The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-10-26
The Most Completely Lost One OF
Them All 10 the Picturesque
Tiraiieurs Of
Msmbiey.
DE AT HEAD
servia Is willing to Give Them :
Place at the Front but csnnot
provide Way to Get
There.
IBy p. II. Sarle. Written for the United
Press.1

by p. II. Sarle. Written for the United
Press.1
LONDON, Oct. 3.-tBy mail to New
York.)-Of all the -legions of the
lost" which have been raised for ser
vice with the allied armies. the Trial
leurs are the newest, most picturesque
and most completely lost Command
cred By a real president and compris-
ing men of practically every national
ity under the sun, burning to take a
hand in the overthrow OF Prussian mill
tarism. the Tirailleurs are encamped
at Wembiey, northwest London.
awaiting orders for the front, but Lord
Kitchener LOOKS coldly upon them. nor
90 France and Russia eyince the
slightest desire for their assistance
Gallant little Servia, always ready
to recognize real merit has promised
to find them a glorious corner under
the crown princes flag, but the Serv-
ian minister in London having noti-
fed them OF this. apparently consider
ed that he had don all hat could be
expected OF him. Transports? Well. OF
course Servia could not provide trans
ports. So the Tirailleurs. who are
needy men, are trying to find some
means of getting to the front.
The president-ccmmander is Lieut.
Col. Adolphe Brezet de Beaufort, ruler
of the Free State of Counani". and The
standard of the regiment is the natio-
nal colors of Counani.
Why Counani should have taken up
arms against Germany is not clear. as
IT'S grievance is rather against France.
which has persistentIy refused to rec
ognize the independence of the region
behind Grand Guiana over which de-
Beaufort claims presidency
Still the fac remains that the gal
liant colonel decided to throw in his
lot with the allies, and with commend
!. able enthusiasm he proceeded to en-
list men of all nations who were in
eligible for service in the British army.
Every man was to provide his own kit.
and ray at the rate Of 30 cents a day
was promised after the first few
weeks. They flocked to the standard OF
Counani, to the number Of over 300.
but they are a somewhat detected
band of warriors now.
First of all the par and the COM
missariat did not materialize. n the
British war office declined them with
arms. equipment or horses. Drilling
too. proved to be a natter of Soma
difficulty. for the officers use ,ns mi
iiitary systems of a dozen diRer~--
countries. and CAV orders In a s-.ce
of languages. In the ranks we're Rus
slams. Italians. Greeks, Serbs. French
men, S1aniards. Portuguese, Brazilians,
Capts. and ven Armenfans and while
most of them had a knowledge of sew
eral languages they could not be g
pected to know all.
There has been trouble over the
standard of Counani. which shows a
white t on a red field, for those
who have seen the banner of Turkey
Heating over their ravaged homes
found it too similar. Several Armen-
ians resigned, the moment they saw 1t,
and it was only a promise that the
matter of changing the regimental
coIors should receive careful consider
alton that prevented further secess-
ions.
In the meantime the Tirailieurs are
hoping against that they may event
ually get to the front. though at pres
ent they are existing mostly on charity
and lave to resort to straet-collectins
boxes and parades at movie palaces in
order to secure subscriptions for what
Col. de Beaufort calls a "self-support-
ing foreign legion.