Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-10-13
The "Suicide Club"

u SHEETS.
The "Suicide Club"
So dashing in his fighting operations
was Bell that the other soldiers called
his regiment the Suicide club" The
colonel was dubbed Daredevil Bell.
At Manila a war correspondent an
nounced his intention TO go out and set
with Bells forces.
You're foolish to do that" said an
old army officer You just stay here
in town and commit suicide. That will
save you the trouble of the long trip,
and the results will be the same"
General Belize soon got to be Il
brigadier general of volunteers and
then a regular army Observation-Disclosures
ed that the way to fight the Filipinos
was TO 20 after them and hit them
hard. They wouldn't stand up and
fight. he said. Accordingly he instruct
ed his officers in his theory of fighting
and they put it TO practice. One result
was that more medals of honor and
more promotions for meritorious serv-
ice or gallantry in action came to Bells
troops than TO any other troops In the
Philippines. Bell himself while still
volunteer colonel received a medal of
honor through congress at the sugges-
ton of his commanding general and
the president of the United States. In
a fight near Porac he rode far ahead of
his command, chasing all alone two
Filipino officers and five privates He
captured a captain and two privates
and brought them into camp. General
Elwell s.. Otis in commencing him to
the war department for distinguished
bravery in battle remarked that Bell
repeatedly had done things like this,
land the wonder was that he was still
alive"
This recalls little story that is told
or General Bell since The returned TO
the United States. In the army ma
neuvers at Fort Riley during a sham
battle General Barry told his cavalry
men to keep a sharp eye out for Gen
eral Bell. HE will be sure to expose
himself to danger" said Barry, "and
you must get him.
General Bell did expose himself the
cavalry swooped down, and he was
forced to flee precipitately The UNI
pires formally decided that Bell had
been captured. Bell objected with en-
phasis.
Possibly L was killed. he said, "but
l wasn't captured-never,"
And so the man who at forty-one was
disguised because he expected to re-
tire at siXty-four as captain is now
at fifty the chief of staff According to
popular conception, General Bell is Civ
ing orders to his superiors-the six
major generals and Lieutenant General
AS n matter of fact, an
age long precedent has been overturn-
ed here, Bell being the first officer in
the army even to have the appearance
Of giving orders to his superiors. In
one sense this is turning military ira
ditions topSy turvy, though when the
is properly boiled down there
Is found to be much more fuss than
feathers in the pot. Other interesting
facts are that General Bell is the first
man without civil war experience to be
chief of staff and the first West Pointer
TO hold that post In fact. the general
seems to have a habit of getting there
first.
Captain Bells promotion to general
stopping at way stations was
,ne of several recent instances of rapid
transit to high rank which in their
effect have tossed army ira
litions to the winds, and the briga-
lier's assignment to the highly impor-
ant post of chief of staff was another.
This new order i'm our army means
promotion by merit instead of by |
seniority, or, to put it another way, |
t means the selection for high position |
ind important work of officers who |
AVE shown their fitness for such Sc
ection by deeds done when opportuni |
y offered, as in the case of this Ken |
who may be called the Francis |
Marion of the American army in tho |