Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-10-31
STORIES OF BRAVERY DISPLAYED
BY OUR FIGHTING IRISH ANIERIC CANS
Boys Of Ninth Massachusetts and Fighting Synnth Of New York
Die Fighting With Smiles on Their Lips but Huns pay
Yank, Taken Prisoner by Three Huns, Drops Gre
made and Kills Captors and Self

behind. Suddenly one of our shells
lit within a few yards of the party.
The three Germans ducked. thought
at first our boy had. But. no. he had
reached into his hip pocket. He
dropped hand grenade directly at
his own feet and those of his captors
land the three Germans were killed.
Il got there quickly afterward to
where he lay. He smiled up at me.
Yes, he smiled, though his arm and
half his side had been blown off.
"'God! boy said, Mortified. why
did you do that?'
"'Saw me get 'em, did you, Doc? ne
answered.
Eyes, but I didn't know what to
say as tried to dress that frightful
wound.
Gave Life to Get Three.
"'Well, DOCTOR he said gravely,
I'd been to communion this morning
and guess was ready to die. But
I wasn't ready to go to Germany.
They searched me for grenades when
they got me, the three of them, and
they took those out of my bag and
out of my side pocket. But / always
carry one tucked into my pants when
I go out here, just in case of-well.
anything like this. And when those
three Germans ducked it came through
my mind a lot quicker than can tell
it that three dead Germans and one
dead American was lot more on our
side of the score than three live Ger
mans and an American as good as
dead in Berlin. So let her CO.
"He tried to raise his head ana
look around.
"'Never mind, boy, you got them
ALL assured him.
'Any-any chance for me, doc?' he
said.
II didn't answer and he knew. Els
remaining hand crept beneath his
blood-soaked tunic, grlpped something
tight and stayed there. After a mo-
ment he spoke again.
Doc he said, you know all the
boys around our square. 1 wish they
could know I was game.
"'And. doc his voice was weaker.
will you-will yon tell my mother I
had-I had this when-I went
''Slowly his hand came out; slowly
it opened; that boys hand strangely
old and worn with the bloodstains and
CRIME. Slowly it opened and there in
the blackened palm glistened tiny,
bright silver crucifix. He was dead"
Won't Stop Fighting.
It's Chaplain Hanley who tells the
story of the Sixty-ninth. They refer
to the chaplain as holding the clerical
record for mileage in No Mans land.
They can't keep him off patrols. Chap
lain Hanley knows the story of most
of the casualties of the Sixty-ninth.
He substantiates the statement that
not man has been killed or wounded
by German bayonet, Notwithstanding
the regiment has encountered in pitch
ed and open battle three Of the FIVE
divisions of the Prussian Guard at one
time and another of its career. Need
less to say, the Prussiau Guard divis-
ion can make no such boast. Father
Hanley says the hardest time they
have with casualties in the ,Sixty-ninth
is to make them stop fighting when
they're hit. He is himself just recov-
ering from wounded leg.
''The officers are as bad as the men,"
he declares. .The day got this
wound was working up with Captain
Hurley's company. They'd been driy-
en- back little by vicious German
barrage and they were on little ridge.
They'd got orders to hold it, and they
did, for four days. When they left it
they went ahead.
swell, was up there this day and
l heard of wounded man ahead and
little to one side, just over the edge
of the hill toward the German lines.
told the captain I'd better go to him
and he wanted to detail couple Of
men to help me. declined and start
ed off by myself. crawling on my stom-
ach underneath stream of machine