Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-09-09
THE TRAGEDY OF
PRIVATE M'CONAS.
THE SADDEST, STRANGEST, TRU
EST TALE OF THE WAR.

I
cowardice, driven to shame by tn
i cruel tests of his comrades, bearing
the same time The awful wOunds o
;, a Manscr bullet IN his chest ant
with two fingers Of his light hanC
shot away brave William McCOma
a private IN Company ID, Second
U. 5. IntautIy, plunged headIoDi
from the deck of transport at tb'
Government wharf at Fort Monroe
to lis death a few days ago.
OF all The acts demOustrativo o
qIet unassumlug herOlsm wbict
have been brought to The surface
IN the deadly cot fict in The South
ern end of ciImSOnStained Cuba
this remarkable act OF Private Nc
COmaS will long claim the atten
non of The boys in blue who are
now fighting shoulder to shoulder
in the defence of their countrS's
homer.
| McCOmas was but stripping,
barely out OF his teens, lie had
lived all his lie on a farm in
western Massachusetts, aud had not
beed accuston ed to the continuous
element OF unsled glory which
were the features of bis new en-
yirOnments. His parents arc well
to.do county folks whose sole
ambition iu life was the rearing OF
the boy who had been driven to
his death by the thOughtlessaes of
his comrades.
Ii was openly claimed that Nc
COmaS was acOgsyd OF the raukest
tNpe, il was even SAID that he had
purpostly Inflicted the wounds
upon bis hands in order to escape
duty upon the battle l.ue. HIS COM
radeS learned to iOathe him; they
bad no time for a mau who played
what they called the "baby acP
aud the remaI kab'e attitude as
sumed b, the soldier boy from the
Old Bay State was proof conclusive
in the minds OF his comrades that
McCOmaS wds an arrant coward.
The circumstances attending the
general hearing Of NJ cOmds may
have justified the boys of The
Second IN placing the young re-
cIuit under he ban, but later de-
velopmenls have placed an en-
tiIelv different aspect npOn the
calibre Of the "Greeuhoru' as be
was generally called and today
there IL not one man in all Com
pany ID, who has not expressed
sorrow Tor the many unklnd acts
which they had thrust upon the
forbeanng farmer boy.
When the first call for troops
was made by President Mckinley,
NJ, COmas, although but nineteen
wears of age was among the first
to offer his services to the Govern.
ment. He was accepted and as
signed to Company ID. Second
United States Regulars, and within
one weeks time he had given his
last fare well to bis father and
mother and friends and was on bis
way 10 join his regiment at Tampa,
Ofall the men III that perticular
regiment there was not one an Ong
them who proved better ply
sique than did McComas. His
out door country life had given
him a constitution of iron, he was
strong asan OK, and performed the
aldest duties with an ease which
won tor hun The admiration of all
his mPssmates.
1t was this strength that the
bows of the S cOnd admired. Trey
talked among themselves OF
what McCOmas could do in an
emergency; they naturally thought
that he would be a fearful adver.
sary lferoused to anger and for the
first few weeks in lie army every
man IN Company ID left McCemas
strictly alone.
When the Second Regiment was
removed to KEY West some of the
boys OF Company D took advant-
age of the saloons in that place
and lnblbed freely Of the poison.
ous rot which is called pure " hiskey
and sold at twenty cents a drink.
McOOmas had been detailed to
guard duty and 1t was while
IN The pursuance Of this
particular branch of his military
dulles that he acquired the SOU
brquet of Coward McCOmas."
TWAS SAID that be halted party
of men from his own company who
we're struggling into camp alter
hours. He marched them to the