The Portland daily press., 1899-08-10
4 BRAVE DEED.
Exploit Of Kansas Volunteer in the
philippine War.


San Fernando. p. L, June 14.--Arthur
n. Ferguson. whose home Is Ia Burling-
ton, Kas., Is corporal Of company Il, soth
Kansas. he Is q real hero, too. for his
was daring deed on the night before the
battle Of Caiumpit. April &c.
The Rio 0Tande de Pampanga flowed
between the two forces, the Americans la
the open and the Fiiipinos In the trench
en- Ths great iron bridge placed there
by the railroad company was the only
sIsitle means Of crossing, and the sleepers
had been torn from that.
Col. Funston-he won his stars at this
fight--was looking for way to get across
and make night attack. give the Filipi-
nos scare and practically turn the tide
OF battle before 1t begun. Ine bridge
stood there In all the glory OF steel
girders. Eut right across where the rail-
road track once ran was Filipino trench
ard there was every reason to believe it
WAS there Co defend ths brid ge. The
night was cloudy aud threatening rain.
Once In awhile the lightning would nash,
m Bking al things as clear as at MONDAY
Col. Funston called for volunteer TO
20 across the bridge with the object of
learning II IL could be CROSSED by a body
ef men, and what they would find at the
other end. Ferguson volunteered. The
colonel shook hands with him OF trey
staod there In the shadow CT the embank-
menk "Remembsr, do not send you.
ferguson, the colonel said land II we
do not meet again yeu know you have
reformed one Ct the most da'ing deeds
OF the war;
Ferguson W ent
| de pulled off bis uniform, wearing only
his bros n undercloshes AMI his bels AMI
revolver Ferguson told the story one
day as we sat In the shade OF the bamtco
| hedge at San Fernando. Ho is young
man with a brown mustache and hair
that has a slight inclination to curl. lie
Is stocky, too, the severe campaigning he
| has passed through putting him In gooi
condition phsyically. OF course he is
tanned In fact, he is brown as en- In
dian.
al don't think 1t much Of o trick" he
said. as he twisted a bamboo branch. "ft
| could easily be done In the daylight or
course, didn't walk across or creep
across. The lightning prevented THAI !
had TO get out of sisht My underclothes
would probably have blended me with the
bridge In the darkness, but the lightning
would come once In a while ana make
every thing light rs day. l knew would
be seen. go tried II another way.
"Ihe bridge Is strongly built of steel,
with steel cross pieces running parallel
to the girders and just underneath them
/ made my way up over tie stone abut-
ment, and l hoped 1t would not tighten
until got well downsunder the irons. 1t
did, though, and for the life of me
don't { see how they missed me. But they
never saw me, and the light gave me a
chance TO see whera 10 put my feet !
could see, too, that the bridge had been
stripped of everything that would do to
put foot on. with the exception Of n
couple of stringers ALONGSIDE the hand
rail. / saw that II this ran the length
OF the bridge single file could come
along by holding to the rail-. made up
my mind to follow IT.
''It was tickllsh crawling along there,
with the river right under me, but /
knew II / was careful could get across.
| crawled along until came TO the first
pier. Here l found the iron girder was
broad and solid. 1t rested on the top of
the stone pier and l had something
mighty solid under my fest. Ir was nee
essary to go around IL, and that brought
me out In view cf the trenches again
There WAS no use trying TO go fast. When
1t was dark Ii was so dark couldn't
see. and when the lightning came was
partly blinded by the flash. So had 60
depend mostly on touch and somewhat on
INV general knowledge Of the construction
OF ridges.
81 managed to get around the tig iron
and then begun to crawl along the cross
pieces again. BY this time had lear ned
about how they ran aud got along little
faster than l did at first. At last came
to the second or middle pier. All this
time, oil course, l was getting ne rer and
nearer to the Filipinos. 1 went around
the second and third piers. There was
but one span between me and the insur-
gents. ! raised up and poked my head
just u little way above the iron work
just enough to see-and waited for flash
of lightning. 1t came presently, and
there, right In the center of the fridge
WIS sentry, looking up the bridge fJr
all he was worth. but he missed me. l
guess was too close. Then u they lhad
opened fire they couldn't haze done much
hunt to me on account of the iron work.
/ made mp my mind to go little c.ossr,
so l crept along about half way across the
span.
"As raised up again my pistol strnck
the sentirel and every shovel was
dropped. could hear them digging be-
fore raised up. / squatted donn quick
and could guess that those fellows were
doing whule lot of looking. After
awhile they went to work again and
again peeped over the irons. l could
make cut trench right across the road
commanding tho bridge and all of its ap-
proaches. At the esd found part OF
the foot bridge that ran beside the rail-
road. In my Judgment this was too far
away for any body of soldiers to reach
without being discovered.
After got all the Information could
started back. When / ciimted over the
bank Col. Funston was there waiting for
me. He seemed glad to see me, but when
told him how he would have TO CROSS
one hand on the rail and both feet on q
six-inch s:ringer-the colonel heaitated,
and then said he would not try 1t. After
that the colonel tried to GROSS on n raft
and was discovered and fired on.
1t Is currently reported by those who
htard him that Col. Funston said to
Fertuson:"I fell on every little bridge
in kansasrand don't believe / could cross
1t. ! won't ask tue boys to 60 where
cannot go myself.
This deed Of Ferguson's may or may
not get into the historlcd, but 1t was
daring, as any one will allow who looks
upon the 1900 feet OF ironwork he crawled
fhrnuoh n In utnht