The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-10
A STORY OF SPANISH WAR
The Rash up San Juan HiIi-sfTaps"
Made Music for the soidfsrs-Whea
the Fight Came He Followed the Coll
onei and Saved Him.
(Harold Kramer In the indianapolis
News.)


News.)
He was diminutfye darby OF uncer-
tain age and complexion, and had at
tached himssif TO the Steenth infantry
while we were oamped In the sand wastes
at Tampa, waiting for the forward move
ment to Cuba; waiting to reap and be
reaped In the harvest of death that waited
us just across thoss restless waters
whose frolios we watched during the day
and to whose moaning we listened at
night when the storm king dashed them
in his fury.
| He was good natured, with face
that oftener expanded into a smile
| than puekered in anger, and officers
and men took a certain sort of
liking to him. He soon became known
throughout the regiment as "Taps' be-
cause, as one said, he was so "dog-goned
black that whenever he came In sight
the chickens went to roost." There were
some of those men IN khaki, however,
uncharitable enough to say that the
chickens probably had other reasons for
seeking obscure places when the darky
appeared Another reason for giving
| him the name was his passionate fond
ness for that bugle call known as TAPS,
1.-THE go-to-sleep song ;" he called 1t, and
| next 20 Capt. Silverthorn, whose servant
| he was, he thought "Dutchy" Clauser,
the regimental bugler one OF the greatest
men In the army.
FLAPS loved music, and night after
night he would sit out in the moo Might,
stunning his old banjo and singing In
his deep, rich voice quaint southern
melodies, his evenings programme al
ways containing few verses of 1.-The
Battle Hymn of the Republic" which he
thought second only to taps in beauty.
He always had crowd of hsarers, but
| they knew the concert was ended when
he turned his eyes upward and sang:-
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the CON-
ing of the Lord:
| He is trampling out the vintage where
the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of
his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.
| Then he would stick his banjo In his
| TENT and 20 up and sit down close to
| regimental headquarters, and wait for
"Dptchy' to,play 1.-THE go-to-sleep song"
| When the long-looked-for orders came,
| Flaps was happy, and the first night
we spent in Cuba his favorite song arose
| with a new note OF joyousness, as II de-
| tying the hosts of Spain to deny that
| He has sounded forth tina trumpet that
shall never call retreat.
"Gollyl Just wait till dis yere old
rig msnt turns loose on dem Dons. Um-
m-m, and he shook his head expressive
The time came for ths attack on Santi-
ago, and the Steenth infantry wa 8 In the
advance FLAPS" had been ordered to
remain In the rear with the hospital
| corps and to make himself generally USE
ful. He chafed at being separated from
| Sfiverthorn, but that night permission
was given him TO go ahead to the regi-
ment, with orders to return in the morn
ing. The next morning, before the as
sanlt was renewed, he pleadsd earnestly
with the captain to be permitted to ae-
company him and take care of him."
Deeply touched, the officer grasped the
rough, black hand and pressed 1t, but or.
dered him to return to his post
An hour later the battle was being
waged furiously. There was a constant
stream of wounded hobbIing to the sur
geons, while others were being borne in
on stretchers. The darby worked faith
fully, but his heart was out at the front,
where, amid that awful crash and roar,
his beloved captain was risking his life.
Presently he was sent some distance
forward on an errand, and having exc
cuted II, ne determined to take look
at the regiment.
"Where's tn StesnthY' he inquired OF
O soldier, who WAS staggering to the rear,
one arm mutilated by a she'll.
"Over there, ana it's-it's-hell," he
gaspsd brokenly. pointing with his an
Injured arm.
"'raps'' started on on trot In the
direction indicated. The bullets began
to patter around him and an occasional
shell shrieksd overhead, but be Kept on.
Men lay all around. some wounded and
some who had faltered and died while
trying to reach the hospital. At last he
came In sight OF the trenches occupied
by his regiment. Dropping hat on the
ground, be watched the men he knew so
we'll pouring vollsys into the biockhouse
ana intrenchInents ahead. Suddenly
there came a Iull in the American fire;
then a bugle sounded the charge" and
vita yell the brown hne sprang to its
fest and dashed forward-the charge up
san Juan hill
''rapsi rushed forward also. but
stopped at tina trenches latsly Occupied