The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-09-10
HOW A YOUNG NEWBERRY SOLDIER
WAS SAVED FROM Being BURIED ALIVE

sheltered machine gun, and from
nearby knolls the road was literally
swept by light Maxims. The enemy
artillery from two directions was TO-
cusscd upon that region and the
avions were circling overhead Never
countcrcd such desperate resistance
Two companies were almost wiped out
in a short time. Soon all the officers
were gone, and q sergeant took COM
mand Of the surviving elements Of
the battalion.
Private Gillian lay where he had
fallen, and for seventeen hours was
unconscious. When he came to he
could neither move nor see; all he
could do was to hear, and what he
heard for four days and nights was
enough to turn to gray the blacklist
hairs Of humans head. Blind from
the fearful wound in his head and
drinking his own dripping blood to
Nucnch his terrible qhirst, part of
that awful time OF his paralysis he
could hear the groans OF the wound
eel and the dying, but was pow erless
to make himself noticed.
Finally little Jew doctor came to
his as he lay with his death tag on,
for lie had already been tagged for
burial, and, sticking a needle in his
q sol 10 Dc Dol
nurses, This kid is not dead What
do you want to bury him for?" They
carried him to Paris, where he lay
for two months without being able to
move hand or fot or to see. He was
then shipped to the Ellis Island hos
pital, New York, the 25th of October.
His mother went there 10 see him
on the day the armisticc was signed
November II. SHE found him still
as helpless as baby. He had re-
gained the use Of one eye.
Later he was removed to the Cape
May, New Jersey. hospital and was
Afterwards allowed to come home, hay
ing recovered sufficiently enough to BE
able to walk with the aid of a stick
and the help Of others.
Pieces Of the shattered shell are
still working through his flesh. With
sight restored. and able to walk about.
he is now enjoying the tender min
istrations Of his devoted mother at
home. She it was who told me OF the
above incidents when I went to the
home to get the facts for this sketch,
as he did not like to speak Of the
horrible sights and experiences which
even now unncrvc him in their rcc-
tai.
Among other horrifying incidents
related is one similar to his case.
Among the dead bodies that had been
placed In the trenches for burial, a
nurse saw a finger move and called
attention to the fact. Removing the
young soldic" l,om the sickcning
pile, he was given attention is
now at his home, well and happy, to
the JOY of his people. There must
have been other unconscious and near
dead soldiers among those piles hur-
ricdly prepared for hasty burials who
were not so fortunate as the two men
toned to be snatchcd from the very
Jaws Of death.
IT is staggering to think OF. Imagine
a young soldier lying among the dead
ready for burial, conscious OF what is.
going on by hearing, but unable to see
or move, waiting for his turn to be
thrown in, knowing that his still liv-
ing body had been tagged to be soon
covered in the ground.
But Robert Gillian is safe at home,
having the satisfaction OF knowing
that the 10th, TO which he. belonged.
has the proud record Of having boon
in the "invincible first" and was "thc
first to arrive in Franco. first to fire
a shot. first to shed It's blood.
As ii was 70 little Jew doctor" who
discovered signs Of life in tho body
of young Gillian, 7 am reminded that
DR.. Isadora Schaycr. formerly OF Lau-
rens. is ~ little Jew doctor" who was
with tho American cXpcdiiionary
forces. He may not have been the
doctor in question: but 1t would be
just like him to discover such cases.
When | knew 'iim in his homo town