The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-08-30
But Sheer Is Sheer of Unreason
and the German Officers
Know II.
CLARKE WIPES OUT GRIN
Lieutenant, by Remarkable Feat Of
Horsemanship, Teaches Kaiser
and His Officers to Respect
v. S. Regulars.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


fear. The Germans know more about
our soldiers, our regular soldiers at
any rate, than they care to put into
print.
The other day there came to Wash.
ington to join the Aviation corps of
his country, boy whose name is
Powhatan II. Clarke. The elders
among the army officers who met him
saw in him a virtual reproduction of
his father, also Powhatan II. Clarke,
who graduated from the United States
military academy in 1884. 1t was the
senior Powhatan u. Clarke, who died
some years ago in the line of duty,
who taught the German emperor, his
staff and the German people to have
respect for the regular officers of the
United States army.
Within a year of the time that he
had graduated from the military acad.
envy Lieut.. Powhatan II. Clarke of
the cavalry was given medal of hon
or by congress for conspicuous person
al gallantry. He had carried wound
ed sergeant of his troop from the field
under rain of Apache bullets fired
ut point blank range. Today hanging
in the Army and Navy club in New
York city is painting by Frederick
Remington, showing Lieutenant Clarke
carrying the negro trooper on his
shoulder along the pathway of fire.
When Clarke graduated at the age
of twenty-One he looked no older than
q boy Of seventeen so far as his face
went. However, he was big and atll-
letic and was pattern of the Ameri-
can soldier. His heroism on the Ari-
iona battlefield had won him recog-
milton and soon he was sent to Berlin
as American military attache.
Why They sneered.
Lieutenant Clarke reached the Ger
man capital and was introduced to the
officers attached to military headquar-
tiers and to the person of Emperor Will
liam. He found out instantly that
there was some joke on the American
/ army which was dwelling in the men,
cries and showing itself in the laugh
ing faces and on the sneering lips of
| the kaiser's officers.
It did not take the American long
to discover where the trouble lay. A
former military attache accredited
from the American army had been
+, thrown from his horse in the presence
of Emperor William and his staff. It
may have been that any rider, no mat
ter how expert, might have been
thrown in like circumstances, but the
Germans held that the American cav.
airy was composed of men likely to be
ditched at the first jump.
The German maneuvers came on.
The emperOr's army was assembled
and the American lieutenant was with
the personal staff of William. When
the Germans saw the Yankee cavalry
man on his horse they were compelled
to admiration at his appearance, but
. appearances did not necessarily imply
i h0rsemanship.
| In the field Of the maneuvers there
was huge ditch, partly natures work
and partly mans. It was considered
to be impossible Of crossing by cav.
alrymen. It was fully half a mile in
length, and no German horse had ever
been put to the test of covering its
breadth, for a fall into it doubtless
meant death, for, at any rate, the Sc.
verest injury.
The emperor and his officers were
about half mile from the ditch and
opposite point between it's two ex-
tremeties. A general Of the forces had
his headquarters about two miles from
the position Of the emperor and on the
other side of the obstruction.
William called one of his aides, a
man who had the reputation Of being
one of the finest horsemen in the Ger
man army. The emperor handed him
an order to be delivered to the subor-
dinate commander two miles away
over the field. The German aide took
the order, rode, put, and started In the
direction Of the flank of the ditch. The
American cavalryman rode to the EN-.
per0r's side, saluted and asked per-
mission to carry duplicate of the or
der. The emperor smiled little and
acquiesced, handing bit Of paper to
Clarke.
Opens kaiser's Eyes.
The American touched his horse and
made straight for the ditch which cut
the field traversely. His intention be-
came known in an instant, and the
eyes Of every officer In the field were
turned on the young fellow riding
away clad in the uniform of the United
States. There was something of con-
Germ perhaps in the hearts of those
German officers. when it became
known that the boy lieutenant was go
ing to jump the ditch or die.
In the meantime the German aide,
carrying the first message, was strik.
Ing for the far west. There was to be
no ditch jumping for him. but the firm
unbroken ground Of the plain was to
be his chosen pathway.
Clarke set his horse straight for the
gully with Its tre0cherOus banks and