Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-17


were camped. We could hear them
holding powwows and singing while
making preparations to dangle our
scalps in their belts the next day.
II remember sat looking into the
campfire that night, wishing I was back
home and wondering what in thunder
to do, when the old sergeant came over
to me and asked:
Lieutenant, you don't think we can
lick tibet hull outfit, do you?"
"'No, sergeant; Idon't What do you
think we'd better do?'
"'Well, think we he'd better build
up big fire, so they kin see it, then
drift out of this
"And we did. We struck trail and
followed it all that night. About day
light we found ourselves on hill top
and right in the center of an old, de-
serted Indian village. 1t was that
nights trip that first gave me my high
appreciation of the much maligned old
government mule. Every mule in that
pack train seemed to understand the
situation and there wasn't whimper
or bray from any one of the lot until
we had put good nights travel be-
tween us and that gang of redskins.
ave didn't have any more trouble in
getting back to the fort, though we,
crossed number of warm trails of
bands. met the chief when he came
into the fort long time after to make
peace, and he told me how many times
he had shot at me on that trip and
couldn't understand how it was that
he never got me.
1.-THE wound that got at Los Quay
mas, in Cuba, was another lucky one.
too. You remember, Sellers, how,A and
B troops Of the regiment were lined up
that day at the foot of the hill, and
we were getting a perfect hell of fire
from the Spanish entrenched up on
top of the hill? Well, I was walking
up and down before my battalion, and
had orders to hold them fast to pro-
tect our right flank from the enfilade
fire on the right. I had just turned
around and waved my glove at them to
hold fast, and dropped my hand to my
side again, when Mauser struck me
in the arm. If hadn't dropped my
arm just as did, the ball would have
cut me straight through the center.
It turned me around and knocked me
down, but in short time gathered
myself up, went to the rear to see how
badly I was hit, and found that the
bone was badly shattered. It was
three days before had the wound at
tended to. There was lump on the
inside of my arm, and when the sur
geon examined it he said it was piece
OF bone sticking out, and that he would
have to cut it out. He made cut across
the lump and out popped the bullet,
wrong end first. If it had come straight,
as most Of them do, it would never
have stopped in the arm, but went on
straight through me.
1.-THE following day I wandered
around back Of the firing line trying to
help the poor. fellows that were worse
of than I was, and remember seeing
one of the A troop boys Buck O'Niell's
company, coming down the road with
tears running down his cheeks and
thought he must be wounded badly.
He saw me and yelled:
"'Hello, major, where is the firing
line!' I told him it was away on ahead
in the other direction, but the fight
was over.
"Then he seemed to feel worse than
ever, and broke out with as choice a
lot Of ornamental cuss words as I ever
heard a mule driver get rid Of, and
wound up by saying:
"'It's shame that Teller comes
all the way here from Arizona to fight
and then gets knocked out by the eli
mate within few yards of the firing
line
THAT forced march was the hardest
I ever saw. Packed down with about
50 pounds OF blankets, rations and 9TH
er stuff in that hot country, we double
quicked right by the regulars, that
were coming up at a good stiff gait, too,
right straight into trouble. Fellows
would drop out Of the ranks along the
line Of march like they were shot, some
Of 'em wouldn't come to for a day or
two after and some never were right
afterwards.
TEDDY Roosevelt came over to my
tent at four o'clock in the morning
after the fight and woke me up to tell
me that the Arizona boys made his
regiment. He said he knew that knew
It, but wanted to tell me that he knew
it and wanted to tell it first.
There's fellow, that Teddy; full
of life, yigor and energy, that enjoys
living and fighting. I was in New
York after he was elected governor and
went over to Albany to call on him
at the capitol. hardly expected to
see him, as he was busy, but thought
I'd just send in my card to let him
know I was in town. met the secre-
tary at the door and asked him to
take in my card to the governor. He
told me there was no use, the governor
was busy on some important case or
other, and there were several deIega-
tions of lawyers arguing something be-
fore him. insisted that he take in
the card, anyway, and handed it to
1,s,, No &oo1, n 1oo1, &,