Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-01-06
IS HERO OF HEROES
Corporal Rewarded for Repeated
Acts of Calamity.
With IS Men He Occupies New Ger
man Trench and Defends 1t Against
Whole Company-Rescues
Officer Under Fire.
BY r. FRANKLIN TATE.


Paris.-Corporal Phillip of the Twen-
ty-fourth Colonial infantry is a brave
of braves. He has been awarded the
military medal for repeated acts OF
gallantry in this war. When his lieu
tenant fell wounded and the Germans
were running up to capture him the
corporal rushed in under their heavy
fire and rescued his officer under their
very noses. He is the kind of man
who comes at once to the front when
the situation is desperate.
The other day the colonel sent for
him and said:
Phillip, l know you are a gallant
fellow, and that is my reason for IN
trusting you with an extremely peril
Gus mission. At nightfall you will
take 25 men and go to the crest yon-
der, where German soldiers are seen
digging a trench. You are to en-
deavor to remain there in concealment
till the morning, when you will return
and report what you have seem"
At nightfall away went the little
party On reaching the crest the cor
trench, while sentry kept guard.
Hiding "a of his men in little wood,
he took the twenty fifth man with him.
saying: "When we get near the Ger
man sentry and he cries, 'Wer da! you
must keep apart from me, to the left,
and make a noise with your bayonet,
so as to make him turn your way.
NH hot h0 what
| do. lie down and await my orders"
Stealthily the two approached so
near the sentry that they could hear
him softly humming tune. Then
Phillip moved to the right and inten-
tionally made slight noise.
over da!" challenged the sentry.
Instantly the soldier keeping to the
left ratified his bayonet, and the Ger
man turned toward him. At the same
moment Phillip was on him, running
him through the body twice with his
bayonet. His aim had been SO true
that the sentry dropped dead without
cry. The men working vigorously
in the trench twenty or thirty yards
away had heard nothing. Quicker
than a quick-change artist the cor
poral donned the dead mans helmet
and cloak and Selling his rifle began
pacing up and down in his stead Ev-
cry now and then as he passed he
rolled the body little farther away.
At last the trench was ready, and the
Germans retired to the main body,
calling a friendly good-by to the SEN
try, who, without a word continued on
his beat. But they had no sooner dis
appeared than helmet and cloak were
flung to the ground and the corporal
was running toward the wood. few
minutes later the 26 French infantry
men were installed in the German
trench.
At daybreak a Bavarian company
marched up to occupy the trench.
The men, all unsuspecting, were chat
ting and joking. A few yards away
from the trench a murderous fire
greeted them. They attempted to
rush it, but 26 rifles kept moving
them down, and finally the survivors
broke and fied-all except 10, who
threw up their hands.
A rev Gays ldIeI Iu0 COI poi al was
shot in the right arm and shoulder,
but refused to go to the ambulance.
He fought on for the next "a hours. In
the thick of the fighting he shot
German officer, who fell. The corpo-
raj ran forward to bring him in, but
the officer, drawing his revolver, fired
the last shot, the bullet SCATTERING tbs
corporaps shoulder. The Frenchman
had strength enough to beat out his
enemy's brains with the butt end Of
his rifle, but then he collapsed with
pain and loss Of blood.