The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-04-20
Graphic Description Of the Charge of
IdahOans.
into The JAWS Of Death


otutcbmuu
The Manila Freedom of March Z
prints graphic description of the
charge made by the Idaho boys that
will be read here with great interest.
The Freedom says:
The ground over which Fiagins
led his men was level paddy field,
nude of and protection and entirely
exposed to the enemey's fire, except
for an occasional low cmbankment.
The men would dash from one EN-.
bankment to the other and there lie
down and volley the enemy. A pri-
vate said afterwards that the bullets
we're driving at them 30 low and
hard that somehow he felt like a man
hiding under bed and that he was
just as sure that he could not raise
his head very high above that bank
without humping it But on these
occasions the major would walk up
and down among his men giving or
dsrs and admonishing them not to
needlessly expose themselves and all
the while as cool and erect as if he
were on dress parade.
But they came to place where
there was no embankment and for
500 yards there was not even shrub
to screen them from the deadly del
uge of lead that was pouring in upon
them from the woods ahead Above
them, around them and through
them was always maddening, in
cessant vail of buttets. The insurg-
ents we're strongly intrenched and
belched the lead into the incoming
eoldiers as though they had Ceres
horn of plenty and had 1T, like the
Puritans historic rattle snake skin,
stuffed full of powder and lead. Bu'
there is rallied around our standard
as valient soldiery as that whicl
stood with Hancock, or that which
followed Armistead across the Valley
of Death. Flinging off his belt ant
sword scabbard that it might no
impend his progress, and in his shir
sleeves the major shouted encourge
ment to his men and headed foo
race toward the enemy.
General King, however, believed
the men were going to their deatl
and ordered them to stop. But th'
command was unheaded and unheart
amid the cheering and fighting. Th'
men resembled lashed animals, eager
ferocious, daunted at nothing ant
now that their blood was up and TIN
object of their hearts desire was il
sight they charged en- like stamped
of wild horses.
General King looked after ther
and cried: There goes the Amer
can soldier All hell can't stop himl
And hell conldn't stop them, fc
they were plunging right into il
Mausers and men couldn't stop thel
for they were doing their utmost
their futile effort; a subpoena
shells would not have brought thel
back.
The whole forest ahead of thel
popping and sputtering like a brus
FIRE, and a storm of singing stee
like 80 many water-bugs, skittere
and ricocheted over the surface
the field and sang about their ears
necessarily as swarm of beleague
ing mosquitoes. But with the mel
of Jove and the front of Gibralta
/. with faces set like flint toward tt
trees and gray embankment tn
: were spluttering and spluttering wit
rifle fire, this sparse line OF bra'
men in blue shirts and -slouch hat
Z headed by the wildly flying figure
s an officer in shirt sleeves, like
: foaming breaker running up u
beach, charged the enemy's wor
: and the insurgents fed, scatter'
and demoralized.
1t was grand in its impetuoslty-
the spirit that fed the men-and
!. the i'm perial shade of "Mad Anthon.
WAYNE could have gazed down up
d st from the low tents Of the deaf
e less dead, his old ardent blood wou
: probably have risen to a speed 'h
pretended to the spirit of that whi
wind charge.