The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1919-06-27


our way. The enemy was shooting mighty close
too. The trenches awfully hard to pick up,
although we only about $50 yards away.
They were on hill and had carried their dirt
away.
1.-THE battalions made slow progress on the
TANKS on account Of the thick underbrush The
enemy had an immensely strong natural position
and had they had few machine guns and
tarbed wire they could not have been rooted out
without great loss Of life.
"A call went up for a hospital apprentice
Corporal Frazee had been shot in the head. He
had been working hard getting his gun pointed on
the enemy and had just succeeded.
You are right on them now; give them ftsv
were the last words he said.
Ellis pointer was also shot in the head and two
others wounded in the arm A corporal in
the Thirteenth company shot twice while
operating a Benet-Mercer He refused to leave
his gun and had to be carried away, struggling to
get back into the fight.
"Wbile this going other guns be-
gan to come up one at time and obtained
fire superiority the enemy, who shot very
wildly from now on. This last is after judg-
ment At the time they seemed to be just miss
ing me. l don't know how the other men felt,
but I expected to be shot any minute and just
wanted to do as much damage possible to the
enemy before cashing in. Several members of
our platoon did cool and credtable work in chang
der fire.
eve faced the enemy as much as possible while
repairing the guns, as we had horror Of being
shot in the back.
Zone of the sweetest sounds ever heard was
the cheering of the infantry battalion it charged
the right flank trenches of the enemy. Gunnery
Sergeant Ralph was among the first of these. He
had pistol fight with the rebel general in COM
mand. Ralph and some other man with rifle
hit him at about the same time. Result-exit
general.
1--WE moved up to the trenches after the battle
and reformed, getting our equipment together.
Corporal Frazee died soon after being hit and
was buried within a few feet of the place where
he had fought so well. The enemy lost very
heavily, and If Santo Domingo not island
some of those birds would be running yet"
Maj. Gen. ]. Franklin Bell now in command
of the eastern department, with headquarters on
Governors island, the medal in the Philip
pines. AS colonel Of the Thirty-sixth infantry he
proceeding along the San Antonio Porac road
to head off band Of insurgents who had attacked
the Ninth infantry at Guagua and Santa Rita.
Colonel Bell, mounted riding near the head
Of the advance party and had with him Lieut.
Col. William r. Grove Major Straub two mount
ed orderlies and about twelve scouts on foot
Just at dawn the party fired upon from
what seemed a fairly large body of insurgents
hidden in the brush. The American fire disodged
the enemy. about seven of them running down the
but Colonel Bell saw at once that the men, with
their heavy equipment, were being easily outdis
tanced by the lightly clad Fflipinos and he dashed
after them on his horse.
Before Major Straub the two mounted order
lies knew what he doing, Colonel Bell was
far down the road in the midst of strug-
Cling insurgents firing with his revolver and
slashing about with his saber.
The mounted galloped to his assistance
and the infantry SuppOrted him as best thew could
with rifle fire, although it was almost impossible
to shoot, tangled up the insurgents and
Colonel Bell.
The officer would have been perfectly justified
in remaining with his troops behind them
and merely directing the dislodging assault, and
for charging alone and driving into the jungle at
least seven Filipinos, with two officers among
them, the Medal Of Honor was awarded to him.
Two of the few medals awarded in the war
against Spain went to a second class fireman and
a coppersmth board the battleship Iowa.
While the vessel was cruising In Cuban waters,
July 20, 1898, at about seven o'clock in the
ing, a manhole gasket t.ew out in one Of the
boilers in fire room No. 2.
Under 12O-pounds pressure, live steam roared
out into the and boiling water swashed
around the floor.
In the adjoining compartment Robert
Penn, second-class fireman, and P B. Keefer, a
coppersmth Hearing the wild of the es-
Gaping steam they dashed to the door of fire
room No. 2.
The men who had been working there, blinded
by the escaping steam, foundering in the scald-
ing water, had been overcome that they could
not get out. One Of the coal passers had already
sunk to his knees and was dropping forward.
In matter of seconds he would have toppled
into the water and been boiled to death.
Undaunted by the terrifying roar of the steam