The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-29

or has been in the thick Of the fighting
an the time and be relates his most pecu-
liar experience i'm "a letter recently receiv-
ed by a friend in this city.
"T0lstOi doesn't know anything about
being shot dead" ne writes. "ln that de-
scription he gives he's way of. There's
altogether too much of IL. He never
went through g., so how should he know?
The real thing is very short and simple;
anybody could do a. This is how / come
10 know AN about 1t. II was the second
dav at San Juan and my troop was
stretched out at fun length on its very
much attenuatcd stomach shooting over
the top Of the hill.
THE Spanish were also doing all the
shooting that seemed 20 ms necessary.
and my own notion was that any OF us
who who got out whole would be mighty
lucky. for the Spanish aim may be bad
but there IS a whole lot of people In this
vicinity who wish % were a darn sight
worse the undersigned among the num-
Der
THE chap on my left was close up 10
me and firing fast. getting up on one
knee each time he let off and then drop
ping back for few seconds. Bullets
were dropping all around, and so were
men. and had spotted one Spaniard VINO
seemed 10 be responsible for a lot OF IT,
I
him when it happened There was a sud-
den shock that didn't seem TO strike any
place in particular on my head. but all
over il. MY teeth ground together and
nv eyes tried TO get ont Of their sockets
and escape. and no wonder. for my head
was full of flames. Then everything went
black and / felt myself falling.
That's the end of me. ! Thought 70
myself before lapsod into total blank
a
snap
after that rolled down the HILL II
MIGHT have. been any length of time Tor
an I knew when consciousness began To
return. wondered what world ! was
in and reckoned that ! ought 10 have a.
pair OF wings of one kind or another on
NV shoulders. IT was something OF a
surprise to me 10 find that there We're
none there but my dismal suspicion that
mavbe had gone wrong was followed by
a surmise that 7 was still in the land or
the living. But ] had felt that bullet go
through my head. and ] couldn't nguTe
what right ! had TO be alive at all. BE
sides it was no fun. for l had hcad-
ache that YOU couldn't have crowded INTO
a beer barrel AS soon as found could
move / felt around for the bullet mole.
but couldn't find IL. While ! was still
searching and getting pretty mad over II
mot being able 20 find AN escaped collar
button is nothing 90 not being able %
find "a mortal wound IN your own headl
"a couple of fellows came along picked
me up. nd poured some water over me.
Look out ] said. itll get into my
BRAIN and I explained about tho wound.
"Thoy explored and they couldn't find
any hole. either andthat made me mad
der than ever. for a bullet that goes
clean through a man without leaving any
opening 10 show for 20 IS robbing him of
the glory of dying for his country. All
the time my head was feeling Ike the
inside of a mince pie. but finally crawl
cd back 10 tho firing line. and there they
told me what had happened. The chap
on my left. I'm rising TO fire. mad got
Mauser bullet through his heart. and in
falling had swung his gun with great
force over i'm my direction The butt
caught me Just behind the ear knocking
me completely out. I've got lump there
now Ike the end Of a squash
"But it's a great thing to have had the
experience Of being shot dead without
compelling your family to go into mourn
ing."-New York sun.