Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-11-26

the Teach parties to chum with Robin
son, and he was left alone when he
hit the beach 70 look cut for himself.
Long confinement aboard ship had
made the crews feel like making pret-
ty free with themselves when they
were on the beach, and most Of the
mon were entered on the liberty BOOK
as 'D.and D., (which means drunk and
dirty, when they tumbed over the rail,
and also got thCm marked down for
close quarter for six months. Robin
son had n ''clean and sober" after his
name every time on the liberty book
and the men hated him for that too
They hated him worse than ever
when they found him in a draft for
the Oregon, which was going out to
Manila. and the hatred was deepened
when he got a rating as gunners
mate.
Robinson showed no airs when
he got his rating badge, but attended
strictly TO 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, and they felt he was
Il coward, but in some way most of
them had a certain feeling of respect
for him which they couldn't define.
Some of this feeling crystalized
when Tat Flaherty, a coal passer in
the second watch, came on deck for
Il breath of air and fell overheard from
thu rail, on which he should have
known better than to have seated him
self, especially when there was n
swell on that had made it necessary
to lasI down The gins in the turret.
Mike Brady saw tlaherty fall and
he shouted Man overheard" so loud
ly chat 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
jrmp up and dOwp 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 "A bell could
! be rung, or anything else done TO stop
the ship he had seen Flahcrty rise On
the crest Of Il swell and going astern,
and he rolled himself overheard, pipe
still in mouth, and struck out for the
cG1l passer, who was already in bad
way, and steadily getting worse from
the cramps engerdercd by the cold
water on his superheatcd body.
Robinson got hold of the coal passer,
punched him in the jaw until he was
senseless, and therefore tractablc
enough to be turned on his back and
tloatcd. in which position lie kept him
until boat was lowered to bring them
both back to the ship.
Flaherty 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.
It was still the opinion of the crew
that jerry was y coward, in some de-
gree, at least, because lie wouldn't
fight with his fists and liked to be left
alone, and that idea was never fully
cradica,ed until the day landing par
jy went ashore on Panay for a scout.
The newspapers had already told of
the fight they had had and 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 matter Of fact the entire detach-
: ment would have been killed if it
hadn't been for Jerry Robinson, up
TO that time rated as more or less of
a coward, but eulogized after his death
as hero oe the first water.
The landing party met an over
whelmiag number of insurgents in Il
, rayine and were driven up against Il
hiu from which there was no escape
ut the rear and no chance of getting
back 10 The beach except through
three or four hundred of the enemy
, sin, they were standing off the insur-
, gents and had had only one man killed
> when Brady, who had been lying be.
. hind rock, working his magazine gun
; with all his might, threw up his hands
e. and fell over in full sight of the enemy
. and without any protection from theil
S bullets
-rN N'lH " vi 'lliSstNl VI lllt llldtulut
l gun, which was splitting steady
{ stream of bullets for the benefit of Tho
8, enemy, when Jerry saw him. 1t ap
e peared to be certain death for any one
to go out in the face of that fire an(
. get him, but Jerry passed up new
D belt of ammunition to the gunner
l jumped over the hastily improvset
{ brcastw orls, and went out.
= He picked up The wounded man ant
= had started back with him. when hC
went down with bullet in his leg
. Then he shifted his burden to his back
T. and with one leg and his arms only
S TO crawl with, he worked his way
q back to the gun and comparative safe
S ty. What a cheer there was then! L
stopped the attack of the enemy for {
. minute, and in that minute the ma
/, chine gun became jammed. The gun