The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-22
ISENECALESE ARE AMONG BEST OF
 FRENCH TROOPS
Proud of Fact They Are Vol unteers and Are Not =
 Forced to Fight

French Front, Oct. 22-CCorrespond- fence of The Associated Presa)-"You white men are forced to fight; we are Lvolupteers.' say proudly Frances col Epnial soldiers when they reply to ques- ltions as to the reason for their coming ito Europe to fight. Whether they Lcorne from Senegal, Madagascar. or l;Somahland, all Of them express glad Iness at the opportunity to pay of, old scores for cruelties committed on their kindred in the German colonies i1 Af- trica, the news of which has been spread among them from one end of the continent to the other by their 4 mysterious methods of coamunaca- ltion All of them know of the fate of the Hernero' nation in German South lwest Africa, where only a few wan dering groups remain alive Of what once was a powerful negro trtbe,s "A Undou,bteday, *he most popular of ithe French colonial volunteers are the t.Soal Iblack SenegNlese. Their courage fan the iead and their devotion to their whits oficers have become prorerbial The mentality of these tTdRessnen is almost irafanttle in it's simplicity, but they are quick to learn. Their adapt iability ta such in waT4i3ce matters that they. have become expert in very short time with all the most modern. weap- Ions, Many of them before coming to France have undergone training in the colonies and c~useqnentry are ac- lnuatnted with European driu and dis ,cipline., O&hars arc raw recruits, who are exercised first when they reach French sodl The eagerness of all to acquire prc@csency with the new weapons 4s s0ch that even in their hours- Of rest in their instruction caunps they may be seen in groups exercistng with them and repeating ths words of command in French, which thay, rapidly learn.
 It has been asserted errcneousN that ' negro trcopa. arc not able to support the strain sf q bornbardment. There certainly have been instances in which a company of Sene9a1ese, when all its white officers have been picked off by German sflarpshooters, has hesitated during an advance but this was mere ly because they did not know what to do.- Doua nmont, the battle of the .Aisne.e the Somme offensive, the at- tack at Laffaux Mill and the defense of Craonne andxthe California and Classmates plateau have all been scenes of the heroic courage of the negro troops under artillery fire of the most terrinc character.
 A battalion of Senegalese stationed on. the spot where the village of F9en- ry had onse stood on the Verdun- from during the heaviest Of the fighting there, made an advance, durtng which their flank reAched almost to the fort of Douaurnont. Then they walked into | ans &ni1ladin9 fire frcm-edcaens of Ger man machine guns The French com xnander. Captain Chanvin, ordered his mon to storm the machine gun posi- tfons. The German gunners. on seeing the black waxrioFs coming at them, them, threw up their hands and sur rei1dered to the nnmbef or 60. The Gffn1kn Resiztanee an <al0nx the 1ine vaz oyercome 0Wink to this daring fk&k. 7 Their brilliant work brought the distinction of the war cross to many of the negro troopers and the entire snntfalionswza mentioned in army or ders for It's bravery.
 When in rest camp the Senegalese nmuse themselves like schoolboys Dancing and singing and gambling occupy much of their time. Many o1 them. however, give up hours daily te learning French, for they regard everythfpg appertatning to France al < bettSr than anything else. One od them who came upon an American intuition wagon driver repairing his
 motor spoke to the American in hi,
 broken French. The American did no
 understand and the African turned and walked away, wearing a disdain- ful expression and remarking: What
 You: don't understand French?s Have you never been to School?''