Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-02-13

The Eastern newspapers" said the
Major, are telling the story of Jacob
5. Miller, of Uniontown, Pa. who re-
ceived recently war relic Of great
personal interest At the battle of
Peach Tree creek, July u, 1864 Mil
Ter was wounded in the shoulder. To
save the arm DR. Norman :. Teal, of
kendallville. Ind, removed piece of
the bone about three inches In length
The operation was performed at night
with no light except that from Il torch
the surgeon disjoining the shattered
bone at the shoulder and saving it OFF
below the wound DIR. Teal kept the
piece Of bone until he died. when it
was returned 10 Miller"
This story reminded me of relic
| saw the other day. 1t was slen
der toothpick of hickory. coated with
blood and rust, but ii had history
In one OF the battles of the war a
/ good-sized hickory tree. cut down or
shot down. fell in way to leave the
/ trunks resting on high stump. from
which projected cluster of fine
splinters. One of the boys climbed up
and cut Off a number of splinters for
toothDieks and, seating himself ON the
I trunk still attaching TO the stump. cut
/ a splinter to his liking. and nonchal-
antly proceeded 10 use it. toothpick
/ fashion.
! While the splinter WAS in his mouth
+ and he was discussing the question
whether rebs could see him or not
+ Il cannon bah struck the tree trunk
1 on which he was sitting, no more than
FIVE feet from him. and he fell back
/ ward to the ground. lie was in great
+ pain, and insisted il bullet had struck
4 him in the breast There were no
i breaks in Che skin and no bruises, ana
the boys laughed him out of the no
ton that he had been hit From that
/ time, however Blake began TO fail,
He complained Of pain in the lungs
and coughed so necessarily that lac was
excused from duty.
''rhe general impression was that
Blake had consumption, and in the
course Of six months he was sent
home There was little change in his
condition for years. but one night. in
rescuing one Of his children from a
burning house he brought on VIC.
lent spasm of coughing and hemor-
rhage from the lungs. While the ply
stefan was watching him closely Blake
coughed up the toothpick which he had
In his mouth when he was Knocked
off the hickory tree in 1863
THE slender bit of wood had beer
drawn down the bronchial tubes into
the lung tissue, and had become i'm.
bedded in a way to produce great irri-
tation and suffering. After its removal
the physicians, having clew 10 the
cause of the trouble. could treat the
case more ntelligently, ana Blake
gradually recovered his health and
| strength. He saved the blood-stained
toothpick as a memento Of his mlsad-
4 venture in battle. and he says ii has
a keener interest for him than any
other war relic in his collection"
Speaking Of war relics" said the
Colonel, II have one that is very pre-
cious TO me, and yet it Is not associated
with battle or wounds. II is bit of
stiff paper SX10 inches. on which is
I printed in script letters a statement to
the effect that my father then over 20
years of age. was a squirrel hunter
and was entitled 10 The than 4, of GOV
ernor Tod and the State OF Ohio for
his assistance in repeling an invasion
BY the enemy.
This is a reminder Of an uprising
almost unique in the history Of war
( In 1862, when General f. Kirby
Smiths army marched through Ken
lucky toward the Ohio border, Govern.
or Tod issued an appeal TO every man
l In the central and southern portions OF
the State who could use a squirrel
/ rife effectively TO repair without fur
| ther orders TO Cincinnati and other
4 points on the Ohio river. Each man
was to carry his own rifle to provide
himself with quilts or blankets, 10 car
! ny food for two or three days, and was
simply to climb on a railway train and
go to the threatened point.
"r e secretary who wrote the I'M
usual order smiled as he thought Of
what might happen. The Governor
4 thought he know the old men Of the
4 State and be expected n quick re-
sponsp. He did not expect. as he said
later. that the whole State would turn
out the next day with rifles and bed
/ quits. and he didn't know how many
men could shoot straight with squirrel
/ rifles AT all events there came host
Of thousands from farms. shops and
towns. every man. young and old.
4 armed aud equipped Tor effective shoot
Ing. As one old fellow said, We can't
cut any nip-aaps, ana we aren't styI-
ish. but we can beat an creation at a
shootin match
$40 man ever knew how many thou.
sands Of the squirrel hunters went
down III squads companies and regi-
ments to tfe Ohio without money and
without muster b1t there were 50
many thousands as 80 bewilder tie