Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-05-26
NOT A COWARD
At VERA CRUZ
Wounded Sailors Laud Boys
Who Fell Fighting.
JOKEO IN THICK OF BATTLE.
Schumacher Of the Florida Died After
Jests About the "Greasers' Creased
BuIIets"-Returned Heroes Tell Of
Summary Execution Of Thirty Mexi-
can Shippers With One Volley.


Tales of the tragic two days when
sailors and marines lodged through
the streets Of Vera Cruz targets for the
bullets Of hidden snipers were told by
the sixty-two wounded who arrived at
the New York navy yard on the hospi-
tai ship Solace and were taken to the
naval hospital.
OF the wounded men in the hospital
three had legs amputated. two lost
arms and others are so wounded that
their fighting days are over.
In their story of the taking Of Vera
Cruz they told of soft nosed bullets
that manged horribly. Of shots that
seemed to come from nowhere. Of
quick reprisals. Some recounted how
thirty snipers. taken firing on the Red
Cross attendants who tried to minister
to the wounded. after trial of TWEEN.
ty minutes were executed with one
volley against stone WALL
George +. Kinsman Of the Vermont
told Of picking sniper out and shar-
ing him with mate who also had
! marked him for death.
+ Lost Leg, but Had Revenge.
"They got my Leg" said Kinsman.
but I've got one satisfaction that I'll
carry the rest Of my life. We had lain
in the dirty boat yard all morning after
rushing the boathouse and clearing 1t
| out A shot came from the boathouse.
and we knew the 'spiggoty' gang was
back again, sniping. We had started
to rush the boathOuse when l saw one
Of them crawling along with his rife.
Lee saw him. too. and we agreed to kill
him together.
Each Of us drew a bead on him.
He was heading for a stone house
when said to Lee:
"'We'll let the rat think he's safe.
Well let him get as far as the house,
and just when he thinks the danger is
over We'll give 1t to him.
"And that's the way we did.
"A minute afterward he started an
! other rush on the boathouse. and got
a shot in the leg at the ankle. Lee got
1t in the calf of the leg. and we lay
while the rest Of tie battalion made a
sieve out Of the boathouse. Those bull.
lets are mean to use on man; they
don't give you q chance once they
spread"
August Ebel Of the Utah. who was
shot three times through the shoulders.
said:
I'VE were advancing on the acadt-
my when l got bullet In the shoulder
that knocked me down. was figuring
that l had to get out Of danger and
was crawling along when n Red Cross
man came up to me. While he was
trying to get me on n strptcher was
shot twice more by some one who had
me marked and wanted to finish me.
| The Red Cross man was shot In the
heel. Afterward | found out that the
boys discovered eight men doing the
sniping in a house opposite and killed
| them all"
Shot Thrice and Joked About II.
Edward Schwartz of New York. who
belonged to the gun crew commanded
by John Schumacher. the Brooklyn lad
who was killed. wouldn't say word
| about the wound in his shoulder. All
| he would talk of was of how Schu-
| macher died. an example to his COM
rades.
John Schumacher was one OF the
| finest men on the Florida" said
| Schwartz before he went to the hos
pital. 1T was hard for the rest OF us
to restrain ourselves when he was kill
ed, but orders are orders, and we had
to treat the Mexicans in a way we
didn't like very much.
HE was hit three times, and each
time he smiled. even when bullet
thudded into him and dropped him In
his tracks. He looked up at his friends
as they stood around him. grinned and
said:
| "'These greasers make the bullets
slippery with their own grease. I guess.
they hit so hard
IAN hour later he was dead. But he
is only one. They all died that way
not coward In the lot"
C. l.. Doyle. messenger for Captain
Rush Of the Florida and in charge of
the landing party. went through hall
of, bullets. which riddled his canteen.
but did not wound him. Doyle was
beside Captain Rush when the firing
from the Naval academy became dead
ly. He was detailed to take message
to the Prairie asking her commandes
to open up with his big guns. The
messenger got to the launch. although
he was fred upon. He delivered his
message. and while he was returning
to shore the Prairie's guns began to
silence the MeXlcauS.