Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-09
TALES OF PLUCK
And ADVENTURE.


| SSSSNSSSSNSNc'cNSSS SsSSNSUSSSS49SS
Fought to the Death.
J. ARMSTRONG, of Den
| - yer, went to the Philip
pines, not to fight, but to
tack shoes on the feet of
the regimental horses supposed to ac
CON pany the First Colorado. Judg-
ing from the SCARED and battered APP
pearance of that gentleman it is pre-
sumed that he saw more fighting than
horseshoeing during his stay abroad.
Among the volunteers who returned
was Armstrong. He marched in one
of the companies, but with the con-
clusion of the welcoming ceremonies
fastened to his home and there donned
n civilian dress, in which he wandered
downtown to shake hands with his
numerous friends. In reply to a ques-
tion from one of them as to whether
or not he had seen any fighting he
pointed with some pride to his right
eye, over which is to be seen scar
fully an inch long.
"That is arelic of one of my fights"
said he, "and this is another" At
the same time he rolled up his sleeve
covering his left arm, displaying what
was once deep cash about three
inches in length on his forearm.
The worthy man of Drawn went on
to relate that the strip of white skin
taking the place of his right eyebrow
came as the result of one of the reg;-
ment's early engagements. His place
was in the rear, where he would be
accessible should his services be need
ed for the tightening or removing of
any of the shoes belonging to the Off
GERS horses. A Mauser bullet hap
pened to fly high in the air and to re-
turn to the earth in Armstrong's i'm
mediate vicinity. Had he not thrown
his head back suddenly just at the mo-
ment that the ball whizzed by he
would not have returned. As it was
he lost his eyebrow.
1t was the forearm scar that elected
the better story. Armstrong was fol-
lowing the regiment on one of its ac-
tive days when Irving Hale was still a
colonel and in command. The col
onel's horse was sent back to have
shoe tightened, and the regimental
shoer dismounted from the steed which
he was riding, leaving his saber
against the back of @ bamboo shack
near which he had stopped. Taking
his hammer and nails and pincers he
went after the refractory shoe to the
tune of little Ir ish profanity, but
had pr oceeded only little way with
his task when he was startled to see a
200-pound Filipino, almost naked and
brandishing n heavy saber, coming
toward him in a war-like attitude.
Armstrong took in the whole situation
ut glance. The native was between
him and his horse, where his pistol
had been left, and his saber stood
some feet distant on the other side.
AS quick as thought, and just as the
Filipino was about to strike heavy
blow, the Colorado man hurled his
hammer in the direction of his foe and
bounded toward the shack to recover
his saber. The hammer did not hit
the mark at which it was aimed, but
the Filipino's weapon did. 1t struck
the horseshoer on the left forearm,
cutting to the bone. This did not
deter the American from making
things interesting for his adversary,
however, for as soon as he could un-
sheath his trusty steel he was brand
ishing it in the face to the black man.
The battle that followed in that dis
NAL solitude was fierce and to tho
death. When both combatants had
been worn almost to exhaustion Arm
strong struck the Filipino blow that
split his skull from forehead to neck.
Then he tightened the colonei's
horses shoe. The orderly had to wait
for few minutes when he returned
for the steed, but Armstrong made no
excuse for the delay.
q Encounter With "a Canadian Lynx.