Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-01-04

'ecame On ardent lingo and talked
var with everyone and anyone who !
would listen to him.
: do Hi want war;" he said in re-
ply to taunting question put by a
rookie. wy, say, Him crazy fur
hit. : Hi can't sleep nights fur think !
IN ot hit. Wasn't Hi with General
Miles Wen e rounded up Geronimo?
WASN'T Hi with Pecos Bill General
wen g broke up the Flat
'eads? An didn't hi cry like q baby
'en Cnster left me an troop OF tn
Seventh Cavalry at Fort Crook an
went after Settin Bull? Wy, say,
kid, who in tn thunder u y'u think
Hi amp"
And the 'kid" never really found
out MUCH about Tommy until the ad
vance on 'Cuba was well under way
and the noise OF battle filled the air.
AS chief trnmpeter Tommy was at
the head OF the regiment on the 1st
of July. 1t was his duty to give all
commands to the regiment by bngle
call. This he did in his usual effec
tive manner until the action started.
At the first gun of the day he lost his
head and Immediately started to blow
"thc charge" He succeeded in play
ing The first few bars when the ad-
jutant4 shut off his wind supply and
saved the regiment from rushing with
undue haste at an enemy which could
not yet be seen.
But from that time on for the next
couple of hours Tommy was OF very
little use to his comrades or the COM
mander. He. was always rushing
ahead forty or fifty yards and endeay-
oring TO blow "the charge" whenever
shell burst uncomfortably near. At
last, however, the regiment reached
the San Juan River and could see, on
the hill beyond, the hated enemy.
plunginS into the river: and under
cover of the bank, the troops deployed
up and down the stream and made
ready for the onslaught. Tommy was
more than ever excited now. As clouds
of bullets hissed overhead and made
the water foam behind him he felt
the blood of battle boil in his veins,
and lie conld hardly restrain himself
from jumping over the bank and, bid
, ding deiianes to the world, rushin 6
toward. # need he oAone
Suddenly, however, he heard q
sharp command. fhe line was formed
il raad;ness TO advance. The colonel
hol nteen the order Tommy must
now avocuta i Without q moments
| delay lie was on his feet, up the bank,
o,l w.a hjow4or isI~loyed call. stus
/ charge, good aud strong.
!, 1t was heard. 4 great bilIow OF
F.! men rose and broke over the low
| mound. Sheets Of tlalne flashed from
!, Il rs it rushed on like tidal wave.
! Aud Just then something happened.
Tommy hal started the second strain
! OF the ca!l When 4 Spanish she'll came
vhirlipg, whis;liug, ringing, through
The a:,
C.4sh'
The trlnp.t few through the MI
aua Tommy turned q double somer
ea,ilt backward, landing il the river
When the cliei trCmreter recovered
his senses, he found himself on the
| bank OF tie river whore he had beer
dragged by comrade. He had a
strange feeling about the mouth, and
putting up his hand found that Ii:
| lips we're terribly cut and lacerate 4
aud his front teeth gone. The sheli
+! had nearly driven the trumpet dow,
| his throat, but having struck at al
angle instead of squarely in front, i
had left Tommy with ONLY a tcrribl,
wound. ,t.s4.-r~- 49,. ,ssy<ss. ,-s~s
His first impulse was to start for tn,
hill again. but when he gained his
fe ct he found himself very weak. Be
ST les, the hill had been taken ant
what could he do then? Not blow til
,rumpet surely for his lips were cone
and he had never learned the mech
anisn of Krag, so he would be use
less with a rifle. On the whole b.
thought he would have to 60 to th
hosDitsl far in the rear -..-s.
=.