Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-20
Nv (continued)

..r W0 HaO 6llhIp oClloho ~ 1ARoSAS
Teju, Dragon Springs and Apache
Pass, and it was at the latter place
that we handed them a pretty neat
surprise.
They were holding the pass In
strong force, and neither cavalry nor
Infantry made much progress dislodg-
Ing them. Meantime their sharp
shooters were scoring of us, wound
Ing Lieutenant Young and one of our
surgeons, and killing three men
One group about 500 yards above us
was especially troublesome, as they
had several rifles Of as long range as
bur own. The most troublesome of
these occupied a lofty crotch OF an
oak tree, as q puff Of smoke was seen
10 sift out through It's foliage nearly
every time one Of III men was hit.
The gunners of the howitzer had
been trying to get his range, but
failed. Just then the hospital steward,
IN old discharged artilleryman who
had grown gray In the service with
General Scott, came along, pushed
the gunners from the howitzer, elevat-
ed It to his satisfaction, took his sight,
and pulled the lanyard. I certainly
nsvor saw or heard Of such a shot.
A sharpshooter with q rifle could not
have beaten It. The shell struck the
tree and exploded apparently In its
confer. for nothing was left Of 1t but
q aifvered stump.
Il Wa on this march that Jack
Mathews converted his name from a
.reproaoh to an inspiration. Shortly
earlier, Jack had deserted, fed toward
the Mexican border, but had been
captured
While awaiting TRIAL he was held
prisoner, hobbled with a ball and
chain. His folly was due to no worse
sentiment that resentment of disci-
pline, for he was a whole-hearted
Union man and feared neither man
nor devil, but to take orders and en-
dure discipline ranked In his untamed
heart till It drove him to try a get
away.
One morning Jack begged for and
rot permission to 60 into the hills with
the wood wagons, Sergeant Brady,
commanding the small escort. being
instructed to take good care that he
did not escape.
Keen for any occupation, the SER
geant set him cooking. The very next
morning at dawn, while Jack was pot
tering about the fire, carrying over his
arm his ball and chain, a stalking
party OF Apaches fred into the camp,
killing two soldiers and breaking
Brady's leg.
Carrying Brady inside a small trim
chera, built of stones which they had
thrown up the night before for just
such an emergency, Jack seized TWO
guns; and then he and Brady proceed
ed to give the Apaches such a hot
stand-off that, after three or four
hours %ineffectual effort to dislodge
them, they retired.
Meantime, however, their two re-
naming comrades had also been
killed. leaving Jack and his sergeant
the only living tenants Of the bloody
trinchera.
Brady was bleeding badly. Prompt
surgical aid was needed to ave his
leg, il not his life. While the task Of
getting his comrade back to the com
mand seemed an utterly hopeless un-
dertaking, Jack did not hesitate to
tackle 1t. Tieing the ball and chain
about his waist, he took Brady on his
back, and himself carrying their two
guns, staggered away toward the
command.
The retirement Of the Indians had
been only a ruse. No sooner had
Jack left their trinchera far enough
to permit the maneuver, than the en-
envy cut In behind and renewed the
attack. It was only by the superior
range Of their rifles that the two men
were able to hold of the Indians and
to slowly advance, until, finally, their
fre was heard in the camp and a
squad Of cavalry rode out to their
rescue.
Our colonel reported the affair to
Washington, with the result that
Jacks onense was pardoned and he
was restored to duty, with full pay.
In the autumn Of 1862 we went into
cantonment at La Mesilla( now New
Mexico, about three thousand Of us,
where for q time we lay quietly get
ting the rest the badly worn command
sadly needed. Life there was without
notable incident, I've the occasional
wild outbreaks Of one or another of
the desperate men, either of that law
less frontier or Of u own command.
There were some real, s~ure-enough
fighters around in those days, and
they could never get their own con-
sent to stay long idle.
One day a big, powerful Mexican
was arrested for robbing a soldier. A
few hours later he escaped, but got a
bullet in his leg from one Of his
guards.
He. succeeded in reaching Mesilla,
hut there he was retaken by United
States Marshal Lemons, who started
with him for our camp. On the road
two men of my company met the mar
shall, and he turned the prisoner over
to them. r
Passing a little store on their way
to camp. the prisoner asked permits
sion to enter and buy some food. His
guard asserting, they entered the
store, one guard in the lead, the other
following the prisoner.
Scarcely had they passed the thresh-
old before the prisoner seized a
Ratchet that lay on a barrel and
Drained the guard in front Of him. AL
most at the same instant, the rear