The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-13

With the intensity of q tropical day
the sun seemed to ezpend its entire
force of furnace heat upon the un-
sheltered spot in front Of Santiago
where lay a ~grievousty wounded
American soldier boy. The wide,
tortured eyes of the youth stared fear
fully upward to the glaring zenith,
past the foul birds watching his suf-
ferings with calculating vision and
waiting for the human feast which
seemed sure to come. He thought
with %sickening brain of his northern
home-the green hills, the running
streams, the dear mother. Tears welled
up into his. aching eyes. He did
not try to wipe them away-he could
not. A mauser bullet had struck him
in the thigh, another in the RI bit arm
and another i'll the left. He was help
less. But what matter! he dead
could not see, and thu mo,her would
probably never know Low he had
nobly fought even to the gates of
death. At his feet lay the dead body
of a Cuban, slain by the bullet of a
Spanish sharpshooter. For these
Cubans he was dying. For them he
had some to help free the island from
the tyranny of Spanish rule.
Then he recalled the events of that
day at San Juan hill. The American
troops had been on their feet since
~daybreak. There was a scanty break
fast, and as the men ate it there we're
indications of the coming clash of
arms. The ales on the march to the
firing line were closed up: every
was alive. The bugle sounded and
then came the order to advance. The
tempest of musketry and shrapnel
through which they moved forward
drove like a storm of steel into the
faces of the men, but nothing could
resist the imperious advance and the
first line of the enemy was swept
away.
The battle grew. Here and there a
soldier went down, but the column
stood firm; the officers marched close
by the e Sometimes, through the
smoke they caught a glimpse Of the
colonel leading on in front.
The din increased; the earth seemed
Keeling under foot; she'll burst with
horrid shrek and flung out quick
death. Still the men pushed on. An
officer picked up the gun of q man
who had fallen and spoke a CHEEKY
word.
The Spanish artillery and the far
reaching aus swept within q GER
tian limit every inch of ground, but
with a firm and rapid step that I'M
finching column moved forward.
Louder grew the tumult and thicker
came the angry messengers. A sharp
cry Of pain and one of the men is
helped to the rear. The bullets came
hotter and faster from the Spanish in
III trenches and from the b%lockhouses.
More comrades stretched out quietly
with the death mark on their faces.
There was no time for words-only q
mad swelling of the heart and a nnPF0D-
bling of the brain "a deadly thirst for
blood dried up all other feeling as
another mar was lifted back.
Suddenly a cool voice they had
heard before rang out an order:
sCame on, boys, charged" and the thin
line rushed through the smoke andg
advanced up the hill. With a cheeH
they answered the fiery blast that
swept into their faces with sudden
fury. The air seemed instinct with
leaden life. and volley after volle9
pealed forth from the deadly rifles.
For n awful moment the men fall
teredl Groans of agony and hoarse
mingled, and all around
American soldiers lay down to die.
But the check was only momentary,
and on into the jaws of death the col
umn went. Every man leaned for
ward as though breathing o heavy
wind. From right, left and front
they felt the pounding of the enemy's
guns, and shrapnel swept through the
ranks like hail.
On the summit Of the hill the block
house swarmed with the foe, dimly
seen through putting lines of smoke
orr guns. The Spanish were
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in the open.
But never mini! Forward! And soon
the foreign foe was driven back and
the stronghold captured.
Half way down the slope as the vic
tors pursued the flying enemy, a
whitening blast of mauser bullets
swept across the open ground, and the
boy who now lay dying in the open
space in the tall grass fall for,var1
with a ball in his thigh. A conrade
ran to his assistance and he made his
way painfully to the real but as he
passed along another Spanish bullet
struck him in the right arm and pre-
he was wounded in the left.
Then his day Of battle was done. and
the blaek hours Of Inconsistencies
followed,
When reason returned the ID ,aaa Of
bad ceased, and be- waagaysa
TAeFa his saHaradaa we're, We're shey