The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-01-22
IS HERO OF HEROES
Corporal Rewarded for Repeated
Acts Of Gallantry.
With rs Men He Occupies New Ger,
man Trench and Defends II Against
Whole company-Reseues
officer Under Fire.
Ry 8. ERANkLlN rArE.

i~interuntiOnu NoWH herNiceI
Paris.-Corporal Phillip Of the Tween.
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. lie is the kind OF man
who comes at once to the front when
the situation Is desperate.
The other day the colonel sem for
him and said;
Phillip, | know you are a gallant
fellow. and that is my reaso 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 rel
digging a trench. You are to en-
deavor to remain there in concealment
til the morning, when you will return
and report what you have seen"
Al nightfall away went the little
party. On reaching the crest the cor
poral saw German engineers digging
a trench, while q sentry kept guard.
Hiding "a OF his men In a little wood,
he took the tw~enty-hfth man with him,
saying; when we get near the Ger
man sentry and he cries, 'Wer dal' you
must keep apart from me, to the left,
and make a noise with your bayonet,
so as to make him urn your way.
Then, no matter what he does or what
/ do, lie down and await my orders"
S~tealthily the two approached so
near the sentry that they could hear
him softly humming a tune, Then
Phillip moved to the right and inten.
tionally made a slight noise.
"Wer dai" 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 Of him. running
him through the body twice with his
bayonet. His aim had been so true
that the sentry dropped dead without
n cry. The men working vigorously
In the trench twenty or thirty yards
away had heard nothing. Quicker
than a ~quick-ehange artist the cor
poral donned the dead mans helmet
and cloak and Selling his rife began
pacing up and down in his stead. Ev-
cry now and hen as he passed he
rolled the body a 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
hiH 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, A few
minutes later the 26 French infantry
men we're installed in the German
trench.
Al daybreak a Bavarian company
marched up to occupy the trench.
The men, all unsuspecting. we're chat.
ting and joking. A few yards away
from the trench a murderOus fire
greeted them. They attempted 10
rush II, but 20 rifles kept moving
them down. and finally the survivors
broke and hed-all except rs. who
threw up their hands.
A few days later the corporal 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 lighting lie shot q
German officer. who fell. The corpo-
raj ran forward TO bring him In, but
the officer. drawing his revolver, fred
the last shot, the bullet shattering the
corporal's shoulder. tThe FrenohmaI
had strength enough to beat out hii
enemy's brains with the butt end Of
his rife. but then he collapsed witt
pain and loss Of blood.