The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-02-18


three-quarters of my working fores
was wiped out and ! beat hasty re-
treat, boiling towards Dalney on the
little engine that was used for puSh~
ing my trucks about. The engine was
not much faster than horse and we
had devil OF a running fight fer
some Ave miles, but succeeded in OUT
stripping the Cossacks.
"On my arrival at Dalney there
was huge Japanese army waiting to
be transported TO the 'front.' and there
was huge look Of disappointment
on the faces of the generals when I
told them the situation.
We'll, you give up the road. ehr
mo | said. give me some men
and Colts machine gun and build
it or die
They smiled but I got the gun
and before the sun set that day ! was
on my way to the head of the line
in command of company Of Jap
anese and a machine gun Never In
the worlds history, think. was a
railroad built under such difficulty; to
start with. the route was unsurveyed,
and could not read the Japanese
outline maps. which were nothing but
a jumble of dots to me, like an astro-
nomical chart. Then there was the
everlasting whistle OF Cossack bullets
and the continual thinning out OF the
soldiers who defended the line, rs we'll
as the workers
Anyway. got the track down, two
miles day. with bridges. Often
had to use my Remington or Luger
for personal defense when we were
rushed by daring company OF Rus
sian horsemen The further we got
into the country the more fighting we
had ts do We had been working
thirty-one days when things got
toe hot sent for reinforcements,
and the japanese photographed back.
Do not give up the line; every Jap
anese will die with you ii you will
hold it. Thew are all patriots Re.
Inducements sent
Fine sentiments, and it looked as il
! was not going to spend my four
hundred yen day. photographed
back O K. and as though trying my
grit, ten minutes later a column OF
Cossacks swept into view, Then hell
broke loose. jumped on the truck
and GOT coolie to hand me ammuni-
ton as fast as | could shoot il from
my machine gun at the Russians. The
Japanese soldiers were brave enough
but not good shots, and saw them
falling all around without inhicting
much damage on the enemy Besides
that the Russians brought up a she'll
throwing machine gun and opened
fire on mine. Here the coolies gave
an exhibition of extraordinary Ste
lcism. for they went on laying the
track whilst the bullets hew as though
nothing out OF the ordinary was hap.
pening.
My gun was getting hot. my men
were almost wiped out. and the con-
tiuual bursting of the enemy's shells
was making my head swim. at the
same time | had the satisfaction OF
knocking over dozens with the ma.
chine gun Not satisfaction because
hated the enemy; did not; but the
satisfaction OF knowing was as good
a shot as was in my boyheod days
down in South Carolina
We'll. things were going against
me. and | had just decided to run,
when a sudden singing sensation
filled my head and-further interest
in the fight. took none.
When | came round | was lying
under soldiers evercoat beside my
railroad line. A big Japanese army
was camped on the ground, and a
couple of hundred dead Cossacks and
Japanese were lying in mixed heaps
about me sat up and my head
swan SO much that fell back to the
ground A war correspondent, named
William Dinwiddie. Of New York
think. came up and spoke. Can
do anything for you. old mani Have
drinkp
Il sure did. 4
"'You are very lucky said the
writer. "A fight has ragged around
you for tive days, and tive hundred
or more have fallen in a hand-to-hand
struggle around you, whilst you were
unconscious from the wound in yeur
head. The Japanese general ordered
that you be rescued at any cost, he
wanted you to finish the railroad, If
you could
We'll. why don't they give mo
some attention. | asked.
Because the doctor said you wers
OF no further immediate use to them
as your eye was injured by a bullet
and you would be laid up any way. |
tell you, your work has saved the
japanese from serious check
Well, to finish the stary, CEN
tributed one eye and a quart OF blooa
to the glory Of the Mikado's empire,
and | was burned thankful had
one eve left to see myself spending
the four hundred yen day chat I
/ nnAt lNt. A....Ll. -. -. " ;.