Morris tribune., 1915-11-19
How al orseEarned
the Victoria Cross
By F. A. mitchell

Private Turner came home to Eng
land from the war in Belgium minus
his right arm. When he was dis
charged and went home his little son,
Bob, asked him if he had killed any
one.
Why do you ask that, Bobbie?"
said his father.
'Cos if you didn't 1 don't see what
you went to the war for.''
We'll, l don't believe l killed a sin
gle man. At any rate. if 1 did 1 didn't
know it. At one time we were pour
in volley into the enemy's ranks,
and could see them droppin' here.
there. everywhere. 1t didn't trouble
me at all. Now I think of it there
was not one of those poor fellows
whose death or woundin' filled me
with any feelin' except exhilaration.
1t was like shootin' at a flock of birds.
And yet every one of 'em had one or
more persons at home to grieve for
him if they knew what had happened.
But there was one KILN that did
trouble me, and reckon I'll never for
get it. l was detailed at regimental
headquarters. At one time when
there was lull in the fghtin' and
the men were beautifyin' the trenches
the colonel's daughter came over from
England. She said she had come to
be nurse. But it didn't turn out that
way. She was a chippeIy little gal
with a winnin' smile, and nobody that
came near her could resist her. One
day she came to me and she says, says
she:
Orderly, you look like a kind
hearted man. Don't you want to do
me favor?
lin course l do, miss. What shall
it beg
""Take a note for me to a leftenant
in the trenches a few miles to the
south
"'Supposin' the colonel calls for me
while I'm away?
"That'll be all right. I'll tell papa
that you have gone away on my &C.
count
Miss Gladys was ridin' bay horse
that her father had got for her. His
name was Fox. She told me to take
Fox, and before l started she handed
me bit of paper with the message
written on it. 1t wasn't sealed. Miss
Gladys told me to read it after 1 had
left her and if 1 lost it to tell it to the
leftenant. AS soon as got away from
her read the paper, and what do you
suppose the message was? Why, moth.
in but "A thousand Kisses
Il didn't mind that there was moth
in more important about it. l just
kept on, and when l got to the trench
where l was to find the leftenant's
regiment it had gone off with a force
for it wasn't all trench work in them
days-to fight the Germans. l didn't
know that he could even read them
kisses at the front, but I'd promised
the little girl I'd deliver 'em, and
was bound to keep my word. l come
up at the rear of the regiment l was
lookin' for, and just before reachin' il
an officer, lynn on his back wounded
called:
81 say, my man, get me somepir
to stop the blood. I'm bleedin' to
death
"I can't stop, sir. I'm charged with
deliverin' a message to Leftenant Wal
ker of the SiXty-seventh.' .- ....~.,..
I'm Leftenant Walker
with that 1 dismounted, and, seem
that a piece of shrapnel had cut al
artery in his leg, tore off some of his
shirt, wrapped it around the wound
and, takin' up a stick, made a tourni
quet. Then the leftenant told me tc
go for surgeon quick. AS was rid
in away he called out, What's the
message?' And I hollered back, "A
thousand kisses! l didn't stop to say
who sent them. knew that if didn't
get a surgeon quick he would bleed tc
death.
81 had to ride long way for the
surgeon and would have got him IL
time if it hadn't been that Fox wen