The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-30
BOONE WAS BRAVE
Sedgwick County Boy Highly
CompIimented
BY A KENTUCKY OFFICER
Appeared to Have a Charmed
Life.

In the course OF an account Of the battle
OF Santiago, Sergeant c. NJ. Spears, Of
company OF the Sixteenth Kentucky in
FantTy, IN the Lexington (Ky.) Herald,
pays Sergeant Frank Boone of CoIwich,
son of Dan Boone the following very fiat
tering compliments:
Sergeant Boone of Wichita, Kan,
seemed TO bear a charmed life He was in
the tlnickest of the fight, and one of the
first to reach the trenches. He helped
his captain TO dress his wound and car
ried his oomrade, Fleming, to the rear
after the death of Lieutenant Ord. Ser
geant Boone showed great gaIIantry.
Continuing the account, the Lexington
paper said:
1lr. Spears received his discharge after
three years service, and left Santiago on
August l for his home in Lexington. His
account Of the three days fighting and
the surrender Of General Torag on July 3,
makes interesting reading and fills IN
some incidents not hitherto published.
On the morning OF July / the order was
given for a general advance on the Span
fish works, The Sixteenth infantry, I'm
der General Hawkins, formed the center.
and the entire line reached from the ocean
on the left, Iaround ITO Ii Caney on the
Tight and beyond Santiago.
After an interes ting description of how
they Gu their way through the under
brush and cactus for pbout three miles
and waded the San Juan river under the
Of nj al charrc1ootaVc
tells of the final assault.
Grimes battery of three-inch field guns
was booated on a hill TO the rear of the
Sixteenth and about two miles from the
Spanish Entertainments. AS soon as the
open ground was reached this battery
sheled the blOckhouse on San Juan hhl,
and the troops deployed right and left
into lines Of battle and rapidly advanced.
Here it was that Captain Mcfarland
rushed to the front and, sword in hand,
urged his men up the hill under a wither-
ing fire. When about fifty yards from The
bloCkhOuse a shell from Grimes battery
exploded right over Captain Mcfarland,
Lieutenant Ord, Sergeant Spears, Sergeant
Boone, Corporal Fleming and Private
GOade. who were some distance in ad-
vance o fthe others Lieutenant ord was
Knocked down and Captain Mcfarland
was struck in the head and fell for
ward. the blood streaming from his wound
Sergeant Boone rushed TO him and helped
him TO bind up his head with what IS
known as the emergency bandage.
They were Standing in wild grass up to
their necllS. and officers in charge of the
battery could not distinguished them even
with their glasses. Mcfarland sprang TO
his feet and put his hat on his sword and
waved gt to notify the battery TO cease
firing. All of this was in a perfect rain
OF Mauser bullets and it is a mystery
that GA Of this gallant band was not
killed. They cut the barb-wire fences
with their sword bayonets and drove the
Bpaniards from the trenches, killing and
wounding all of them who had not re-
treated to the 'bIockhouse.
Lieutenant Ord had the guns and side
arms removed from the wounded, and
while looking after their wounds was shot
by a wounded Spaniard, who was lean
ing against a tree few feet away. Ser
geana Spears turned and killed the Span
lard as Ord placing his hands to his
head, staggered away several steps and
fell dead. Private Fleming of company 4
was wounded and Sergeant Boone carried
him TO the rear and dressed mis- wound.
Captain McFarland ordered the Calling
guns o the front, and four of them were
dragged to the top of the hill by the sol
diers of the Sixteenth and opened fire on
nearly 10000 Spanish reinforcements who
were rushing up the opposite side of the
hill from their second line of works. about
Boo yards away. by this time the rest of
the troops opened such a calling fire all
along the Ane that the enemy were moved
down by uhehndredS.
Nearly 1000 Spaniards were killed here,
and Santiago was practically captured,
although the fighting continued until Sun
day morning about y o'clock, when the
flag of truce was raised.
During al this fighting Captain McFar-
land never left the firing line. and while +.
his men were dying in the trenches at F!
night he went back to the commissary /
and made repeated trips carrying a gun /
nysack Of canned goods on mis- shoulder |
TO his company. lie lost all but two Of his /
non-commisssionedo officers. and 80 per cent |
of his company were killed OF wounded.
The Sixteenth infantry has nothing but |
praise for all their line officers. and an |
unite in giving Captain Mcfarland great 1
credit for khe splendid way he led the |
charge that practically settled The fate Of !
Santiago.
Van Dorm. Of company II. Sixteenth in |
fantry. planted the first flag on san Juan /
hNl.
When Tery prominent army officer in I
Washington saw Sergeant Spears dis
charge he said; Young man. if you can (
get Two or three senators 70 lndorse you. /
l can set shoulder-sTaps on you today" /