The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-05-09
CHAS. M'C0N|CLE Of
M|N0T A REAL HERO
MinOt Soldier Who Lost Both Arms n
Battle Saved Life by Mere Crit
~ Pieces of Steel Embedded in
Flesh.

E. II. Tostevin, former Mandan
newspaperman, who is with the Amer
lean forcee in France, is writing some
Fargo Forum. Wednesdays edition
contains a thrilling account of the ae-
cldent which happened to Chas. Nc
Gonigle, who enlisted with Co. d.
Charlie worked as taxi driver for
Louis Muhs in Minot for several years
and there's little girl in Minot who
is waiting for his return, who will be
as proud of his record as are the rest
IF us. The account follows:
Recently | had an opportunity TO
visit one Of the great American hos
pitfalls established here. This partic-
ular one is the Johns Hopkins univer-
sity unit | cannot give you much in
formation concerning it, other than
it is possible to care for 10000 bed
patients. Can you imagine such an
institution? Consider the largest
hospital you know Of through personal
visit in the state Of North Dakota or
elsewhere. Perhaps it would accom-
modate 500 bed patients. This is
forty times as large. One of these
days when more information is avail
able and permission is secured from
the censor shall describe such an in
stitution.
The fellow we were with was seek
ing Charles McGonigle of Minot, and
we had but a few minutes McGon-
igle is North Dakota boy and one Of
the striking examples of the grit that
is everywhere displayed by the Amer
lean troops. He was transferred to
one of the regular infantry regiments
shortly after coming to France, and
was one of the first northwestern men
to be wounded in action. When he
was taken to the hospital it was found
necessary to amputate both of his
hands and parts of his forearms above
the elbows. In addition there were
Al pieces of steel embedded in his
flesh from his abdomen down.
He is now nicely on the road to re-
covary.
Plain Grit Saved Life.
"Just plain grit saved his life,"
said a nurse, who knew the history
of the case. eff it hadn't been that
he was fired by desire for revenge,
by ordinary spunk and stamina he
would have succumbed. He has never
whimpered once since his first COM
ing here.
''The other day he shouted to me,
bring me that long pencil; I want to
see what l can do with this dummy
and waved his arm stump at me. Well
he tried and tried and finally made
something that looked like letters. /
don't know what thoughts went thru
his mind as he didn't express them
aloud, and giving up finally, just grin
ned Do you know that some of the
grins we have seen here have meant
whole volumes?
"Hes a brave lad, all right, and has
only one thing bothering him. He
has several times said to me, i only
wish l could be sure got a couple of
the devils before they plugged me-
"He merely laughingly tells all his
friends and the others who call, to
pick off a couple for him, and from
the expression of their faces which I
have noticed as they have left his
ward room, ] am under the impress
sion that you boys will do what he
asks"
"Brave" A new word must be de-
vised for the stoicism with which the
American boys take their misfortunes
of war. cover there" she said, point
ing, 'is lad who underwent one of
the most difficult operations ! have
ever seen or heard of being perform
ed"
I shall not attempt to describe it
as she did to me, for medical terms
| Owl ovr,acciopc ora ho-
/ yond my ken. 1t was necessary, for
some reason, to cut the muscles of the
back, slice them free from the spine.
Once day this wound is opened and
bathed.
Never heard that boy even groan
but once" she calculated. That was
when he was told he would recover
but could not go back to the trenches
again. And now he is to be moved to
another hospital for convalesence.'
! W