Show I HAD CHARMED LIFE Mexican Veteran Fought Against His Father and Brothers Pennsylvanlan Ninety Years Old Helped Storm Vera Cruz Away Back In 40s and Faced Nu mecouo Civil War Perils Bloomaburtf PAOne of the few survivors In Pennsylvania of the Mexican Mex-ican war of 184018 a veteran of tho civil war a nmn who lots fought In 27 battles was thrice wounded holds four honorable discharges and who whon but a lad saw much of tho civilized r civ-ilized world Is John Sylvester Myer of Lime Ridge Columbia county now 90 years of age but who looks easily SO yoars younger Fow men have haC such an experience experi-ence as this old man who fought with i the union army because ho believed Its cause to bo right while his father who disowned him because of his loyally p loy-ally fought with seven other sons fob t tho lost cause of tho rebellion And I from that day Myers whoso father owned 1500 slaves has see nnclthor father nor brother A rover from boyhood ho left home near St Louis when but 11 years of ago and going down tho Mississippi on a small boat to the Gulf of Mexico Mex-ico shipped as a cabin boy on an English bound vessel Three trips I he made and In 1834 left the vessel t and struck out through Germany Switzerland Russia Italy and Franco In the last named country he was arrested ar-rested and It was charged that ho was there In the service of another country His fathers money ana influence in-fluence purchased his release At tho outbreak of tho Mexican war he enlisted as a marine and was one of those who scaled the walls of VerA Cruz From there the vessel upon which he was taken to the scene of war was sent to China and Myers t wont along He attempted to settle down to ovoryday life and located at Danville but the wanderlust soon gripped him and It was only a month or two until he had enlisted with tho government to do teaming troll Omaha to California Cali-fornia In that service three years ho mtulo six trips through tho Indian frontier and figured In many a fight with them He was one of tho first to respond when President Lincoln Issued A call for men and ho was captured In the ShenandoAh valley In 18G2 but tho confederates left so small a guard over their prisoners that the latter eel upon them and killing them effected ef-fected their escape Ho participated In nearly all tho most Important battles of tho war At n North Ann river where ho helped build A pontoon bridge tho Union forces were surrounded and tho order or-der was given to destroy tho bridge Eightyfive men were detailed to dc the work A death toll of 83 was claimed and Myers was one of the two who escaped While tno forces were lying before Petersburg there occurred an Incident which ho will never forget One of tho guards doing duty at tho homo of Dr Samuel Withers a supposedly northern adherent but A confederate at heart complained of feeling 111 and Myers was ordered to provost duty Tho night before two guards had been found with their throats cut and My ers was more than ordinarily cautious cau-tious that night It was almost midnight when he saw something moving outside tho house that resembled a Newfoundland dog Challenging tho object three times and receiving no answer ho fired And then running over struck the object a terrific blow on the head It was Dr Withers a large razor in uhhUuh u UUUuu u u one hand his form enveloped In a buffalo buf-falo robe dead Myers was courtmar Haled and acquitted In tho battle of Fort Harrison in a handtohand encounter he was struck in tho mouth with the butt of a confederate musket Ho ran his bayonet through tho man who had struck him killing him Instantly but Myers still carries the scar of that encounter en-counter In tho battle of Fredericksburg his clothing was shot into shreds and his canteen shot off his person but he woe uninjured In tho battle of tho Wilderness ho was not so fortunate however for he waft shot below tho knee and lay on the field four days before be-fore he was found Ho was finally mustered out of service March 17 1SGG at Philadelphia Many years ho spent in traveling but for some time has been living quietly as bellts his years at Lime Hldgo Mr Myers Is a Frenchman by birth and his grandfather came to this country with Lafayette and served asa as-a cavalryman |