The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-05-12
IN He FELT.
NELSON WRITES A FINE,
LETTER TO HIS PARENTS
ABOUT The BATTLE.

lllbl W DIS parents MI. auu
M. Nelson aud kindly loaned
n to the REGISTER Is interest
ticularly 10 II glvess the young
personal experiences and the
ing emotions which chased
uer through his mind when
der fire,
goth Kans. Caloocsn 3-22.'90
Olks.
g no doubt you have been
Z me in good shape foI the last
eks for not having written
Iut ! have never had time to
ted and now | do not know
r may write more than one
tore | am stopped for a day or
prehaps month. j presume
= this you have become,
h the newspapers, as well ac-
vi with the situation as | am,
haps you would like to have
some of it over again, espec.
ne part our regiment took. 1
" the map | draw aud sent to
very crude aud much better
Jpear in the American news
started IT, 1t is hard to tell,
link a Nebraska outpost fired
Il shot that night although the
utpost had been fired at the
Iefore but had orders to fire
no circum stances. However
ed it was only n question OF
ng a u. \. army would hold
a'nst the exgsperating taunts
5tile army or else until the foe
make AL attack.
7 were undoubtedly prepared
)re ready than we were. /
hey had been for at least two
trying to lead the Americans
te an attack on them that they
have an excuse to whip us and
Manilal Our outpnsts you.
surrounded the city, and with
Try few minutes from the time
" shots we're fired the insur-
we're attacking them in force on
side.
Kansas outpost extended from
ach due east across the MalabOn
and wagon road "a far "a the
IAN r.. Il. tract. The farthest
It patr0lled about 300 or 400
farther than the others straight
The wagon road toward Csloo-
When the attack was made
is driven in but stopped
he got back on line with the
t. Clark of Co ii. (whO was at
ts University my first year. was
st officer of the day and he and
think guards lay down there
red vOlleys at them aud retreat
WHY back toward our outpost
house which was the Malabon
shops. But they held the in
ats back, VITO on account of the
: firing could not tell the num-
ntil the regins ont got out there
had a cannon planted
hit down this road with which
fired grape shot at these seven
Some of the meu told me that
" anted to run and did not think
could hold tho place but Capt.
e told them shat they would
t and the first man who ran, he
shoot. 81 thsy stayed it out
,ere unhutt. We turned out.
1en fell out aud were in line be-
ssembly was blown and out they
| got a little cart and pony
ut . .30l rOunJd of ammunition
d Mitch and WinberbOurn got
onetta and Victoria and all to-
r we hat 2,400 rounds. Our
A ny stayed to guard us and out
ent. My cart was ahead aud /
ID and hsIpei my little lame
pull al th9 way. We got out
eleven O'Clock | guess Tn a
Ient deployed on either side OF
,ad and the Utah battery placed
uns i'm the middle of the road.
ut the time we were all ready
lsurgents opened up on US and
he Mauser bullets did pop. They
like they were exploding right
your head. There must have
a lot OF them for you could hear
reds popping ali at time and
cannOns doomed right down the
aud ours replied and every
any was firing volleys with their
gfields as fast az they could
The springfield is very large
rifle and makes more noise than
t gun so YOU can imagine how
ys of a hundred all together and
; twelve of these hundreds firing
I as they could would sound.
as about twenty feet behind the
nd went to opening cartridge
as fast as | could as | had the
Ratchet out there, a small one
l Lieutenant Hull gave me. /
1t In my belt all the time in
!. WasI excited? Well | gu ess
t is true l was behind a tin
ing but the bullets came through
I were paper, making a terrible
r but most of them were too
to touch 1t. How / did pound
open and batter loaded cart
J in two! | felt no inclination
dye the bullets that whistled
but when ever the cannon went
would Jump three feet high and
he blow / was striking. A bout
me / butted my head into Brig.
Otis who was passing He is a
t m IN, but he got out of the
before / came at him again.
l began to think | was going to
/. 1t didn't seem to scare me
was as sure that | would be hit
vas that l was breathing and
did wish it would hurry up.
nan was carried in wounded in
axle and ! imagined there were
f them killed and so many