The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-04-14
DIFFERENT SENSATIONS
OF men Who Were Wounded by
Modern Bullcts-Fceling OF men in
Battle for Their Stomachs - Dying

SuIuiC vi ~ W. E.
New York Sun: A. man In this city
set out after the recent war TO ind SOL
dIers who had been wounded in action.
He wanted to ask them about their
wounds. to know how they acted when
hurt. and especially what was their
first conscious thought-the psychol-
oglcal effect, in short.
The Investigation was attended with
certain difficulties. In the first place, a
surprisingly small percentage of the
invading army had been wounded. Sol
dIers had suffered all sorts Of other
things. from sunstroke to yellow Jack,
but Spanish craftsmanship seemed less
and less to be feared as the search went
on. Even after the investigator cor
raled some men who had been shot he
had trouble in making them tell about
TIA whole lot OF trouble, intact. Many
OF them were like the old sergeant OF
regulars, whose talo was as follows, "ol
was sho. in the leg. sorr. Of tumbled
down. corr 1t felt like hell. sorr."
There is a tradition that men shall
not have feelings when they. are under
fire. When they tell Of their feelings
at all 1t comes In the nature OF n con-
misunderstanding TO be ashamed Of.
That Is what drill and training are for
as much rs anything elsc-to create
habit that Will be strong enough to re-
slst nature. Consequently It was among
the volunteers who had not prepared
themselves so thoroughly as the reg
ulars for this kind OF crisis. that most
o. the interesting mental phenomena
occurred.
At least one experience seemed to be
general. Regulars and volunteers alike
knew at once. what had happened to
them. There was none OF that wonder
and perplexity which at one time came
10 men who had been shot. A surgeon
suggested that possibly the reason for
this was the comparative absence OF
shock produced by the wound from a
modern ireavIi, Another thing that the
Victims agreed upon was that the first
effects of a shot was less painful and
less generally distressing than they had
been taught to believe. For this reason
explained wiry little regular, Span
iards were dead easy compared with
Indians. because the Indians he had
faced always shot something, that hurt
every minute. A volunteer said that
he had wondered quite lot about
what particular kind OF fool he was
going to make OF himself should he get
hurt. and the fact that he was neither
iurt enough TO be frightened nor
frightened enough to be hurt was aft
erward a matter Of great felicitatlon.
There was one member OF the Seven
tS-frst regiment who was shot in the
leg, and he said that the mental effect
was intense chagrin. His people, he
snid. We're Of the "let the others go"
variety Of patriots. They did not for
bid him TO enlist, but the consensus OF
home opinion was against 1t. They took
the ground that other lives of less value
either 10 their owners or 10 society
would answer the purpose as well. He
argued that he did not expect to lose
either life or limb or health; were the
loss of either OF these certain he would
not have enlisted. and he concluded
that his chances were nearly as good
as II he were to remain at home Well,
when he was shot down there In Cuba
the episode became part OF that discus
sion in way that was sudden, COM
plete and not at all unnatural or gro
sesaue. Switter. than the shot itself
came the thought. What will the folks
say to me now? And how am going
TO explain this?"
Another volunteer said that when he
was shot he felt like standing up and
telling the Spanish army that they had
performed the feat of final detrlment,
not only to this country. but TO the
whole universe. The Idea of his being
SHOT struck him as having been COM
passed only by means OF an iucon-
eruous relaxation of attention on the
part OF Providence. He could not rec
oAcile 1t with preconceived Ideas He
sa!d that he stood up and spluttered
IN The direction from which the shot
MAD come like mad baby until some
oody came along and pulled him over
backward and told him to shut up.
during his subsequent Illness and de-
hHum the volunteer became possessed
OF perfect imaginative picture of the
man VINO had shot him TO the most
minute change OF expression and effect
OF dress. That Spanish soldier has as
distinct personality as he has himself,
ana even vet he seems more real and
easier OF Identification than most peo-
PIE with whom the American has d
waxing acquaintance. The volunteer
SAD that SO far as he knew the Span
!ara's face was not one which he had
ever before seen or imagined. It was
only after his commissioners thnt he
was able 20 separate what actually had
happened from what occurred In his
e"laslaation. and he knows now that
spaGiaFd was dream.
Ny regiment had taken to the shrub
Jungle on nearing the front from Sib-
Ghey, said another volunteer. Crawl
laS through the jungle found myself
-o"omlhS a man who was much big
ger taan !. so much bigger than In
:het thn: Il We were 10 stand In row
az WOULD overlap me OF all points. 1.
va. vas through no contrlvanCe OF mine
WA, was following somebody else, In
way men have In common with sheen.
~ 1I!,, tAis lime the Spanish bullets were
u.I'lhs nasty little holes In the air
enu SCATTERING through the leaves above
WI Aeads. | remember being partie-
ulaF!y grateful for not beinn as big as
. ..e man ahead OF me. 1t was but
sep from this TO taking advantage of
me cover his size afforded. | rcmem-
yer arguing with myself that I was
.oi doing anything mean or contempti-
VIZ that the big man stood no greater
oahhets and that I stood fewer by the
Management. didn't feel as though
:, vas cheating him out OF anything.
~ snort although / was dead sure that
ii ne turned and caught me lodging
wen he lodged and stopping when he
sWpped there would be strife within
t "ut lines. All at once there was n
Httle tWlnRe In my arm II had tho
,numbinS effect, without the pain, OF
eeeIhs struck on the funny bone. Some
no" | knew, at once what II was, and
ny 'lrst thought was for my friend.
W., ,ne OLE man. He was walking serene
away. Notwithstanding the fact that
We must have had a bullet through the
M.iuule or his stomach. ! forgot all
apout myself and waited almost breath
!cSsLy Tor hIu To stnE n I'd fali- u