The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-10-26

name every time on the llDcfty DOOR,
and the men hated him for that, too.
They hated him worse than ever
when they found him in n draft for
the Oregon, which was going out 10
Manila. and the hatred was dccpened
when he got a rating as gunner's
mate.
Robinson showed no airs when
he got his rating badge, but attended
strictly 10 business, as he always had
done and still the other men would
have nothing TO do with him. He was
easy to get along with, too easy TO
suit the rest Of the crew, for he
wouldn't fight ana they felt lac was
a coward, but in some way most Of
them had certain feeling Of respect
for him which they couldn't define.
Some OF this feeling crystalizcd
when Pat FIahcrty, coal passcr in
the second watch, came on deck for
n breath Of air and fell overheard from
the rail, on which he should have
! known better than 10 have seated him
self, especially when there was a
swell on that had made IL necessary
to lash down the guns in the turrct.
Mike Brady saw Flahcrty fall and
! ne shouted "Man overheard" so loud
! ly that the captain heard him In the
| chart room; but Mike Brady did not
make any further steps to rescue Flah-
crty, who was his buddy" except to
! jump up and down and get excited.
Jerry Robinson, isolated from his
shipmatcs as ever, was smoking his
pipe on the berth deck forward when
he heard the cry Before n bell could
be rung, or anything else done to stop
the ship he had seen Flahcrty rise cl
the crest Of swell and going astcrn,
and he rolled himself overheard pipe
still in mouth, ana struck out for the
coal passcr, who was already IN bad
way, and steadily getting worse from
the cramps cngcndcrcd by the cold
water on his supcrhcatcd body.
Robinson got hold of the coal passcr,
punched him in the jaw until he was
scnsClcss, and therefore tractablc
enough to be turned on his back and
loatcd. in which position hc kept him
until boat was lowered TO bring them
both back 10 the ship.
Flahcrty was grateful, Of course, and
even Mike Brady offered TO shake
hands and call everything square,
which was his way Of apologizing to
Jerry; but the latter said he hadn't
done anything much, and refused TO
| talk about his bravery
1t was still the opinion Of the crew
| that Jerry was coward, in some lie
gree, at least, because he wouldn't
fight with his fists and liked to bc left
alone, and that idea was never fully
cradiCatcd until the day a landing par
~ went ashore on Panay for n scout
The newspapers had already told of
the fight they had had ana of the four
men killed and the nine wounded, but
they had nothing TO say of Robinson,
except that he was one of the dead,
As a matter of fact the entire detach-
ment would have been killed If II
hadn't been for Jerry Robinson, up
TO that time rated rs more or less of
u coward, but culOgi2cd after his death
as hero of the first water.
The landing party met an over
whclmng number of insurgents in a
ravinc and were driven up against
hill from which there was no escape
at the rear and no chance of getting
back to the beach except through
three or four hundred of the enemy
sun. they were standing of the insur
a ha ho al, L l,1
when Brady. who had been lying be-
hind II rock, working his magazine gun
with all his might. threw up his hands
and fell over i'm full sight OF the enemy
and without any protection from their
bullets.
lie was well ahead of the machine
gun which was splitting steady
stream of bullets for the benefit of the
enemy, when Jerry saw him II ap-
pcared To he certain death for any one
! To go out I'm the face of that fire and
get him, but Jerry passed up new
belt of ammunition TO the gunner,
jumped over the hastily improviscd
| brcastworks. and went out.
| He picked UP the wounded man and
| had started back with him. when he
went down with a bullet in his leg.
/ Then he shifted his burden To his back,
and with one leg and his arms only
| To crawl with. he worked his way
back to the gun and comparative safe
| ty. What cheer there was then, Ii
! stopped the attack OF the enemy for
minute. and I'm that minute the ma
| chine gun became iammcd, The gun
ner was trying to get IL at work
again when he fell with bullet
/ through his head, and the insurgents
started rush for the diminished land
! ing party. now practically helpless.
Weak as he was from the loss of
| blood. Robinson realized he was the
only man in the party who could re-.
pair the gun IL II could bc done at all.
and dragging himself to IL, he pulled
himself up on the one leg which would
bear his weight and went To work ms
calmly as though NJ practice drill.
Still the enemy came on. They were
within one hundred feet of the gun
and In the open when he got the plug
out and the gun ready to work. Then
he turned II loose into the crowd of
half.naked savages and moved them
down i'm swaths.
Dcmoralized 10y the fierce fire which
was decimating their ranks. the insur-
gents broke I'm confusion.
Charge them" yelled Jerry. and the
little party did SO. taking Mike Brady
/ WITH lhnln -Il1nu .-n.nn.rnI frnr.a ilI.