Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-08-16
A new VIEW OF
BUNKER HILL
by MAX ApELER

gus. On the day before the anniver.
stry of Bunker Hill. Bangs asked
Scudder if he was familiar with the
history of that battle, and ScnddeI
said he was. So Bangs told Scudder
he would like him 10 write up a little
sketch of il for the anniversary day
and Seudder said he would try. The
next morning the sketch appeared In
the Argus, and attracted good deal
Of attention. When Bangs saw 1t he
called Scudder in and said;
Mr.. Scudder. didn't you tell me you
thought you were familiar with the
battle of Bunker HIM."
Yes, sir.
We'll. IL that is the case win be
obliged to you IL you will mention
to me what YOU mean when you say
BY four o'clock the Confederate
troops were ready to make the attack.
General Washington had the catapults
put in line to await their coming. and.
when Napoleon saw them. he drew
his sword. and exclaimed: Soldiers,
Twenty centuries look down upon
you
Now. Mr. Scudder. If you had pos
sessed the most ordinary acquaintance
with that conflict. you would have
been aware that Napoleon was not
present, and that the idea OF George
Washington fighting the Confederate
army with catapults is calculated to
excite the derision OF educated per
sons, And | wish to direct your at
tention, Mr.. Scudder. TO another his.
torical inaccuracy. At the bottom of
the second column there you say:
mo sooner were the battering rams
than the Duke OF Wellington sent
word to his mother by General Butler
that he would either win or be brought
home upon his shield. Then order
ing his men to fire at the whites OF
the enemy's eyes, he awaited the on
set with that majestic calmness which
ever distinguished the hero of Buena
Vista.
Now, | don't want to hurt your
feelings. Mr.. Scudder, but really, for a
journalist, this kind Of thing won't do.
You certainly must realize that the
battle OF Bunker Hill was not fought
in a castle with battering rams; and,
at any rate, when you allude to the
Duke of Wellington communing with
General Butler, and connect him with
Buena Vista. there is actually no hope
of your molding public opinion on
those topics. The public mind is
made up. And then a little farther
on, in the next column, you say:
This was the very crisis of the
battle. Joan of Arc, spying General
Jackson behind the cotton bales,
dashed at him upon her snow white
charger swinging her ponderons bata.
tle-ax above her head, her fair hair
streamed behind her in the wind. AS
her steed pressed forward, her hair
caught in the bough of tree. and as
she hung there, Sergeant Bates shot
her through the heart with bolt from
an arquebuss. Her last words were
Don't give up the ship"
Now. you see. Mr.. Scudder. this
kind of thing sets people to talking
It hurts the paper. You've got Absa
lom mixed up sonsehow In your mind
with Joan of Arc, who died about
10000 years before General jackson
who wasn't at Bunker Hill. and who
never knew Sergeant Bates any more
than Sergeant Bates knows how Il
fire an arquebuss. Arquebuss: Ora
cious Heaven! No doubt you mean
well, but you've about done the bust
ness for us. especially here, where yot
say:
THE duke could stand II no longer
| The Mamelukes had slain all of hi
vanguard; General Sickles had los
his leg and retired on pension; ant
the enemy's skirmishers, lodged IN
the top OF the monument, were pour
ing boiling oil on those who attempt
ed to scale II. Leaping upon hi
horse. he shouted, up guards. and q
them,n and the next moment. Will
the glorious flag of truce in one hand
and his sword In the other. he hurles
his legions upon the Lava-beds. AMI
crushed the savage foe to the earth
killing. among others. the well-knowI
General Harrison. afterward Presl
dent of the United States
The duke! Mamelukes! Flag o
truce, Laya-bedsi Awful. sir. aw
full! The Argus Is goner! Gone ~
Mr.. Scudder! SLANT But how coui'
YOU have scared up that idea abou
a man fighting with flag Of true
in his hand2 And how. oh. how coul'
YOU have killed man who you admi
was afterward President OF the Unitet
States? No comic paper ever SUI
passed this. II Is terriblei ! thin
We shall have 10 part. Dir. Scudder
seems to me that your career as
journalist ought TO come to an en-
right here. will accept your rests
nation.
Ind II any one asks you Why 70
left the Argus, point to this last pa
agraph and say that II was becaus
the proprietor was afraid he'd mui
der you when he read your sfatemen
that At the battle OF Bunker HIN Id