Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-01-19

NtoHoy puN tuF hHc buAus
/ could mark their faces now, cruel.
angry. revengeful: the hands that
grasped the veranda ratings; the leap
ing bodies; the rife butts uplifted to
batter down our frail defenses.
AS trapped tigers we fought. hurting
them back from the windows, slashing,
clubbing. striking with fist and steel
Two lay dead across the sill before
me, cloven to the very chin, but their
bleeding bodies were hurled remorse-
lessly aside, while others clambered
forward, mad from lust of blood.
crazed with liquor. With dubbed
guns We cleared 1t again and again,
battering mercilessly at every head
that fronted US. Then q great giant
of fellow-dead or alive. | know
not-was hurled head-long through the
opening. an inert, limp weight, that
bore the two soldiers beside me to the
floor beneath his body With wide
sweep Of my gun struck him, shat.
tering the stock into fragments, and
swung back to meet the others. the
hot barrel falling to right and left like
a nail. They we're through and on
me! Wild as any sea-rover of the
north fought, crazed with blood, unr
conscious of injury, animated solely
by desire to strike and slay! Back I
had to go; back--I trod on dead
bodies, on wounded shrieking in pain,
yet no man who came within sweep OF
a.
the thud Of 1t, and / fronted those
glazing eyes, my blood afire, my arms
like steel Through the red mist l be-
held Cation for an instant as twenty
brutal hands upilfted, and then hurled
him into the ruck beneath their feet.
Whether l fought alone knew not,
cared not. Then some one pressed
next to me, facing as did, welding
sword like a mailman. We had our
backs against the piano, our shout
ders touched: before us that mob
swayed, checked for the moment, held
fast by sudden overpowering dread.
l glanced aside. My companion was
Brennan, hatless, his deep-set eyes
aflame, his coat torn on. his shirt
AARRCa OPCA W Tile Wdl8ts NlA U8IW
breast red with blood
No sheotin'. damn vel" shouted q
voice. hoarsely. mo shootin': want
that Reb alivel"
Through the swirling smoke rec
ognized the malicious face of Red
Lowrie as he pushed his way to tho
front To me 1t was Ike a personal
challenge to combat
Rush theml" muttered into Bren-
mans ear. "Hurl them back q bit, and
dodge under into the next room"
never waited 70 ascertain II he
heard me. With one fierce spring
struck their stunned line. and my
Iron bar swept clear space a. II
crashed remorselessly into them. The
next instant Lowrie and were seem
tngiy alone and fronting each other.
A wild cat enraged by pain looks a.
he did when he leaped TO meet rae.
Hate. deadly. relentless. glared in his
eyes, and with yell Of exultation he
swung up his long rife and struck
savagely at my head with the stock.
I caught 1t partially on my barrel.
BiSGhAA6 At5 AAlA AOfCSt aA0 QfCA 80 -
descended upon my. shoulder, 1abbed
the muzzle hard into his leering face
With a snarl Of pain he dropped his
gun and grappled with me. but as
his fingers closed about my throat,
something swirled down through the
maze. and the maddened brute stag |
gered back. his arms uplifted. his red |
beard cloven In twain
Nov for 1t. Wayne." shouted Bren-
nan. Back with you,''
With dive went under the plano.
heard the sliding doors shut behind
us. and almost with the sound was
again uScn my feet.