Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1902-02-20
IN MEMORY OF A BOY HERO.
The Wonderful Nerve and Determin-
stion of an Eighteen-Year-Old e
United States Soldier.

there was recently unveiled mOnu-
ment to Arthur Venville, a lad who lies
in an. unknown grave in the Philippine
islands. Venville was born in England,
but was brought to this country at the
age of ten months. When he was only
seven years old his father, died, charg-
ing the child with his last breath, al
most, to '.take care of the mother and
sisters" The little fellow promised,
says Youths Compani oE s,ss "
He was a quiet boy of studious hab-
its. He liked to go to school, and he
wanted to go to college, but he had to
take place in a shop to help support
the family. In 1897 his health began
to fail, and he enlisted as an appren-
tice in the navy, still giving his people
his wages. The other fellows called
him ''girl sailor" he told his mother
when he came home on furlougha year
later. ;aIf j.,,- p: ..,..,3s.
Venville was on the gunboat York
town in 1899. She went to the Philip
pines, and in April was sent ito ;Baler
bay to, rescue some Spanish prisoners.
The young apprentice was one of the
party of II which, under command Of
Lieut.. Gilmore, was sent ashore to re-
sconloiter. s..e,ss 5s-.sE 4.fs .'..f'
As the. crowded launch approached
the silent shore there suddenly burst
upon it storm of bullets. Several
men were killed, others we're desper-
ately wounded, and all wereidrenched
with the blood OF. their comrades.
Lieut.. Gilmore has since told in Nc
Cnre's Magazine Of the behavior of
5Venville, the 1S-year-old 4, apprentice,
who had never before been under fire.
| Having no other weapon than re:
|lvolver, useless at the range" wrote
the officer, Il reached for, the rifle
dropped BY one of the dead. It had
been hit in the lock and the clip was
/ damned in. MELVILLE, one!,of, the APP
prentice boys, attempted to fix it. A
bullet went through the flesh Of his
neck. .ls3sa..}a; ztfiJts.5sF sAfsi gai
'".'Mre Gilmore, ). I'm hit he said, But
he continued working at the rifle.
"a second shot plowed through the
boys breast and came out fin hisarm4
PlIl|:f ~ ,4isslsss.su -.sEi G..3iE!;n -,
.s"..I I'm hit again, Mr.. Gilmore
, "He was Still. trying to pull out the
I damned clip, when a, balleut a sfnrrow
in the left side of his head. .,st,s J.
".M r. Gilmore lin they've hi me
HE wiped the blood from his brown
eyes with his coat sleeve, and then re-
turned to his task as calmly as if it
were only a mosquito that had stung
him. It was not three minutes until a
ball crashed, into his ankle, inflicting
a painful hurt. There was Just slight
CULVER in the lads voice as he looked
up to me and said: =. IL. .r..a;g, MI ~,
"'Mr. Gilmore, I'm hit once more,
but I've fixed the gun, sir. '''ttsf7Gsl :sfs
One wishes this true tale might have
ended, as stories do, with the hero's
recovery and return; but when the
other survivors of Lieut.. Gillmore's
party. were taken into the interior,
Venville, being unable to travel, was
left behind, and some time later he
was killed by the order off insurgent
general. Yet his is years, few though
they were, had been spent to- some
purpose. The monument stands fair
and stately symbol of the boy'ssMfe. 81
Literary Underwriting! III y Fl
One well-known firm of publishers
~<>~.J AL Is