South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-24

meantime the fragrance had smitteh
our nostrils and We could feel our
rectitude fairly oOzing out or us.
KoehIer broke the painful silence
Nv saving. 1T would be a positive SIN
10 leave that for the ants 10 eat anu
il won't do TO let the man VINO store
n have IL. We must do our duty
9nT We did. but I could not help feel
ing p bit sneakng as 1 got away Win
my part.
seven years later I was the guest
of Major H G. Benson, Fourteenth
cavalry. then superintendent OF the
Yosemite National park, on fishlng
trip. and recognized among the sold
iers on duty with the small pack
train we had with us the same man
who on the occasion described had so
inadvertently contributed TO my lunch.
1 said:
Hello. Albright, is there anything
doing here IN the chicken line?'
lie grinned she-pishly and said It
was a poor country for chtckens.
With us now, I'm spite OF mCd and
rain. the war went merrily on. II
was a sort OF process of atrition by
which we hored in time 10 wear the
insurgent bands down 10 nothing. our
losses were not great, and every rifle
captured from the enemy lessened his
power Just SO much, for While men
could be gathered up from the fields
and forced 20 fight. the weapons lost
TO US could not be replaced.
On Aug. 1 Lieut.. +. w. Alstaetter.
corps of engineers, while making an
examination Of the road between San
Miguel and San IsidrO. was over
whelmed by Lacuna. Alstaetter had
three enlisted men of his own corps
and an escort Of IL men Of the Fourth
cavalry Outnumbered more than %
10 1. he put up long. hard fight.
surrendering after his last cartridge
was gone, having suffered n loss of
one man killed and three wounded.
Iacuna, with the humanity that usual
" distinguished him in dealing with
captured Americans sent the dead
man and three wounded into San
Isidro. carrying the others as prison
ers into the mountains.
Within a couple OF weeks the en-
listed men were released. but he still
held the officer. IL was only a short
time. however, until the opportunity
presented itself 10 bTing about his re-
leave.
A concerted movement of the gar
rison OF half dozen towns was made
with the object OF clearing of in-
surgents the fiat country between the
mountains and the Candaba swamp.
me operation Was greatly inter- eEel
with by bottomless mud and swollen
rivers but some good little fights were
had. nevertheless. In one OF these
Lieut. Col Manuel NentuS. one of La
cuna's subordinates. was wounded and
captured. being placed in our hospital
for treatment. AS soon as ne was
near recovery I wrote Lacuna stating
that while / could not arrange an ex-
change OF prisoners vita him. I prom
ised 20 release Nentus III he would do
the same with Alstaetter. \ few DAYS
later the latter was escorted 10 our
outpOsts by a couple OF insurgents
and Nentus was released at the same
time. but was allowed 20 remain in
the hospital until his recovery.
For months we had known Of the
presence with the insurgents Of this
region OF al American negro named
Pagan a deserter from the Twenty
fourth infantry. This wretched man
was serving as an officer. and had ,on
two occasions written me impudent
and badly spelled letters IL was
mighty well understood that il taken
alive by any OF us he was 70 stretch
a picket-rope as soon as one could
be obtained
Pagan was prominent in the fight
In which the detachment above re-