Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-24
a NIGHT ON The FIELD by IKE RUSSELL
Former Salt Lake Boy Now in California Writes Of 1t IN Inc
Stanford SequOia.


TO sing in the heart OF Gods country
began an old song
For the ways are far and there's naught
To mar
So sleep dears, while you are able
"Sleep. nay darling children
An IN your olden cradle,
A maiden came strolllng down North
,rerpple street with a lot Of books un-
dor her arm--JImmy and | started
game OF marbles under the shadow OF
The temple wall whore the policeman
who clears the street couldn't see us.
The sheets on Mrs, Ciayton's clothes
line began 10 hutter and flap In the
wind coming down city Creek canyon.
Totlnder and louder they Tapped ana
louder vet. no. II WAS not clothes on
tbe line. II was the Battle Of Winchcs-
fen and Gen sheridan was riding into
the field. Now he was rallylng the
iroopa and they were charging ana
shooting and yelling
Gen. Greene. take me away Gen,
Greene. the Spaniards are comlnS
they've blown up the battery, the Penn
svlyanians are out OF ammunition
cake me away save me-
The bed fel down under the leap
gave I'm getting out. a form fell over
n guy rope OF one Of the tents, sentry
and / rushed thlther II was soldier
without hat belt, coat or gun He was
breathless, for II was three miles near.
Nv To the Outposts and he had run an
The way in. a Wild sort Of glitter In his
eve visible even In the darkness, told US
Ne had 10 deal with an insane man
one whose nerves had got me petter
of him In his first baptism OF fire. He
had only one idea and that was TO
keen running And II was no wonder
for the sky towards Manila was aliame
with a spiteful glare. and there was an
awful noIsp Ike a thousand telegraph
Instruments going tOgether II was
punctuated every now and then with
deeper sounds like sledge hammer
blows on a hollow tree. Great lines of
fire Hared M from the beach spread
ing far inland. and old Fort San An
tonic on the shore sent mp blasts OF
fire ike small volcano in action.
Yes. too. as we watched other Hash
ee appoared--nearer TO us; and another
sort OF thunder rolled through the
mists. Il was sound unlike any oth-
er mortal noise. Only once before had
we heard il and that was In Utah when
we were using old Betsy and Jane and
Sal Ia blow the ton off the ridge be-
tween Red Butte and Emigration can
yon Just for target practice. Then we
knew that the Spaniards weren't max
ing all that fuss themselves, and
feeble cheer arose from the forms that
struggled out Of every tent. what
tumble Of buglc songs now Ii isn't
any quiet pleading it's Just a savage
scream, a Wild scream-and the great
camp flashes up out Of the darkness in
a MYRIAD of lights There Is tramp
ing OF pony hoofs az Orderies fly to-
wards the front. Loud commands 10
put all lights out by order of General
Green" are echoed and re-echoed
through the camp And then II all be-
comes dark again.
Volunteers for the front this way
and Ethan Allen, great grandson OF
him who mixed things at Ticonderoga,
disappeared In the direction OF the
firing line with a small following.
low, mufled cry half cheer, half
shrek arose from the left. A line OF
dark shadows passed out Of the call
fornia camp, and we heard their bayo-
net scahbards clicking against the
cartridges In their belts as they dlsap.
peared toward the front. A series Of
sharp commands, a loud counting on
companies, business like command to
forward march. double time, n rum
DIE OF a thousand feet rising and falling
together and a regiment OF regulars
started up the road with teeth chat
tering arms all atremble. knees knock
ing together and shiyers running UP
and down our spinal columns those OF
us who remained IN camp watched the
battle. The loud cracking Of Spring
fields to the right and the low Kissing
OF Krags IN front told us that the
enemy's thanking party had been
checked and that the CALIFORNIA; had
reached the front Soon everything
commenced 10 blaze away together,
the Mausers. the Krags, the Spring
fields the fort, the battery and the
Spanish yolley guns,
The front became one blaze or IRE
and one he'll Of noise Then all Of .
sudden It ceased, ike the end of an
orohestras tune in the theater Just as
the curtain goes up. The sea COM
menced to howl again the rain and the
wind redoubled their fury, a gentle
gllmmer appeared In the east, for the
dawn was coming and the night was
over,