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Show A GALLANT SOLDIEB. brilliant neconD OP A DAKOTA VOLUNTEEH. Smith VVloa the Stedal of Honor Ilia r.counl.r with Two rlllplnoa Wh. Souchl In Ataaxlnala lllm tlrlagi lla It.w.nl. (Sioux Falls, s I), Letter.) Among the gallant United States sol-A'.ri. sol-A'.ri. now upholding the honor ot their country at Manila who hate performed deeds hlch will win for them the coveted medal ot honor In Thomas Smith, a private of Company i:, South Dakota voluntrera. To him was alio accorded the honor of being personally congratulated by den. (Ills In an encounter en-counter with two Ftllplnoii. who sought to assassinate him while on picket duty, Smith, after being badly wounded, "hot nnd instantly killed one ot his assailants and wounded the oth-tr oth-tr so severely that he died a short time later. Sergeant Kicker, Corporal Wheeler and three privates, among them l'rlatc Smith, were asilgned to outpost duty at lllockhouse No. 2. north of Manila. At C 30 In the evening even-ing Private Smith went on picket duty. Ills beat was one of the most dangerous danger-ous patrolled by American soldiers, passing along a narrow road thickly fringed with trees and bamboo thick-els. thick-els. Shortly after 7 o clock, tlio sun having set. Private Smith discerned , two Klllplnos approaching him, appar ently on their way to Manila. Tbcy were dressed In whlto and walked In single flic, one, about six feet behind the other. Ho challenged them and they answered promptly, the first greeting him with the words "Ilucno noches, amego" (good evening, friend) The second repeated the greeting and accompanied It with 11 military salute. Smith replied In Kngllsh, nnd shouldering should-ering his Springfield rifle turned to re- ' mine his beat Just ns they passed he carelessly turned his head to look after .them. This fortunate clrcumstanco 'saed his life, for Immediately after pissing him the second Filipino drew a machete, sprarg at the sentry and aimed a terrific blow at his head. The stroke would practically liavo revered Privato Smith's head from his body had he not caught sight of the descending descend-ing knife In time to dodgo slightly, causing the blade to miss Its mark. As It was, the blow was sufficient to cut hit left cheek open to the bone from tho temple to the Jaw, With tha blood pouring forth In a stream he whirled to, fare the natives, who Instantly took to their heels In their effort to escape Smith raised his rllle and shot one of tho fleeing natives through the heart before he had gone twenty feet lly this time he wns so weak from pain ' and loss of blood that he was forced to drop to his knees, and while In this position ha reloaded tils rlflo and fired B shot nt the other Filipino, who was just disappearing In the edge ot the thicket at the side of the road. This shot also took effect. foT the dead body ot tho natlvo was found next morning In tha thicket, he having evidently crawled ns tar as possible before expiring, expir-ing, for the body was discovered some distance from the point where ho disappeared dis-appeared In tha underbrush as Smith fired at blm Comrades, attracted by the firing, rushed to the aid of the brao soldier, and procuring n horse placed him upon the nnlmal and contend con-tend him three miles to tho company's quarters, where his wound was dressed by tho surgeons Smith bled so profusely pro-fusely that In going the thrco miles to the company quarters his clothing lecamo thoroughly saturated, his shoes PIUVATE THOMAS SMITH, full nnd tha horse covered with blood ii was afterward taken to the hospital. hos-pital. That a man after being so severely se-verely wounded should have the pluck, not only to fa" his foes and fight, but to kill one of his assailants on the spot and mortally wound the other, excited ex-cited the admiration of all the soldiers at Manila. He was congratulated on his plucky fight by practically the whole army, even Oen Otis calling upon him while In tho hospital and shaking hands w Ith him and commending commend-ing him for his bravery. A fund was raised among the soldiers and officers, with which they purchased an elegant .gold watch and presented It lo the iliero. The machete, a very fine one with an inlaid gold handle, which came so near being tha means of ending end-ing his life, was found on tho ground under the body ot the native who was first killed, and this was also presented to him as a memento of the encounter Smith's parents, Mr and Mrs Michael Smith, live on n farm near lavko Preston. Pres-ton. S. I), and are naturally very proud of their heroic son. |
