The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-19
To elDSS Men ABROAD.
Prove THEIR BRAVERY

NOEfSStpOOuS-Dt.
Paris. Aug. tS.--Deeds OF heroic
courage by American Red Cross men
on several battle fronts have Just
oean described here An a statement
. BIZ Major Grayson p. Murphy. Ameri-
can Red Cross commissioner for Eu-
rope. He also gives details of the
vast and many-sided activities the
organization has been carrying o.
which now are being multiplied many
times
Following out it's previously an
nounced project. the commission has
ALREADY esta biished relief and rest
stations for the troops at points
where they must lie over while in
transit from the base receiving camps
TO the training camps near the front
Owing to the aemorallzed condnlon
OF the French railways. troops are
often obliged to spend between forty
eight and seveuty-two hours in max
ing a journey that could ordinarily
be accomplished in twelve hours.
The cars in which they are trans
ported ere frequently small French
freight cars, into which thirty. more
often forty. men are crowded. The
result has been that cases OF measles,
munps. diphtherta and on numerous
occasions more serious diseases have
broken out among the men. To pro-
ffon dtspensaries each containing ten
beds a doctor and two nurses nave
been opened Suspected cases OF. men
asking for treatment are handled inn
mediately instead of awaiting for the
arrival OF the train at its destination.
The patients are visited each day by
some member Of the Red Cross. who
brings them tobacco. sweets or some
thing TO read. the purchases being
made from the funds which the
United States has SO generously sub
scribed
Another activity Of the Red Cross
consists In the bringing TO France OF
about twenty Belgian police dogs.
which will be trained to go out and
1ook fer wounded. The dogs have
been tried out in other armies, notably
the French and Russian. and have
reached a high degree OF proficiency
IN their work
The method Of training IL to start
IN TO teach the dog 10 fetch an object.
usually a mans cap. Then he is
taught 10 seek out the wearer of the
cap, TO return and lead the trainer to
the wearer, supposedly wounded. The
dogs have also been used with great
success in detecting the presence Of
wounded men caught in the enemy's
wire entanglements and unable to es-
cape through weakness.
With the formal transfer of the
American ambulance TO the American
army. the ambulance ceases to exist,
In name, az an auxiliary service of
the French army. although it viii be
virtually continued as such until such
time as the American army decides II
needs II for its own uses The Amer
lean ambulance is not. however. at
the present time under the control of
the Red Cross although that develop
nsent may later occur.
Two OF the most recent members
of the ambulance to receive the war
cross and army citations are Basil X
Neftel, of Larchmont, N. Y. leader OF
Section Seventeen of the field service.
and Ora r. McMurray. OF Madison
Wis, a graduate OF the University of
Wisconsin, Neftei has been over a
year in the service. and has been twice
wounded In the performance OF his
duty.
Five other Americans have won
honors for conspicuous bravery I'M
der shell fire In the Ss lonica region
All Of them are members OF Section
Ten OF the American field service
> and for the last nine months have
been engaged In the Balkans, for the
most part before Monastir. where they
faced the double danger of enemy
shells and the virulent fevers that
periodically make their appearances In
the low lands of Macedonia during
the summer months
For both bravery ana distinguish
ed conduct their citations read. ian
absolute disregard ot the personal
risks to which they exposed themselves
and their spontaneous action In bring
ing In the wounded from the most nj
vanced positions" the war cross has
been awared to each OF the follow
ing: w. D. Swan. OF Boston: James
Harley. OF Knoxville. Tenn; Frank
Fstzsimmons. OF New York; Kimber-
ley Stuart, OF Saginaw, Mich. ana
John El1sfon. Of Los Angeles, Cal.
In addition to the Croix de Guerre.
Or war cross. Elliston was signalled