Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-12-14
AMERICA IS IMPOSED
0NBY FAKE HEROES
English "snide Tribe Puts It
Over In New York-Lion-
lied and Tested.
From the New York Herald.

M Hs G1OIl SA0 NOV 4OAh AASao3Ns h HN
It may have occurred to many per-
sons in New York recently that Great
Britain must be running pretty short
of Victoria Cross heroes. as well as
others who append the letters ID. s.
O." to their signatures and countless
more who have distinguished them
selves on the field Of battle.
Perhaps you have passed In Fifth
avenue q soldierly appearing man with
tawny mustache and O III well In
formed friend has elbowed you signift-
cantly and Whispered hoarsely. There
goes Capt G. Ponsonby Blobbs. v. c..
just over from Flanders. He is stop
ping at the Hotel Bernaise. Great
fellowl"
Or you may have arrived somewhat
late at a social affair and discovered
all the ~debutantes and most OF those
in the post graduate class paying UNI
man with a military bearing, a lisp
and an i%nconstant monocle. Your host
shows polite incredulity when you
timidly inquire about the identity. Of
the popular n and says. why. thai
is young Barking-Fox. d. S. Q. Surely
you have heard of him. You say.
Yes. indeed. How stupid Of me-" and
shake hands with the barking one.
whose monocle s~traightway a
and who salutes you with a super
cilious "Haw!"
New York Abounds In "Heroes."
In fact. there has been growing Won
der here at the increasing number OF
valorous ones who have been decor
ated by royal warrant for meritorious
and distinguished service In the pres
ent war. Not one of those individuals.
who are here. they Say for all manner
Of purposes. is below the rank of CAP
tain. ind each, by his own showing. has
been the recipient Of the Victoria Cross
for conspicuous gallantry. or the Dis
tinguished Service Order. a reward
only less coveted than the bronze cross
instituted by Queen Victoria after the
Crimean war in 1856.
Whence they came n whittier they
intend to go from here none seems to
know. All that has been ascertatned Of
them Is hat they have decorations
which they. allege were pinned upon
George. Several even have gone so far
as to deliver lectures before exclusive
audiences on various phases of the wal
in France End Flanders, For the most
part these lectures showed the distin-
guished ones to be possessed OF an
accent generally affected by actors who
im~personats Englishmen on the Ameri-
can stage.
So great has been the influx Of these
heroes that a Herald reporter sought
regarding them from the
British authorities here.
They Arc Plain Takers.
Many of them, 1t was found. are
members Of what In Great Britain Is
known as "the Snide Tribe; or, in col
loquial English, takers" Several Of
them never saw England; or, If they
did, belong to that limited legion hat
left England for 'England's good.
In other words. the only. decoration
that ever was pinned on them was a
car; and. 81 far as their intrepidity is
concerned, the bursting Of a tire on q
rear wheel of q taxicab would cause
them to ruin their hats against the AK
icab'S root.
BY this, Of course, 1t must not be in
ferred h all are "sntdes.' These i'm
posters, many of whom already have
been recognized for what they are. have
made things disagreeable for several
British army officers who are here in
connection with war relief movements
or on the way to Canada. These have
complained to the British authorities
that the existence of the "snides" has
caused them much annoyance.
The British. authorities In conse-
quenco have been kept busy discredit-
ing the "phony' heroes and proving to
responsible persons that these honor
claimants never appeared in the Brit
thing official save an expedited exit.
The objective Of the "snides' appar-
emily Is not q sinister one, however, so
far as has been ascertained up to the
present. They appear satisfied to be
lionized or "lyonaised" for a time, until
they are about to be found out, when
they seek pastures new.