Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-06-09
SOLDIERS J |'| FROM MANILA:
First of the Wounded Heroes to
Return to San Francisco.
STORIES OF THEIR EXPERIENCES.

uOIU0. LIE 6udbtoIou, UIOAcu uou WIZ
fell while charging the Filipino trenches
are being brought back. They are taken
to the Preside hospitals. There few
Of the curious gather to look at their
sunken cheeks, to comment upon their
wounds, to listen to their tales of ad-
venture in a strange. far land. Here
and there tender woman brings them
flowers and a smile. Relatives carry
out words Of cheer or pity. But there
is none Of the extravagant demonstra-
ton which accompanied their outgoing.
Yet these are the first men to bear
their wounds back to San Francisco
since the dread days of the civil war.
And they are the first few who pioneer
the way for the many who will come
imping home in the days yet to be.
San Francisco might be expected to
show more interest in these stout heart
ed lads who have borne the shock OF
battle and behaved like veterans in the
time of stress. But the wounded men
are CHEEKY. They are proud of their
share in the conflict. Here are some of
their experiences:
Charles G. Hammonds, private, Com
pany F, Twentieth Kansas volunteers,
was wounded in the left leg Feb. s,
two miles from Manila. He tells his
story in these words:
"We discovered a big force of the
enemy in trenches directly in front Of
Us. We were ordered to take the
trenches. The boys gave tremendous
yell and rushed forward. had gone
about 100 feet when niger bullet
hit me in the left leg and dropped me.
I did not realize that was shot for sew
eral seconds, and thinking had trip.
ped attempted to rise. An awful pain
ran through me from my leg up. I felt
of my thigh and discovered my wound.
In the meantime the boys had run on
and I was alone. Ny wound bled pro-
fusely and had no emergency bandage,
but wounded officer, whose name I
never learned, who was returning from
the front, bound up my leg go I would
not bleed to death. He tried to assist
me to the field hospital, which was To-
Gated three-quarters Of mile away, be-
hind knoll. With bis aid hoped and
crawled greater portion Of the dis
lance, when some members Of my regi-
ment discovered my predicament and
made litter Of their coats and guns
and carried me to the field surgeons.
George B. Abrams, musician, COM
pany H, Fourteenth infantry, received
a severe wound in the left side, Feb.
10, at Paranca, while his regiment was
pursuing the Filipinos toward Calico
can. Here Is his story:
''Our officers, cool and nervy, urged
us to hold back and draw the enemy's
fire, go that we could locate them before
charging. But the men coSeld not be
held, and the officers, seeing what the
file was up to, led their companies,
with whoop and yell, right into the
trenches where the Filipinos were ly-
ing. Those ringers are not towards by
any means, but they cannot fight lit
tie bit. Several times Aguinaldo's men
remained behind their breastworks un-
til they were prodded out by the bay
onets of the charging Americans. Com
pany M Of the Fourteenth lost more
men than any company in the regiment.
During the fight at Paranca. where I
was wounded, Company M was caught
in terrific cross fire, and had the Fill
pinos been any kind Of marksmen M
company would have been annihilated.
We were ordered to the assistance Of
M company, and as we ran into the
open Mauser bullet caught me in the
left eide. I was knocked about 20 feet
and tumbled. My whole body was
numb, and thought it was all up with
me. The bullet only plowedsa hole in
my side, however"
Fred Kuhn, private, Company G,
First Nebraska volunteers, was shot in
the left leg Feb 6, in the assault to get
possession Of the Manila waterworks,
which were held by Aguinaldo's follow
ers. His tale follows: 'When we were
about a mile from the waterworks, q
Mauser bullet penetrated my left leg,
ranged upward, and I was out Of the
fight. Ny sensations when wounded
were most peculiar, and cannot intel
ligently describe them. The impact OF
the ball seemed to completely paralyze
all my powers. I felt as if I was spin
ming around like big top and my COM
rades picked me up 20 feet from where
was standing when hit.
Zone Of the strangest cases in the
hospital" said another soldier, "wae
that Of Private Woodrich of the South
Dakota regiment He was dysentery
batient and was sent to the morgue
three times, but he is still alive. The
dread disease 80 weakened him that he
frequently tainted, and on the occasions
referred to the surgeon looked at him
and said he was dead. He was placed
in the grewsome army coffin and carried
to the deadhouse. Consciousness came
back to him, and he crawled back to
the hospital door and knocked to attract
the attention Of the attendants. He
went through this experience three
times, and the doctors are now con-
WINGED he cannot be killed.
''Probably the most peculiar wound
treated in hospital was volunteer SOL
dier who was shot squarely in the nose
by a Mauser. The ball ranged down.
ward into his mouth, and he swallowed
IL Stranoe too the w0rud in his face