The Newark journal., 1906-04-20
A BRAVE YANKEE.
Does Substitute Work for a Nervous Comrade and Wins Unex-
 rectsd Laurels.

When We were in front of Spanish fort in April, 1865, sad Comrade Dan R. Anderson. we had in our company a recruit whose time was nearly out. His name was lob Jennings. and he came ! from the Sixty-eighth Indiana. He was detailed to go out in the trenches, and that was extra dangerous, as the eonfed- crates had got the range on the ZigZag we were making toward thelr fertilization. and were dropping all sorts of shells for our entertain ment Jennings mother was a widow, and he longed to see her. He told me that if he went out he would certain ly be killed He said he was not coward. but that he had a presentiment that he would be killed. and he told me to send some things he gave me to his mother in case he did not come back. He was the most forlorn looking mortal I ever saw, and said to him: I'm pret- ty hard to kill I'll go for you!' And went.
 "I had been vigilant ali through the night peeping through a little porthoie made by placing a V-shaped box made of heavy plank, with notch cut out of the bottom of it big enough 0 stick the bar rel of a gun through. set in the dirt We threw out of the pits or zigzag next to the enemy, leaving small opening through which we fired. with very little exposure. The zigzag was about yard wide and from one to four or five yards long, and five or six feet deep, with step left foot or more high and more than foot wide. on which to stand while we looked through the porthole. I saw very little to shoot at all night and just as day was dawning I heard the swish of the wings of wild goose. It was no unusual thing for them to fly over us | flying low. I thought, so l concluded to try a shot at one.
 That goose was a 13-i4ch mortar shell. and as looked up it burst so close 10 my head that I involuntarily went down; that is to say sat down. and as had been standing foot or more high CT than the landing place, was killed again. so to speak. It was sandy soil 1 remember now that 1 was thankful that the soil was sandy. and when one Of the comrades came to me and asked where I was hit told him to thump me. and see if was alive Two of theidetail | on either side of me were not so forum ate as I. for one was killed instantly and i the other badly wounded
 "I had just begun to congratulate my l self on my lucky escape when another 1 one of those 13-inch visitors made hole 1 Tn the ground not more than foot from ] n1e I looked into the hole and saw the sand coming up Instantly was nearly 1 buried as I rolled into the hole blown out 1 by the explosion of the shell. I dug my self out and intended to skedaddle out of there, an admirable thing to do dur ing a heavy bombardment of the rife pits. as the occupants would retire to the entrance of the gap and await calm. was so bewildered that instead of going out 1 went farther in and to the ex- treme end. nearest the Spanish fort. where l remained inactive, compara- lively safe. and had regained my wonted composure before I was relieved by new detail, who were very much sur- prised at finding a solitary Yankee sol dier holding a very important position Twas no fault of mine if was holding it. No one made demand for it. so how do 1 know what l would have done2 It inst held itself. .''-Chicaeo Inter Ocean