Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-02-22
BULLETS DIDN'T SCARF HIN.


Experiences.
Despite zero weather the stereop'
ticon entertainment Of Photographer
Rocket had full house Friday night
His pictures were the best ever seen
here and bis story Of the Philippine
campaign was listened to with inter-
est. Col. Little introduced Mr..
Rocket and vouched for the accuracy
Of the views. Among the pictures
were some Of Col. Little and these as
did that Of Gen. Funston received
hearty applause.
One Of Mr.. Rockets earliest views
Of the firing line shows Company M
Of the Twentieth Kansas, lying be-
hind rice dyke, pouring constant
fire into the insurgent line only a
short distance away. The soldiers
were sheltered with the exception Of
their heads and shoulders, but the
man with the camera was standing a
little behind one end Of the line on a
slight elevation, and the Mausers
were singing around bin viciously.
In the picture the marks Of the
bullets are to be seen on objects ly-
ing close to the camera, and Mr..
says one of them tore splinter from
the tripod of his camera.
just few seconds before the but.
ton Was pressed an insurgent bullet
struck Private Charles Pratt Of Salina
in the head, and the picture shows
his body stretched at full length be-
hind the lines. The picture was
taken SO soon after Pratt was killed
that his comrades had not discovered
that be was struck. This was the
first tragedy in the Twentieth Kansas
in the Philippines.
Another view shows the fire from
both the insurgent and Twentieth
Kansas lines. A gun from the insur.
gent line has just fired shell and
the smoke is shown belching from the
cannon's mouth. The shell has al
ready nearly reached the Twentieth
Kansas line when 1t explodes and the
picture was taken just as the explo.
sion takes place. Mr.. Rocket claims
that this is the only photograph ever
taken on a battlefield showing such a
thing.
On another occasion Mr.. Rocket
to make his way from one
line to another through the brush.
He lost his bearings and suddenly
came out on rice field short dis.
lance in front OF an insurgent line.
The insurgents began firing on him
and he dropped behind u rice dyke
This did not afford very good protec.
ton, and the photographer looked
around for larger shelter.
"Some distance back Of me-" said
Mr.. Rocket in telling Of the exper-
fence, 81 saw large rock and de-
to try to reach it. | crawl.
ed on my hands and knees the entire
distance, and on the way heard the
line coming towards the
insurgents, and | was between them.
realized that was in danger from
both directions, but when | reached
the rock | was glad to find that it was
split and the crevice was large enough
10 shelter me.
"As the American line advanced !
ooked up to see how close the boys
we're getting, thinking | would jump
up as soon as they reached me and ad-
vance with them. had on big
straw hat and the boys took me for a
Filipino in ambush, and Immediately
ping, ping, ping went the bullets.
They struck the rock right over my
read, and was pretty much irighten-
ID, because thought some of the !
Boys might shoot me before they
,ame close enough to ee.who was.
thought might better lose an arm
han my life, so ! raised up my cam
ira at arms length and waved 1t.
The boys recognized it and the COM
nand was given to cease firing
When | heard that jumped up, and
IS the boys came running toward me
took snap shot at them with my
,amera."
800 Reward, 800.
The readers Of this paper will be
pleased to learn that there is at least