Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1901 — STATUARY GROUP AT SIGHT OF WHICH BEREAVED MOTHER FAINTED. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STATUARY GROUP AT SIGHT OF WHICH BEREAVED MOTHER FAINTED.

A news dispatch from Buffalo told of a pathetic incident at the exposition art gallery when Mrs. Helen M. Packard of Springfield, Muss., viewing a statuary group called “El Cancy,” suddenly became aware that the scene depicted was that in which her two sons participated. The story on which the group is based was told by a war correspondent as follows: “Just below the stone fort on the hill, sitting in the middle of the pineapple field, I came upon a pitiful sight—a soldier sitting on the ground, holding in his lap the head of a poor fellow who was literally shot to pieces. One bullet had gone through his head, another through his lungs and chest, tearing a horible hole, from which the blood poured at every breath. He was almost dead, and every breath sounded like the noise madp by pouring liquid from a bottle, and his comrade kept the flies from his face, that ,was clbtted with blood and dirt, and waited. Occasionally, when the poor fellow would groan a bit louder than usual, thb friend would change the dying man’s position, but he held him as still as he could, “ ‘Don't suppose there’s a surgeon about?’ he inquired, as I stopped. “I told him there was not now, but would be later. «o “ ‘Well,’ he remarked, quietly, “don’t

suppose they could help him. He’s ’bout gone, I reckon.’ “The breathing became weaker and the gurgling fainter and fainter as tha grayish pallor began to show through the sweat and dirt'and blood, and finally, without a tremor, breathing ceased. The soldier held his burden a moment until he saw the end had come, and then laid his handkerchief over the ghastly face and gently let the head down to the ground, and slowly got up. “ ‘Know him?’ I asked. s"' “ ‘My brother,’ he calmly said. And then Ire filled his lungs with one long, deep sigh and gazed off to the hills for a moment with a faraway, thoughtful look, and I could see that he wafc looking straight into some home and wondering what mother would think:’’