The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-09
TOMMY ATKINS
!. !. IS GIVEN RUN
!. B BEFORE BATTLE
Baltimore Boy Adventurer Pre-
fers Chasing Villa to Fac
=s ing Teuton Attacks.

NEW YORK. April s.-"England
serves its 'Tommles' with rum and.
molasses morning and night, and al
ways before a charge or big fight.
1 never saw q German who rushed
against the point OF an English bayo-
net, and the only ones who did not ac-
tually fee when the English charged
with steel were the Prussian guards.
The Saxons, the Bavarians, and all
the rest OF them run when they see
the long steel coming at them or
waiting for them at the edge of the
trench" -
81. So spoke T. Payne Boyd, Eof Balti-
more, who is only II. This soldier of
fortune and former private in the =
Second battalion, of his; majesty'a
Welsh regiment, returned on the Gu
nard liner 0rduna, after years fight
ing at Loos.
q Admits He Was Scared.
Boyd is unique among returning
war heroes. He was scared, and
doesn't hesitate to admit it. 1t wasn't
this, however. that caused him to ask
for his discharge a month ago. He
heard that trouble was brewing in
Mexico, and preferred chasing villa
across hot sands to exchanging COM
pliments with the Prussian guards
while standing waist deep in ice wat
er. To King Rum alone he ascribes
his ability to launch his 1--WE feet six
inches with a fixed bayonet at the
trench full Of Teutons.
ssuyr 1ua,,11 Ia 1ald - a.,
when we were to be sent into action"
Boyd said. Immediately the whole
company would begin to hope we
would be relieved before the time
came to charge, with the same in
tensity that man in the death cell
looks for a reprieve. That night we
would get only our usual allowance Of
a tablespoonful Of rum, but the next
morning We would systematically set
about getting drunk.
Grog Supplied Nerve.
at wasn't hard to do this on tho
grog they served us. 1t was thick as
molasses and ninety-fve per cent pure
fusel oil. One small whiskey glass
was enough to nerve the rankest cow
ard among us to charge a regiment
alone. We were given all we wanted.
I'VE would be divided in three par
ties. When the order was given to
charge the first would scramble out
of the trenches. run forward fifty
yards and lie down. The second would
follow and drop beside 1t. Then the
first would advance fifty yards more
and at tie same time the third party
would Join the second.
"By the time we were ready for
the final dash we were warmed up to
a pitch where nothing could stop us.
We always yelled on this final sprint.
] wouldn't attempt to explain the
psychology Of this yelling, but 1t never
failed to arouse us to frenzy, and
seemed to put tho fear Of death into
the Germans.
Prussian Guards Giants.
1.-THE Saxon regiments would stand
until we got within twenty feet of
them. but II they found they could
not stop us with their machine guns,
they would turn and run. The Prus-
sion guards, however. were not tick
lish about coming to close quartersl
with us. It is possible their rum was
as good as ours. There were giants
in that regiment and ! never tried to
mix things with them hand to hand.
I preferred using my trigger finger.
It was very comforting when one of
them came plunging toward me with
his sticker to stop him with a bullet.
To see his face go white and his body
crumple up when made target was
such a relief would laugh aloud.
You must remember I was drunk"
4 Boyd was school boy in Baltimore
last March when the thirst for adven-
ture came over him. He shipped as a
mess steward on the British tramp
steamship Treckmann. jumped ship IN
liverpool, and enlisted In Loudou. He
will start for Texas In ON endeavor 10
gee moro fighting.
Argentina last year produced 275,..
900 barrels Of oil.