The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1916-11-15
WOUNDED IN ACTION

Five gray heads wore army hats,
and five wrinkled old faces turned
toward the winding driveway that
meanders in and out of the grounds
at the Soldiers Home. The shade
of great tree protected them from
the California sun and the old eyes
watched the endless line of motors,
loaded with pleasure seekers out to
enjoy the beautiful day. Sergeant
Gordon was talking.
Eyes, I was wounded once. I fit
the Johnnies fer three year and eight
months, and that was the only time
they hit me. I was hit bad that
time, though. Thought l was dead
fer some time.
my regiment had been appointed
rear guard, and the cap'n of my COM
p'ny winked at me after the order
was read. That meant I was to see
what grub had been missed in the
line of march. Grub want easv to
find after the main body of troops
had passed, but had a good nose
fer it in them days and the cap
knew it. I'd find a ham or side of
bacon if it was buried four feet deep
and fire built over it.
when we started marchin' 1 lit
out with my squad and began to
comb the whole countryside fer grub.
Them men up ahead had putty nigh
cleaned up everythin' a dog would
eat, and we had to scratch hard and
deep. We found about hundred
pounds of bacon buried at one place
and two hams hid in an old shack,
up under the roof rolled in gunny
sacks.
1--WE secuted round, gettin' further
and further from the line, rakin' in
a chicken here, and ham there, and
a stray goose som'ers else, till we
were more'n than four miles off the
line of march. Then quite a parcel
of Johnnies jumped US. They were
two to one and we had to git, and
git quick.
Fright alongside there was a big
cornfield, and we hoped the fence
and flew. I run right away from the
road fer piece and then tackled off
to the left to git across to patch
of woods. I ran we'll in them days,
and I aimed to take about a row and
a half at leap, and I went through
that corn jest a-skimmin'.
II got to the fence alright and
h'isted myself onto the top rail. l
jest got one leg over when the John
MES sighted me and turned loose.
felt hard thump right between the
shoulder blades, square on the back
bone, and then pitched over fiat on
my belly on the ground and lay there
waitin' fer death. They want no
stren'th in my arms err legs and I
had kind Of swimmy feelin' in my
head, and l knowed right away that
my spine was busted and was done
fer.
II could feel the warm blood trick
lin down my back and runnin' down
my sides under my arms, and I won
dered why 1 KEEP alive so long, shot
through the spine. I run one hand
under my shirt and felt my side all
sloppy with blood, and I lay still
with my hand in there, expectin'
death any second.
"After a long while l pulled my
hand out of my shirt and looked at
my fingers. They want red, and I
put 'em back agin and stopped 'em
round in the warm blod and took 'em
out again. Still the want red, and
all at once I understood. I'd been
mortally wounded in the canteen and
it was water I felt.
I'D thrown my canteen back over
my shoulder to git it out of the way
and the sun had warmed the water
Then one Of them butternuts had let
go at me with one of those old
smoothbores that faints if it's asked
to kerry over hundred yards, and
his bullet had landed in the canteen.
Il had a miraculous recovery in a.
bout two seconds and showed them
Johnnies what real runnin' was like.
They'd gone past me, thinkin' I was
dead, and l hit the road we'd lust
left and tore along so fast they jest
sot their heads back and laughed to