Show A HERO OF BALAKLAVA Barney McKernan One of the Light Brigade Dies A Phoenixvllle Pa dispatch dated March 14 to the Philadelphia Record says Barney McKernan who was probably prob-ably the only survivor of the Light Brigade in the country died last night aged 70 years Just before breathing his last he spoke to his daughter BrIng me my medals Annie he said let me die with my medals on my breast Quick girl She brought the medals both of silver one given to him by the Queen of England and the other by the sultan of Turkey Taking the medals preciously precious-ly l in his hands he laid them side by side on his breast one hand holding them I safely In a few moments he was dead I with the honor pieces in the same places I where they had been pinned years ago The veteran was born in Lathram West Ireland and when 17 years of age he became possessed with a desire for a nilitarv life Running away from his I home he joined the Seventeenth Lancers then stationed at Maldstone England April 2G 1816 The lancers were soon ordered to India to put down the Skh ebelllon He reached Bombay then marched across the plains of India with his command and in a few weeks joIned joIn-ed Sir Hugh Guelphs army at Muldan He spent nearly three years In the Indian In-dian service was in 17 engagements and received two bad wounds After the rebellion was put down he ailed with his regiment for England arriving rt Houndslow In the fall of S49 From Houndslow he went to the cathedral town of Canterbury where he was stationed for a shot time The Crimean war soon broke out and in 1851 the lancers sailed for Sebastopol wqerc they hrrived earlyin the fall of the same ye prrhed Hisreglment joined the Light Brigade now famousMn history and song in command com-mand of the Earl 08 Cardigan It was at the battle of Balaklava that a misunderstanding of orders sent the dashing brigade to capture the Russian guns On the charge the veteran leaped from his mount and bleeding from a numberof wounds and removing Captain Nolan from under his dying horse lifted his head onto his lap where he breathed his last Afte the retreat McKernan was removed re-moved to the hospital where he lay for som time ana it was while he was recovering that he met Florence Nightingale Night-ingale and heard her sing After he left the hospital he was in the terrible battles bat-tles of Alma and Inkermann and was also at the taking of the Malakoff and the great Redun Barney McKernan lived in this place for many years and was visited by hun dreds of people anxious to see a survivor of the LIsht Brigade and in late years he was employed as a watchman by the Phoenix Iron company and his little watch box has been the scene of many an Interesting group He never received goup a pension for his bravery but he cherished cher-ished his medals above everything else and always took great pride in showing them to his friends and to strangers |