The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-09-06

There are a lot of them In Frances
foreign legion and a lot more In the
various Canadian contingents. The
writer was told by one In close touch
with the British var office that 1900
Americans are now members of the
British army, says the Detroit Free
Press. The war office. Of course. has
TO notify the relatives OF these men In
case they are killed. wounded or miss
ing, as some of them have been, and
1t Is thus that In approximate figure
as to their number can be given.
This. of course, is not a matter that
the wal office talks about. One Is
guilty OF an indiscretlon In even men
tioning 1T. No American Is allowed
to enlist as such. That might make
diplomatic complications. Most of the
sons OF the United States who join say
they are Canadians. OF late one has
heard OF a plumber of young southern
ers who have enrolled themselves I'M
der the union jack. When one of them
went to the recruiting Office the fol
lowing conversation took place:
Where were you born?"
Il was bawn. sub, in Spartanburg.
8. c."
1.-THE United States? We can't take
you II you are an American. Can't you
take a little stroll and think hard and
see If you weren't born somewhere
else?''
The walk Is taken. A few minutes
later the candidate returns
His Mind Is Changed.
We'll. sub, I've thought that matter
ovah. and | realize now that ! was
b wn In Hamilton, Ont"
Good mani Righto! Now come and
see the doctor"
A good number of these American
born recruits are West Point and An
napolis men and thus get commissions
practically at once, for, OF course. the
crying need OF the British army at the
present time is for officers. One OF the
~southerners. this time a Virginian. was
badly wounded at Neuve Chapelle. He
told an acquaintance OF the writer's
that a shell which exploded near him
there killed twenty-three men and six.
teen horses. While In England he made
this remark To an American:
I'm making n collection while I'm
here. Yes. ma'am. I'm making a col
lection OF e~ggshells."
"Eggshells! Whatever forf"
Well, ma'am. II does seem to me
that those are the only kind OF shells
that the British war office thinks We
need TO throw at the Germans"
Fighting Flies In Flanders.
| heard a good story of another
young southerner, formerly a member
OF the Richmond Light Blues and now
a captain In the British army. who lis
tened patiently to a lecture on camp
sanitation given by his colonel, and
then very courteously and deferentially
asked his superior officer II he might
be allowed to demonstrate to the men
some OF the things he had learned In
the American army. The colonel. a
bit on his dignity. but with good hu.
NOR. asked the American II he really
thought he could add anything to their
knowledge. The southerner's reply
was a question as TO whether any OF
them ever had been IN a real hot coun.
try, like Cuba or the Philippines,
where there really were flies. The
British officers confessed they had not
'"The defect In the sanitary arrange
ments you propose" wen on the south
erner. lis that they are adapted tc
England. where you have no dies
Everybody In this country fancies tina,
files here are a kind of plague. but the
ratio as compared with the United
States Is actually about n fly here Il
a thousand there. In Flanders" wen
on the American, you will get f.es. $,
| wish you would let me demonstrate
to the men our ideas Of sanitation
fly traps and incinerators TO cope Will
the condition that will obtain there"
The colonel gave his consent forth
with. A bit later he found the Amer
lean surrounded by a crowd of men
demonstrating the matters be hat
mentioned. In order TO work better
he had shed his tunic and was work
ing In his shirt sleeves. The scandal
ICED superior officer held his peace a
the time. but later apprised the amuset
American that ii was not considered
good form for an officer to remove hi
tunic. He said 1T simply wasn't done.
Why have all these young Americana
thrown in their lot with the British
army? Do they all feel In duty bount
to do their bit toward putting the XII
bosh on Germany? These questions
pun directly to III American woman
WHO knows.
Well" she replied. II know Of on,
case In which a girl Is at the bottom
OF the mans enlisting here. and will
the others | CUES it's sheer devil
ment." Other Americans have told IN,
that they joined the army for the SAX
OF the excitement" Still others. how
ever. have affirmed that they enliste,
fr,-x e.. ~ -AIu - --As.- = a.