The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-12-29
Struggle with Big 5ritisher.


up against anything like it.
Struggle with Big sritisher.
1T was my i'll luck to get hold of
big Britisher. who was 10 or 20 pounds
the heavier. and stood full head
taller; but while he was trying to run
me through with his bayonet, | had
chance to get the hold | wanted. and
down We went Again had fortune de
serted me, for while falling he so con
trived to twist his body that he fell on
top. and for few moments had quite
as much as could do to keep pumping
air into my lungs owing to the grip
he had on my throat
Now, it stands to reason that
didn't lay still SOS to give him good
chance to choke me to death, but wig.
gled the best knew how, and. thanks
to some of the tricks | had learned
among the mountains, il was soon pos
sible to roll him over. There wasn't
enough strength left in my body to
keep an upper hold; but over and over
we went until we struck the swamp,
and that which thought would b. the
death of me proved my advantage.
we Hdu WdlIOWeu Ill lIle SOIL Iluu
and water until we must have looked
like clay images when let go my hold
to grip him by the head and. putting
forth every ounce of muscle. managed
to so far turn it that his face was
pressed deep into the mud. That took
a good bit of the fight out of him, for.
of course. he couldn't breathe, and was
trying to yell for quarter, when up
came some of our boys.
1T stands to reason that they
couldn't make out which man csme
from England. and grabbed at the first
that came handiest. which just then
happened to be ME.
Come up here. you blasted Brit
isher.' the best friend | had in the
regiment shouted, as he pulled me back
by the collar of my coat. and l wasn't
much more than half drowned kitten
in his clutch.
Let go OF me. you idjut!' yelled
as soon as it was possible to get some
of the mud out of my mouth. Don't
you know your own comrade?'
THE Britisher wasn't anybody's
fool. and, of course, he understood Just
what mistake had been made. He
came up on his feet like a steel spring,
and while my comrades were growing
over having captured one of tho
enemy, as they supposed. he took TO
his heels, running like deer, with the
mud falling OF of him in flakes uptil
some one saw what kind OF uniform
he wore.
In all that CT mi =
had charge in his gun, and he fired
at the fellow, but it was the widest
kind OF a snap shot and the bullet
went wide, of course.
by the time | had cleared my face
OF mud the Britisher was out OF range.
and perhaps | didn't talk the sweetest
knew how to the laundering fellow
who had not only lost me a prisoner,
but came very near finishing the chok-
ing which the redcoat had begun.
Final Result Of Battle.
Then the battle was well nlgh
over" my grandfather always said at
this point in his story, and as to the
result of the engagement he would
give me a well worn slip of printed
paper, from which | could read the fol
lowing:
Toward noon the fire OF the British
visibly slackened. while that OF the
Americans was unceasing. The bat
teries OF the foe were crushed and
broken. The sugar hogsheads had
been converted into splinters and their
contents mingling with the soft earth
soon lost their volume. The guns not
dismounted We're careened and worked
with great difficulty.
The invaders fled in inglorious
haste, heller -skelter, to the bitches, in
search of safety, and, under cover OF
the ensuing night, crawled sullenly
back to their camp, dragging with
them or the spongy ground a part
Of their cannon, leaving five Of them a
spoil for the Americans"
| In the fight that day the American
| loss was IL killed and 23 wounded.
while 20 OF the Britishers were found
dead on the field, the greater number
lying near the swamp where the at
tack on our lines had been made. and
certain it Is that no less than 80 had
been disabled.