Evening journal., 1915-02-22
American With Foreign Legion
Tells of Life In the Trenches

friend in trench fifty feet distant
A bullet went through his head and
he dropped dead
George Ullard. Galveston negro.
was our cook and a fine one. lie was
the best singer for hundreds of feet
on both lines of trenches and the
Germans loved his songs. He taught
them to sing Sailing Down Chesa-
peake Bay but one day a shell blow
Ullard's trench to pieces and he was
killed Next day the Germans veil
ed 10 us to have George sing. When
we told them that he was dead they
yelled back that they were sorry as
all of the rifemen in the trenches had
agreed not TO shoot the cheerfui black
man who sang so we'll"
RAIDER was mentioned in dispatches
for destroying "A straw stack in which
four German machine guns had heen
hidden. RAIDER and TWO companions
fastened beet leaves to a gunny sack
and donning these as disguises crawl
ed to the straw stack through a beet
field and set fire to it. For forty
seven days RAIDER says. he was i'm
trenches filled with water and mud.
i've got some new ideas about so
called bravery now" he explained 1T
is still a matter Of nerves and ex-
perience. The fellow who is uuietest
and perhaps the most scared on his
first day in the trenches often proves
10 be the best soldier in the end Tho
fellow who comes I'm with a great
hullaballoo of noise often breaks
down. An English Socialist came into
our trenches one day and shouted as
he began firing. This Is what my
hands and heart have longed for
Our colonel told us to watch him,
saying that the reaction would soon
set in. Sure enough II did. The new
conner, after firing steadily for an
hour, began to complain of cold and
was soon shivering with a nervous
chill. He was sick for four days and
We had many similar cases II is the
so-callod 'rotter' that makes the best
soldier. The men who somehow don't
seem TO be able TO ht into society be-
come cool. calm and steady when they
come under fire.
The thing that impressed me most
is how human nature becomes strong
er than military rules. In the rail-
road yard near our trenches was a
huge pile of coal We used to 60 out
at night and get our supply of fuel
After few nights IL developed that
the Germans were doing the same
thing. One night a squad of six OF
our fellows came upon a squad oi
eight Germans carrying coal sacks.
What's the use of fightingg ask.
ed the Germans. you've no guns
neither have We
"And aftorward it came to be un.
derstood that no man going for Goa
was to be fred on. One night a new.
conner in our trenches who hadnf
heard of the arrangement went on
with a pistol and killed a German
When he came back we severely
pummelled him for violating the Goa
pile truce After that neither the
Germans nor ourselves dared go tC
the coal pile for fuel"
With RAIDER on furlough Is f. 3
Towle. of Larchmont. n. Y. who is
a son of Captain IT, B. Towle. of tho
New York militia He has been serv.
ing with the Second Regiment Of the
Foreign Legion.
"The most extraordinary American
in our regiment" said young Towlo
himself a New York guardsman was
a hulking youth from Chicago named
Simons, better known as Athos, z
wrestler. He left our trench and
caught a huge German between tn,
lines one night They wrestled foi
long time and finally Athos threw
the German, knocking him senseless
} Then Athos ran back TO the trench
E got a coil of wire hound his pris
r. oner and carried him on his shoulde
{ into our trench For this he wa
, made a lieutenant and given a rewarl
of thirty dollars. He spent the re
! ward for a feast for his men"
r RAIDER said that there are only IS
e men left in his regiment of the For
s eign Legion of total of 1900 whe
+ IL went into service. He says that
r is possible TO walk TO a point ~
= miles distant without leaving IN
a trenches