Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-10-29
OOH! LA! A TERROR JEAN BERGER, HERO
Black From Senegal Had Killed
Eighteen Germans.
Then, Laid Out With Nine Dreadful
Wounds, He Puffed His Cigarette,
Happy and Content.

Chicago-Tm not allowed to give
any information to the German sol
diers, writes William G. Shepherd from
Paris to the Chicago Evening Post,
but IL you have any friends In the
German army, you'd better tip them
off that If they see among the enemy
a medium-sized black man with a
big smile who answers to the name
Ooh! La! they'd better shoot first or
beat 1t.
My friend Ooh! La! In spite of his
smile and his ivory teeth is one OF
the most terrible men I've ever
known. Senegal Is his home, and
Ooh La! is as black as the ace OF
clubs.
Ooh, La! came up from Senegal
three weeks ago with thousands of his
black brothers to help the allies
against the Gernsans. No one paid
Ooh La! any particular attention for
long time. He fought at dozens Of
places, but his black brothers all
fought about the same, so Ooh. La!
didn't stand out anything extra. 1t
takes special superlative murderous.
ness to make a fighter conspicuous In
a crowd like Ooh! Las!
At last there came the battle with
the Germans on the Ourcq. near
MeauX, where, with ten to one against
them, the men from Africa fought with
bullets, knives, bayonets and fists,
singing like devils, treating German
bullets and shells as if they were only
mosquitoes.
The result was that the Germans
went away from there and that about
ten o'clock that evening the Ameri-
can ambulance corps In Paris got word
that there was need for them at
Meaux. The American doctors reached
the deserted town about midnight and
were led by an aged peasant straggler
to the church.
1t was an inferno Of pain. Three
hundred and fifty black men were
stretched about on the stone floors.
The church was like a giant can
of bait with human beings for the
writhing worms. One doctor noticed
a thing whose torn clothes were black
and stiff with dried blood. He threw
his light on 1t. The thing turned the
whites Of its great eyes, showed huge
white teeth In huger smile and
said:
will monsieur kindly give me a
cigarette?"
1t was Ooh! La! The doctors took
him first. He had nine wounds, all
bad and painful.
Get a stretcher" ordered doctor.
Don't trouble" said Ooh! La! Car.
ry me out in your arms. Time Is
precious for the other men,
Two ambulance men picked him up.
Outside the door, Ooh! La! said: Now
you fellows put me down and give me
a cigarette"
They were not going to obey until
Ooh! La! swore in Mohammedan,
showing that he meant what he said.
They they followed orders. They put
cigarette between Don! Las! lips
and lighted 1t. He drew massive
pull to the very bottom of his lungs,
closed his eyes in blissfulness and
then blew out torrent Of smoke.
"All right" he said. Now I'm
ready"
Three hours later Ooh! La! was in
bed at the American hospital, in Paris,
sound asleep. He was favorite Of
the nurses at once, until the truth
came out about him. This was that
during the battle he had killed IS Ger
mans by bullet or bayonet. Every
one of Ooh! Las! friends had kept
scores, and they all agreed that Ooh!
La! with his 18 Germans led them all.