The Mena weekly star., 1911-11-02
Flet DEATHS
Stare Clttbout
a @utber
Wake Holman Took AnOther's Place
i'm Drawing for Life and Death
Henry Watterson Says Ii Was
Bravest Act He Ever Saw.

Bravest Act He Ever Saw.
Andrew Wake Holman, a young
fellow of two and twenty, was
private in Company of Col. Num-
phrey MarshalIs regiment OF Ken
lucky Riflemen, which reached the
scene of hostlItles upon the Rio
Grande in the midsummer of 1916,
says Henry Watterson in Century
Magazine. He had enlisted from
Owen county Sweet Owen -as it
used to be called-and came Of good
stock, his father, Col. Henry Hol-
man, in the days of aboriginal fight
ing and journalism, a frontier ce-
lebrity. Company C, out ION a
scout" was picked off by the Mex
leans, and the distinction between
the United States soldiers and the
Texan rebels not yet being clearly
established, drum-head court
martial ordered "the defamation"
This was decree that one OF
every ten of the Yankee captlves
should be shot. There being a
hundred of Marshalls men, one hun
dred beans, ninety white and ten
black, were put in hat. Then
the company was mustered as on
dress parade. Whose drew white
bean was to be held prisoner Of
war: whose drew black bean was
to die
In the early part of the drawing
Andrew Wake Holman.-we always
called his "Wake'-drew white
bean. Toward the close the turn of
neighbor and comrade from Owen
county who had left wife and
baby was called He and Wake
were standing together. Holman
brushed him aside, walked out in
his place and drew his bean. 1t
proved to be a white one. Twice
within the half hour death had
looked him in the eye and found
no blinking stare.
| I have seen quite a deal of hardi-
hood, endurance, suffering. both in
lwomen and men; splendid courage
on The field of action; perfect self
possession in the face of danger;
lbut / rather think that Wake Hol-
Iman's exploit that day-next to ac-
Itually dying for a friend, what can
be nobler than being willing to die
for him?-is the bravest thing !
know, or have ever been told of
mortal man.
Wake Holman went to Cuba in
the Lopez rebellion Of 1851, and
fought under Pickett at the battle
of Cardenas. In 1866 he was in
Nicaragua with Walker. He COM
manded a Kentucky regiment of
Icavalry on the Union side in our
war of secession. After the war
he lived the life of a hunter and
fisher at his home in Kentucky: a
CHEEKY, unambitious, big-brained
and big-hearted cherub. whom il
would not do to ''proteck" with, al
lbeit, with entire safety you could
Ipick his pocket; the soul of sim
lplicity and amiability. To have
| known him was an education in
lprimal manhood. To sit at his hos
Ipitable board, with him at the head
Iof the table, was an inspiration in
the love Of life and the art of liv-
ling. He took the world modestly
land kindly. During an intimacy
with him, extending over thirty
years, never heard him offer to
dilate upon any of his stirring adj
ventures.
1t was not possible that such a
man should provide for his old
lage. He had little forecast. He
knew not the value Of money. He
had humor. common sense and
honor. When the Mexican War
Pension Act was passed by congress
| took his papers TO General Black
The commissioner Of pension, and
related this story. Il have prom
ised Gen. Cerro Gordo Williams,
said General Black, referring to the
then senior United States senator
from Kentucky, that his name shall
90 first on the roll of these Mex
lean pensioners. But and the gen
eral look beamingly in my face and
lovingly, and, says he, Wake Hol-
mans name shall come next" And
there it is.