The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-06-01

GOOD.
heard Of before ne had been in the
saddle year. 1t was to the sixth
United States cavalry that Pershing
was assigned shortly after he receiv-
| ed his diploma from the military acad-
emy
In the first few years of his service
Pershing fought in the fierce border
campaigns against the Apache Indians
of Arizona, and he was again heard
of when in 1890 he led his sturdy
| troopers in the turbulent Sioux wars
of the early nineties. He was in the
thick of the fighting that marked the
brief warfare that was waged by the
regulars against the Spaniards in
Cuba in 1898, and shortly after the
treaty of Paris was signed and the
Philippines came under the American
flag he was among the first to be Or
dered to duty in the new positions.
Arriving in the Philippines, Gener-
al Pershing, then captain, was
! promptly ordered into the Moro
country, where as one of the leaders
against the then fierce and intense
ly anti-American Moros he was soon
to gain fame and honor and win the
single star of a brigadier. At the
time of his nomination for that rank
in 1906 he was the youngest West
Pointer ever named as general of
the regular army in time of peace.
In order to reward Pershing, Presi-
dent Roosevelt jumped him over 862
officers who were his seniors in
rank.
Eleven years ago the big problem
in the Philippines was still the pacl-
fication of the Moros. Those splendid
warriors, hundreds of whom are
now serving in the crack organiza-
ton known as the Philippine scouts
fought inch by inch the American
and refused to take word of govern
ors and commanders sent to molllfy
them that the United States was their
friend.
,Pershing was ordered to finish the
Moro campaign and was named Gov
ernor of Minaanao and commander OF
the troops operating in that part OF
the province where the Moro oppo-
sition was still problem of the first
magnitude. From distance OF Sc
veral thousands of miles the job did
not sound big at the time, but more
difficult task has seldom, if ever,
been placed on the shoulders OF an
officer of the regular army. He
gritted his teeth and undertook the
work with his famous smile. He had
a picked lot of regulars under him.
every man of whom he knew and
trusted and every one of whom knew
and loved "Black Jack"
The Moros that Pershing was called
upon to bring to terms had modified
in the crater of an extinct volcano
called Bud Dajo, On the island of Jolo.
To drive them out had been a task
with which the army had contended
since 1906. PershingA announced to
his men that the MOros were coming
out of the crater if it took him ten
years to accomplish the job. ,,
There were 600 Moros-every one a
Mo1ammedan fanatic-in the crater
fortifcation when Pershing started "to
clean out the mountain hole" With
out Bud Dajo safely and securely in
American control the Moro problem
could never be solved.
With a thousand men, half of them
his own trusted troopers. and the
others picked Filipino scouts, the cam
paign for Dajo began. The Americans
and the scouts had to proceed through
miles and miles Of dense jungles,
opposed every yard of the way By
the fierce Moros. But Pershing kept
on, and finally he fought his way to
the foot of the mountain
Pershing's jungle fighters cut a
trail around the mountain, and, for
| tifying themselves from attack from
above. began the siege. The soldiers
formed complete Gordon around the
mountain Of watching for the first
sign of the Moros leaving the crater
and waiting chance to get them when
| they tried to get through the Gordon
In their retreat to the crater the
Moros had been so hotly pursued that
for once they had been unable tc
take with them the supplies that
would make possible a long stand
At last the "iron ring began to make
itself felt, and in small detachments
the Moros tried to gain the. open jun
| gle by dashes through the American
| Gordon. Every dash was frustrated
! the fanatics rushing forth to certain