Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-12-24
ENGINEERED VICTORY
ON SPUR OF MOMENT
Other Soldiers With British
Army in France Have
Similar Experiences, One
Taking 1O2 Prisoners, In
Guiding Several German
Officers.
Nv j. w. PEGLER.
tied Press Staff Correspondent

(OnIted freSS otaII Soiicspo'uen.1
London, Dec. 1.-tBy malll.-I nc
great American bluff, backed BY the
British soldiers contempt for death,
won the lctoria cross for at least SIX
officers and men out of a batch of 10
recently decorated.
Private John Kerr, Canadian in
fantryman, played the most amazing
case Of four-flush in capturing. single
handed, So German prisoners and ESQ
yards of trenches. Kerr engineered
his victory on the spur of the moment,
quickly bluffed the enemy into think
ing they were surrounded and lined
them up with their hands aloft for the
march to the British rear.
OPENED FIRE.
The London Gazette, the most hui
man OF all British official documents,
recounts his exploit as follows;
During a bombing attack he was
acting as bayonet man, and learning
that bombs were short ran through
heavy fire until he reached close con-
tact with the enemy, when he opened
fire at pointbla.tk ran e and inflicted
hea1j loss. The enemy, thinking they
were surrounded, surrendered"
Kerr had been shot before starting
his game of bluff, but he went through
the formality of reporting himself for
further duty before having his wound
dressed The doctors found that one
finger had been blown off by bomb.
JONES PLAYED rokER.
Thomas Alfred Jones of Runcorn
played poker psychology in saving his
life and capturing To- German prison
ers. His bac included three or four
off ers whom he had the honor to re-
leve of their swords and fevolvers.
Jones started out on the compare
lively minor mission of killing sniper.
That part was easy; he just wriggled
200 yards in the face of the snipers
fire, killed him and looked around for
new enemies.
Jones didn't 1ok far, for Just short
space away two other snipers were
plugging at him. Jones crept nearer
and killed them. That brought him to
the enemy's trench, SO he decided to
explore some dugouts. The lone SOL
dicr persuaded the occupants to come
out, one by on !, disarming them as
they emerged, lined them W and
marched them through heavy bar
rage to the British lines.
BROUGHT BACK PRISONERS.
The other v. Cs used similar tactics.
Private Thomas Hughes ran through
q machine guns stream, shot the gun
ner and e9wed three or four others OF
the crew into surrender. Though
wounded, he brought in not only the
prisoners. but the gun.
Twenty Germans attacked Leo
Clarke, another Canadian. While he
was building a block at the end of a
captured section to protect the wound
ed survivors of his party from raid
,1p the trench. The trooper dropped
his work and emptied his revolver and
two enemy rifles into the attacking
party, making noise lik a whole
company. He shot four more on the
run. captured fifth and returning.
ii. ished his work.
FOUGHT TWO DAYS.
If t. enemy had known. he might
have conquered Sergeant Jones of
Liverpool, and his party, who fought
two DAYS and nights ithout food
or water and with their own dead and
wounded strewn about tn position
Rnt the enemy didn't know aud their
heart was not in the three counter
attacks they carried out. Jones rail-
lied his charges and held the position
Ill relief came up.
Bluff covered up a shs s'tage Of sup
plies and helped Captain Archie White
hold an important redoubt four days
under all kinds of fire and numerous
counter attacks. Whites men Fever
let a hint of their plight reach the
enemy and the bluff. with its backing
of bravery, finally won
e&A