The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1909-03-26

ment Headquarters that Lieut.. Dor
sey had been killed in an en-
gagement that day, with no other
loss of life. And upon the arrival
of the remains / had at once ordered
the officer in command to make his re-
port.
With the death of the lieutenant
the command devolved upon his first
sergeant, a man well advanced in
years, who worshiped the very ground
upca which his lieutenant walked. It
seemed only natural, then, when de-
scribing the death of his favOrite OH
Ger, before the members OF my stan,
that at times his voice would fail him,
and tears dim his eyes.
1T was gust the day after we left
he said, standing, attentive, that we
came upon their deserted camp. From
signs we knew that they did not have
much of the start Of us, and by noon
we had located them. They had
taken a position among a lot OF rocks,
and evidently intended to fight. The
lieutenant called the second sergeant
and myself aside, and said; The only
way to get those rasCals out is to
charge them. | shall lead. Follow me.
Continue the pursuit until every one
is taken-alive, if possible!" We
wheeled into line, but before we were
fairly ready, he gave the word, and,
putting the spurs into his horse,
bounded away far in the lead. We
went after him as fast as possible, but
he distanCed us, and was far in adj
vance wnen they opened fire. They
fired only about six shots in all, and
| saw him discharge his revolver twice
in return, and then fall from the sad
die. When we reached him he was
dead, shot through the heart. l stopped
to make the examination, while the
boys continued the pursuit, as ordered.
They captured four, wounding one.
When the men returned | sent a pri-
vate to report the engagement and re-
quest the ambulance
That was a gloomy afternoon, and
as | sat alone in my Office looking
Over the official report written by my
clerk and handed me for correction
and signature, l must acknowledge
that | dwelt upon the death of my of
ficer with feelings Of the deepest sor-
row. forgot his failings of the past
year. and thought only of the bright
young fellow whose life had promised
so much. 1t is no wonder that wrote
after the closing lines of the report,
An officer who was an honor to the
service, and died a soldiers death in
the performance of his duty
Just as | took up my pen prepare
tory to signing the document, my or
derby entered and announced that
Sergt. Hooper desired to see me.
Hooper was the sergeant who had
made the report of the lieutenant's
death, and thinking that he might have
some favor to ask, l ordered that he
be shown in. He appeared, carrying
under his arm a bundle wrapped in an
old newspaper.
az know | should report to the Off
Ger of the day, he said, but what l
have to say is something about the
death, and l think l should
tell 1t to you alone.
Something you have omitted from
your report?' l asked, and my voice
must have sounded rather stern. For
to withhold facts in such a case was a
grave offense.
Yes, sir. But what / did not relate
before your staff / intended to tell
YOU and the same tremor was notice
able in his voice as when he reported
the death. The facts of the fight are
just as / related them. When / bent
over the lieutenant he was dead. /
took off his coat, and when the boys
returned we wrapped the standard
about him, and went into camp to
await the ambulance. The coat / have
here and he undid the string of the
bundle he carried under his arm. IT
Is the only evidence l withheld from
my report
HE unfolded the coat, and held 1t
up without a word. AS l took 1t from
him, turning 1t this way and that, to
get the light upon it, something fell
from the inner left-hand pocket to the
Very reverently the sergeant
and gathered up-what? Sim
ply a delicate gold rim, a few scraps of
blood-stained velvet, and what seemed
the fragments of the miniature por-
Tait of woniaa5 painted upon porc5- !
lain. Yet though shattered beyond
recognition, / think that as we viewed
it silently, neither of us doubted whose
picture, worn to the last over the
young officers heart, had been de-
stroyed by the bullet that took his life.
Replacing the remains of the por
trait, / held up the coat SO that / could
see the hole through which the bullet
had gone. The blood had long since
dried, leaving its stain, but that was
not all-the cloth was baciy burned. |
The garment slipped from my
nerveless grasp as a hundred thoughts
flashed through my mind, and seizing
Hooper by the shoulders I cried:
Your reports You said no one was
near him.
81 told the truth, SIR he replied,
and his head was bowed for the first
time.
My God!' + breathed. you don't