The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-04-04
BEFORE THE FIGHT.
THE PRECIOUS PLUG OF TO-
BACCO AT SAN JUAN.
Rut Courage into the Mec-"Cn6cT Its
Stimulus They Became Perky and
Sassy" Says One Of Their oHcers--
-Enjoy:ns Chew to the Lest

'It has struck ne right along that
tlle newspapers have been making a
terrific hullabaloo over the way things
we're run down in Cuba, Porto Rico
and in the American camps, with very
little reliable information upon which
to base their charges" said an ottcer
Of the Twenty-fourth infantry Zone OF
the negro regiments), who was struck
by three Mauser bullets-badly wound
ed by one Of then-and piece Of shell
n the fight at San Juan, according to
The Washington Star. II didn't see
much to complain about under the cir
eunnstances down in Cuba, and had
pretty fair chance to see what was
going on. The only genuine criticism,
IL fact, that I have to make refers to
The scarcity Of tobacco amo = the
troops down there. Tobacco was at a
premium during the greater portion OF
our stay in Cuba, and the soldiers who
were deprived of it would very willing
" have paid for it at the price Of it's
weight in gold. ! don't think it would
be possible to overestimate the value
Of tobacco to troops undergoing a hard
campaign. It is bread and meat and
drink to a soldier enduring tb.s bard
ships OF war. It is at once a stimulant
and q tonic, and it's value in ailaying
hunger is well known to experienced
commanders. Queer rs it may seem,
chewing tobacco also allays thirst l
know this, because I've tried Il. An
other. point with reference to the chew
ing Of tobacco by soldiers in cam
paigp is that all of the cld-tsners
swallow the juice Of the weed. They
allow that it is apt to make fellows
not used to handling it in that way
bit sick at first, but they say that the
stimulating effect Of the plant is lost
II the juice is expectorated. I never
had better illustration of the value Of
tobacco to men who had long been
haDkering for it than on the day OF the
San Juan fight. The black soldiers Of
my outfit Of the Twenty-fourth had
been entirely tobaccoless almost from
the time We landed n Cuba and i was
the hardest kind of deprivation tpon
men who had been used for years to
consuming the weed in all its fcims.
The men missed tobacco, particularly
after. meals. After they got outside OF
their coffee they would get together
and talk longingly Of tobacco, arc I
could just see their teeth leaking &2r
1t, but there wasn't quarter Of sn
o1ace to be had. I don't hesitate tc
say.rthat the men Of niy company
weren't quite the same without tobec-
co, and number of them frankly seid
that they'd rather be without Cub
than.to go totaccolcss. On the NOM
ing of the San Juan scrap came izto
the proud possession Of one-pound
plug Of chewing tobacco. I'm not 60
ing to ircriminate myself by stating
uow happened to get the piug. bus
got it all the same. A short time he
lore IL CduIC Jul Ill II " 81 IALC az
ticn, I produced the plug and handed
It to the big, black-top sergeant Of my
company. You ought to have seen MS
eyes stick out when he caught sight
of the plug. Just pass it down The
line I told him, and let each of the
boys take nibble off it, The sergeant
took a bite off the plug himself, and
then handed it to the first duty ser
geant.
t'The whole company was 'on to- the
presence Of the plug CT tobacco in the
outfit By this time and they set UP a
cheer. They just forgot about the i'm
pending fight, they were so tick!ed c7er
the sight Of the tobacco. The pug
went down the line, every man taking
off a bite, and then it started up the
line and toward me again. It certain
" did dwindle in size, that plug Of TO-
baccc. By the time it Got into cha
hands of the top sergeant it was just
the size Of one good chew, which the
men had, by careful calculation, sa.ed
for me, the lcot'nant.' Did 7 take it?
Well, I guess yes. and swallowed every
bit of juice, like the rest Of the men
And can tell you It tasted good. The
men threw their shoulders bacl; under
the stimulus Of the tobacco ard be-
came perky and sassy and ighty al
throug hand I suppose you remember
what the Twenty-fourth Cid in the Saa
Juan fight? I had the chew in nz
mouth, enjoying it hugely, when the
lasf: Of the three Mausers that plugged
me got NE in the hips, paralyziag me-
from the waist down for a couple Of
months afterward, and, as didn't be-
come unconscious, enioyed that chew
even after vas hit