The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-08

erOus Redskins, and Rallied I'm
der Command OF Brave Officers
death of Maj. Wilkinson.
WALKER, Mimi, Oct. THE fol-
lowing is the story of the thirty-six-
hour fight on Bear island told by K.
Z. Beaton, who was one OF the news
paper correspondents under fire:
Il arrived at Sugar Point or the
point Of the mainland, as it is known
by the Indians about 9 o'clock
Wednesday morning, with the troops
and United States Marshal O'Connor
and his deputies.
I'VE had little trouble in effecting a
landing. There was only one Indian In
sight, and he was one Of those wanted
and was arrested by Deputy Marshal
Sheehan.
After that a tour was made of the
point. We walked over several miles
of territory, Gen. Bacon and the mar
shall taking the lead, and Maj. Wilkin-
son being in command of the troops
1t was a very disagreeable walk, IS
we had to go through several sloughs,
and every one of us was wet when we
returned
"At only one point did we see any
the water on the mainland from a
point we reached when we had covered
about half of the distance. We could
see them running through the woods,
but lost sight Of tht.r III few mo-
ments. We arrived at the point of
landing, the place at which Bogah-
messhik lives, shortly after II o'clock,
after having made a thorough search
OF the main point OF land.
It'd
trouble, Brill, Knappen and myself
made up our m nds to go back to
Walker on the boat to he sent by Gen.
Bacon for the tents and ratiOns for
another day We were down at the
landing awaiting for the row boats to
take US to the steamer when a shot
was heard. INN ediately we ran back
to the rest on the hill when Q vOlley
came from the woods to the front of
US. The soldiers ware just about to
be dismissed and for a moment [ was
at loss to underst and the Significance
of the firing. A second later another
VOlley came and the bullets Wnistled
past my head.
" Run to cover someone crio and
as the soldiers grabbed their gins and
ran to the left I hurried down TO the
beach, where I was soon safely housed
behind big boulders ana b4a1vh. AS L
ed me and it was a wondeS that my
self and those. with me WereSr OF killed.
sTBADING THE TROOPS.
"'Steady men, steady, was the first
sound Of a voice we heard and as I
raised my head I could see Gen. Bacon
running about with his troops.
"'Get up in the firing line, was the
next order given, ard the men OF the
fighting Third were seen to run through
the grass and weeds in the direction
from which the shots had been fired.
Another peep above the stone behind
which I lay, and peep at q great
chance of death, and L saw Maj Will
kinson and Lieut.. Ross calling to their
men to advance. All the time the
shots were fast and furious, and the
bullets flew a few inches above our
heads as we lay on the beach
"The men continued to advance. The
three officers were everywhere Maj.
Wilkinson in charge Of the left flank,
Gen Bacon in charge of the center
and Lieut.. Ross in charge of the right
flank. The soldiers were running along,
it appeared to me, on their hands and
knees, dropping every moment to fire
d voley into the ranks Of the enemy.
'The officers, however, stood up in
the open, and although 1t is the first
where such brave officers were ever
SEEN They were brave almost to reck-
lesSness and seemed only to consider
the safety Of their men, for they adj
vised them what to do in tones that
could be heard all over the point, if it
had not been for the reports Of their
rifles.
For thirty minutes there was
cea seIess roar and every little while we
could hear cries of the men who had
been shot I looked up once and saw
that Maj. Wilkinson had been injured
but where I did not know. I heard
him cry, Ross, I've been wounded,
but won't give up, for It's not bad
1.-THE next moment as he stood right
back of his firing line calling at the
men, Give it to them, boys, I've got
them going, give it to them, they are
towards and they're going to rum he
seemed to stagger and Surgeon Ross
ran towards him. rt
Give them hell, general, give them
hell he called at the top Of his voice
over towards the central flank, where
Gen. Bacon was taking aim at a red
man. Then he fell into the arms of the
doctor, who carried him into the log
cabin at the crest OF the hill, where he
died one hour and thirty minutes later.
There were two wounds in his stomach
and an artery had been cut, and he
hled to death, despite the efforts Of the
surgeon to save him.
DIED LIKE A SOLDIER.
His was the death of a soldier, and
such a death as he expressed to me
few minutes before he desired to expert
ence, for the major and myself had
walked back from the scouting tour
together. When I saw him fall I real
ized for the first time what was war
but in a very short time I had forgot
ten him, and he was but one of the
dead, for many were falling and coAd
be seen lying upon the ground every
time l dared to take a look upon the
battlefield.
ut was an awful sight, but strange
as it seems, we reporters down upon
the bank talked back and forth of what
q good story 1t would be, and did not
realize our position until the big battle
was over and the shots were fewer, and
we had nothing to think about except
the fact that we might follow In the
footsteps Of the major, who was so
we'll known to all Of US.
about the same time the major fell,
Private Powell, who was running from
one cover to another was seen to drop,
and In the evening, after darkness had
come, he was carried to the little cabin,
the victim Of another bullet from the
Indians Winchesters. The stripes on
the sleeve Of another, man whom saw
throw up his hands and drop his gun
told me that a sergeant had been hit.
to his head and afterwa Bis I learned
that he was Sergeant Butler, and that
he had been killed instantly by a shot
through his head. 49,
"As he fell, Lieut.. Ross, who had
charge Of the two TANKS after the in