THE GRAIBLDIANS' CHARGE

North Otago Times, Volume CI, Issue 13234, 4 March 1915, Page 2

THE GRAIBLDIANS' CHARGE

TUROUGHIIIAILWGRAPJ -!-'-' SHOT. .-'..:■'•••' : ;

. . ("Dally Ne\j's" Special). ' r PARIS. The death of Lieutenant Brmio Garibaldi -in thu affair of ■ tli.c Bcllo-Etoilo in' the Argonnc, where the Gnrlbaldians received their baptism of fire,' lias evoked ninny- expressions of syinpnthy mid admiration,. The President of the Republic has Sent a moving message to General Riceiotti Garibaldi; General .loffvo lias sent by telegraph his conrJolencLM to tlio families of the Q.nrK Imltliiins wlm foil in the fight, ami the general commanding operations in the Argonne has sent two Army Orders to Ctoloiiel Giuseppe Garibaldi; praising tlui valour of the Italian Volunteer Brigade, How Bruno fell while leading the Italian Volunteers to the assault of » German trench* in the Argonne is told in a letter ti the '"Corricre della Sella"!—

"Garibaldi (i.e., Colonel Giuseppe Pcjipino Garibaldi), drawing himself up la his full. height, gives the order for the attack:, 'TViyard my liidis! We are sons of Italy. Forward my France!' A thousand voices reply: 'Vive Garibaldi! Bravo Garibaldi!' The trumpeter Galli springs forward, sounding the charge with all tlic 'strength ol' his lungs, aud the Garibaldians follow, with Pcppiuo at their tad, pointing the way with his eanc., The Brothers. '> "The brothers Costaulo and Bruno Garibaldi, who wore with the 3rd battalion of reserves, on hearing, the charge sounded, sprang forward together. They crossed the open, and were just passing the liiie of the last French trench, when several men around Costanto foil wounded. Bruno, who was at the head of his own platoon and of a portion of the men of the 6th Company, was wounded in the arm. lie bound up the wound, and, rille in hand, relumed to the charge, followed by some fifty men.

"They encountered a hail of grape shot. Many men dropped, Bruno was struck by two projectiles, which entered his left side and came out under tho right armpit. He became deadly pale, and leaned against a tree, beside a wounded comrade. To a soldier who stopped to help him he said in a weak voice: 'lam wounddd. On! still on! sons of Garibaldi!' The soldier C'asali also ran up, and several ' other comrades, heedless of tho bullets, looked back, unwilling to leave him to his fate, but he repeated: 'I cannot walk. Go on, lads!''Withliis last breath ho added: 'I send a kiss to my fatht'r, mother, and all my brothers.' A Tunnel to tlio Body.

"The struggle was a fierce haud-to-Ji«Mil .one, the Garibaldians and the Germans lighting with equal stubbornness. At last the Germans blew up a poition of their own trench, causing severe loss to the Italians. It was not till after the fight that Pcppino heard „of his brother's death. He ordered that Rrnno's body should be recovered. The next day th<? brothers Jticciotti, Costante, Santo, and Ezio wen l -, out to try and bring it in. Jticciotti pushed on far enough to recognise his brother'sliody lying only a few yards from that part of the enemy's trench which they had failed to cam'.

"Th'! lire of the Germans made it impossible to go further without sacrificing several lives, Ricciofti determined to burrow his \\i\y to the spot, By six, o'clock that evening the tunnel was finished. Lieutenant I'attariuo and Corpora! Salgemma undertook to bring in the body. Kven .then it was a risky business out under the bullets of tlm enemy, who were on the alert."