at the other end of the breakfast
table in which the loidy in the pink
wrapper and the ribbon counter clerk
joined, and then there came a squeaky
voice from the small man who is trying
to sell patent. He had joined in the
conversation which, not very strangely,
was about the Maine disaster. The
man who is trying to sell patent
broke out with: ''Oh, I'd like to be the
Government of the United States; I'd
go down to Havana and blow the whole
blasted city out Of the water. What
this country needs is war-red, bloody
war with quick victory and a good
licking for all of the Spanish troops.n
The Growler was in the act of lifting
his cup of coffee to his lips when this
ejaculation from the man attracted his
attention. He slowly lowered the cup
aud turned on the man. sYou want
war, do your he rasped out; "want
war, eh? Real red, bloody war, eh
What do you know about war? Oh,
you know all about it-nit. You are
one of these fellows who fight with
your mouth. What do ycu want with
war, Ell? Have you ever seen war?
dare say that you haven't, and yet, if
you were to see a real war you would
get down on your knees and pray that
the country might never be again 50
afflicted. And you would have this
country plunge into a real, red, bloody
war not only before she is prepared for
il, but before she really is certain that
she has the slightest grain Of excuse
for going to war. And where would
sou be If war should come? Fighting,
presume! Such fellows as you always
DO the fighting-I don't think. You
are one Of the fellows who are Johnny
On-the-spOt, in your mind, always say
ing what you would do if you were
there, but somehow you never manage
to get there. Listen, young mani re-
member the time and here the
Growler passed his hand across fore
head out of which shOne deep red
scar ~ remember the time when
there was a real, red, bloody war on in
this country, and l hope to the good
Lord that | will never again see one. /
remember the good fellows who went
out Of this city by the thousands from
old Camp Curtin, and / remember
when those regiments came back home,
leaving many Of those good fellows in
Georgia's sands and Virginia's hills.
I am not a fellow If emotional nature,
but whenever | hear man bawling for
war I want to rise up and kick real
hard. Say, if you had been in this city
during the war, you would never give
utterauce 10 the wish that war would
come again. The women of this place
and Of every other place the country
Over-were frantic at the report Of every
battle, and to see their faces as they
scanned the newspapers for lists of the
dead and wounded was enough to melt
a heart Of stone. Every woman who
had son, a husband or a brother at
the front carried bleeding heart about
with her. There are men in this city
to day, gallant old soldiers, who do not
want war. They are either on crutch-
Is or are carrying an empty coat sleeve.
Why, | know a man in this city who
went into the army a mere boy, and he
was not in his first battle five minutes
when a bullet tore a hole in his arm,
and q month after he had enlist, he
was back here in Harrisburg with an
empty coat sleeve going to the High
School 10 complete his education.
That's what you call war. War; Great
gee wbiz 1 wish you could see real
war for a couple of months and you
would revise your yawp" And the
GrOwler threw his newspaper on the
floor and left the room.
As the Growler slammed the door
behind him, the lOidy in the pink
wrapper asked. "Where did that man
get that scar across his forehead ?" The
landlady from behind the coffee urn
said quietly: "He was a member of Gen.
eraI Gregg's command and wss slashed
across the forehead by Rebel trooper
at the cavalry fight near the red barn
at Gettysburg. His brother was killed
by his side"
And then there was q1iet.