The evening times., 1898-05-25
FRIENDS AT LAST.
Meeting of Men Who Shot Each
Other Long Ago.

Other Long Ago.
New York. May 5.-An interesting epi-
sode occurred the other night in the
rooms on Broad Street. Trenton, where
Lieut.. Hyer is recruiting the Sixth
United States Cavalry
The work Of the day was over, and the
in to chat were sitting around enjoying
pipes and stories with a war tInge.
Among the visitors was an old man with
grizzled beard and wooden leg. He had
seen his day on the battlefield, and had
brought his son down from the farm.
twenty miles back in the country, to
emulate the example OF his father. The
boy wanted TO be 4 cayalryman, and his
father wanted to see him made one.
How did you lose your leg. Pop?" ask
ed one OF the men.
The old farmer slowly took his pipe
from his mouth. and. looking his wooden
stump over deliberately, said: Il lost that
in one OF the hottest scrimmages that 1
ever had in my life Twas the work Of
a rebel. but could mt blame him. Airs
fair in love and war, you know. and when
/ remember that the fellow that ruined
that leg is minus an arm. owing to my
craftsmanship, / don't know that / have
got any business complaining.
II was a cavalryman myself, boys. dur
ing the war, and there wasn't any man
in the ranks that could ride horse
longer or better than l could, II do say
1t. / got through the war without q
scratch until that big fight at Brandy
Station. That was a scorcher and no
mistake. The Rebs fought like tigers.
and for awhile 1t was nip and tuck be-
tween US.
1.-THE fight went on until long after
dark, and somehow I got separated from
the others and mixed up in a peach or
chard. The moon was shining. and when
/ got out Of the orchard I found myself
in a big field. and not twenty yards away
was Johnny walking his horse toward
me just as If he was driving him to water.
He had struggled on from his troop, and
there we were almost face 10 face.
II made UP my mind that he was my
prisoner. and. pulling my revolerr on him.
/ ordered him to halt and dismount. But
he had no idea of giving up without pro-
test. and quicker than you can say jack
rabbit he yanked out his revolver and
sent a bullet at my head 1t didn't go a
thousand miles from the mark either.
heard it sing as it skipped past my ear.
and. knowing that it wouldn't do 20 fool
with the fellow. let go at him. My aim
let went out into the field.
HE took another shot at me and at
him. but somehow we couldn't seem TO
reach the amrk- We had each fired four
shots, when ball struck my right leg
square in the knee pan. Hurt? Well.
TIL never forget how that felt. But I
kept on my horse and let drive another
shot. 1t hit the fellow plumb IN the crook
of his right arm. He tried to shift his
v,ax 70, Jelfy mi 1,,,tr dr-t do
it. and in less than a minute he was lying
on the ground in a dead faint.
II got down and dragged myself up to
the fellow and poured some water out of
my canteen into his face. 1t pulled him
up. and when he had come to told him
that he might as well give up. as had
got his revolvers. and he was at my mer-
cy. He took a sensible view of it and
asked me IL couldn't bandage his arm.
could for him, and then he helped me
bandage my wounded leg the best he
could with his whole arm.
I'VE sat there on the ground a couple
Of hours. and during that time we got
pretty well acquainted. and he told me
his name was John Tfmmins. After
awhile a bunch of Union cavalrymen came
along and picked US up. OF course, TIM
minis and myself were separated. and I
never saw him again. went to a hos
pital and had my leg sawed on
In the corner of the room sat a jolly
faced man with an empty sleeve. He had
come down from one of the extreme
northern counties in the State to enlist
his son in the cavalry. He had listened
attentively to the story by the man with
the wooden leg. and when he had finished
walked over. and, stopping In front of
him. said: "And you never saw Timmins
again"
Newer" answered the man with the
wooden leg.
"And your name is william Hudson"
said the man with the empty sleeve.
.sIt fs.'
And I'm the fellow that's responsible
for your leg and you owe me an arm
what. you amt Tmmins?'
'T am
The two veterans shook hands as hear
lily as they would had they been brothers,
and the onlookers made the room ring
with cheers. Both Timmins and Hudson
are now citizens Of New Jersey. and each
has given son to the cause that knows
no North and no South.