Show WORLD WAR YARNS v by Frank E. E Hagan t Not A. A W. W O. O L. L but A. A W. W L L. L Bath House John wa waa wasa was wasa a newspaper man In Scranton Pa Pit before the tIle war In l 1918 1018 18 the Bath ath was a lieutenant of Infantry with th the e Third division of ot Marne I and Meuse bleus rame fame lie Ile was wounded In October His Ills outfit was In Germany when he lie recovered but hut hospital orders carried car sled ried him to the central records office of fice flee at Bourges where the service papers papers pa pers pel'S of the A. A E. E F. F F were kept The Bath stuck It out until a R major who considered himself vastly important was placed In cnare o othe of the camp For some minor offense this man conceived an nn e excessive I taste for Cummings and two others other The major arose at nt all hours of ot the night to Inspect the guard and check against the activities of Cummings Cum Cum- and anil the other two officers Re He haunted parade ground at nt retreat seeking mistakes In the handling o othe of f the troops Cummings and his two companions wrote direct to Chaumont and received travel orders to rejoin their regiments Not a word about this urged th the e Bath gloating over his orders Lets do this right He Ile Ie hired a cab and the afternoon they were to leave eave halted It near the parade g The three were Inside First call for guard mount Minutes passed The calls were Bounded sounded on schedule But no officer of the day appeared appeared- The fussy major grew panicky One of ot the men in the cab turned to Bath Douse House I happen to be the theold theold theold old officer of the day duy he lie said I believe believe be be- lieve I the major Is looking for me Yes replied Bath House louse happily happily hap hap- as he signaled his driver to move Into action And I 1 happen to be the new officer of the day I know the major Is looking lookin for mel me 1 When a French rattler pulled out of ot Bourges Bourge for Pars Paris ten minutes later the three were riding snugly aboard How the Correspondents Got to the Front When the First division of the A. A E. E F. F was ready to go Into the front lines there were a half dozen or so war correspondents correspondents' who expected to togo togo togo go with It This was In a French sector sector sec sec- sector tor and the French c corps commander soon let It be lie known that they were expecting too loo much They were t. t to stay right there an and he would see to it that a report on the work worl of the Americans would be sent back bacIe to them And there is nothing that says noth nothing lag ing so completely as a French official remarked one correspondent correspondent corre corre- In lu an acid aside asie to another So the Robert nobert Robert Small Lincoln Eyre Ray Carroll E Edwin I James Tames Flo Floyd d Gibbons Gibbuns Cal al C. C Lyon He Heywood wood Broun and George appealed to General Pershing The liThe accredited correspondents have bave a right to be with a division when it goes In said the American commander In chief The French corps commander Such a thing wasn't done In France Journalists didn't belong at nt atthe atthe the front The French liason officer at Chaumont also sputtered When the First division goes In the American correspondents will accompany accompany ac ac- accompany company It said General Pershing And the way his Jaw set meant that he meant that the American correspondents correspondents correspondents corre corre- would accompany the First division n. n Followed much telephoning French general headquarters was amazed at such a suggestion American American Ameri Ameri- can enn headquarters It was firm This was an American merIcan division wasn't It Yes It was Then the American command should decide as to Its equipment equipment equip equip- ment Including war correspondents Well Veil perhaps Marshal Foch would have bave to be consulted Marshal Foch had better be consulted consult ed pretty quick It was almost time for the First division to to mt move ve forward forward forward for for- ward but there would be no move until until until un un- til this issue was settled Less than half an nn hour before the time set for the move Marshal Foch was talking t on the telephone to General Pershing Of course mon general a avez z raison ralson So the correspondents went to the front Pershing's Message The honor of receiving the first official ofil- ofil cial message of sympathy from John J. J Pershing commander In chief of the American forces In Ie the World war went to the surviving relatives of Sergt Theodore Peterson of at atthe the med coed leal teal corps A. A E. E F. F Sergeant Peterson was mortally wounded March 5 5 1918 while serving g with a regiment of ot field artillery which had gone Into Inlo action Lie Ele continued con con- tinned to direct the care of wounded despite his hie own oun hopeless condition condition and died the same night The sergeants sergeant's brave conduct won him the posthumous award of ot a n Distinguished DistinguIshed DIs- DIs Service cross In addition General PershIng dispatched this ca en- cable ble the first of Its kind to Wash Washington Washington ington Request you express m m. m personal sympathy to nearest living relatives of Sergeant Peterson After being mortally wounded Sergeant Peterson gave detailed instructions to the wounded and gave first gas test In order to save the lives of ot the men about him He tie was a gallant soldier soller and und I 1 have ha awarded him a D. D S. S C. C i 1931 Weston Western Newspaper r Union I |