Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-02-07

Somehow I could think of nothing
but those foolish lines:-
And now he's lying dead
With a bullet through mis- head.
| never realized before how terrible
comes home in SINE way like this.
folded his hands together and covered
him up and left him alone. W.tb
Bulla and the officers who had come
with US to the town / went toward
the south end of the place to see the
results of the terrible fighting that
had been going on there that day.
Three times the Russians had been
in the town and as many times they
had been driven out Twice hand-to-
hand fighting had occurred. All
around were men, Japanese and Rus
slams, who had been stabbed to death
with cold steel.
We came to place on. ore side of
the town where the road ran. 1t was
regimental standard f1uttered gently
sunken road and both Russians and
Japanese in holding the town had
used it for shelter in firing. Just
as we reached the roao a perfect
storm of sharpnel and shimose swep,
over 1t. We threw ourselves down
against the first thing that offered it
self as a shelter / got Denmd a
big stone that barely served to hide
me if | sat very still The Finnish
captain was plastered up against the
end Of a wall and Bulla lay fiat be-
hind fallen tree. The soldiers
around us who were in reserve
awaiting their turn to reinforce the
firing line, were huddled behind every
thing that gave promise of the slight
est bit of protection.
Only one man was standing up. lie
was the color bearer of the regiment
1t was not seemly that the colors or
the Nicholas III regiment should be
dragged in the dust They must re-
main proudly upright. So the color
bearer stood erect, leaning against 4
tree, while the brocaded folds of the
regimental standard futtereu gently
in the breeze, and the Japanese bull
lets ripped and tore through it's silken
folds. Because the standard-bearer
stood in such a place mat | could
snap him without moving an men
from my snug haven in the lee of the
rock. | took his picture.
/ was sitting looking directly down
this sunken road filled with dead.
For half-hour it seemed, though
perhaps it wasn't so long, had 10
horrible picture until it was burned
into my memory The snarpnel
would come blowing into the mass OF
corpses and make them writhe and
twist. Arms and hands would reach
up out of that awful place of death as
though in mute protest against the
pitiless sharpnel. Finaily the fire
slackened and we took advantage OF
| the opportunity to leave. We went
| farther down the village and viewed
the firing lines just outside. The
men were lying fiat, firing over
hastily improvised ear,nwork. They.
We're getting good return fire. but
| they seemed to be cool and were
working steadily.
We ran back through the village
and out at one side where Col Lesh
was standing in front of his house.
| There was notling to hide beninu
| here. The open field stretched away
to where the Japanese had taken
/ h. To-
bluff and stern in front of the house
giving orders quick and sharp, but
very quietly Two or three officers
were lying dead in the house. |
wondered wnen the colonel's time
would come. Ii seemed impossible
that he should stay there long under
that constant fire. During lie heavy
bombardments he and his staff took
partial refuge behind the wall in the
rear of the village. but most of the
time he stood in from, OF his house
out in the open. | heard that night
that he had been killed soon after we
LETT him. but do not know yet
whether the report was true or 49,.
hope not A better and drawer
soldier have never known.
| There We're signs that the Japanese
We're getting ready for terrmc ell
fort to regain the town. we took au-
vantage of a lull in she sharpnel and
shimose storm to get back e ras.rso
hill. Before leaving We had stopped
for moment at the shrine and sad
a last goodbye to l>ivolas. But now
he was not alone behind the shrine.
On each side of him were grim heaps