The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-05-19

Soldier. diplomat, and student
that Is BLACK Jack" Pershing, the
army's man Of sorrows and triumphs,
who has been given the honor Of
leading Amsriea's first troops to the
battleflslds Of France,
He has drained the cup OF lifs's
missries 10 It's bittersst drsss, and he
has figured as q national hero q
dozen times.
Physically he 10 . tall, grim, gaunt
| man, upon whom neither the weight
Of woe nor the lGursis Of vtetory have
left any outward align.
Native of Missouri.
John Joseph PerShinE was born In
Linn county, Missouri, September -,
1850. He took his A. B. at the Kirks-
vile Normal School In 1880. Two
years later he entered west Point,
and was graduated in 1850 Since
| that time he has served oontinnously
/ In the army.
As 4 second lieutenant OF the Sixth
/ Cavalry he was sent Immediately Into
Mexico to trail down the Indian out
law Geronimo IN muah the same tar
ritory a. that into which, thirty
years alter, he was TO Be sent after
/ the greater outlaw, villa.
! For ten years. then, Pershing rode
L hard and soldierod much, chasing
aPoor 10" all over the Southwest.
He didn't win q promotion In seven
years, but he did win the highest
praise from General Miles, and no
showed the stuf that was to win for
him in later years the highest mill
tary honors that q nation can confer
On one occasion he marched his troop
with q pack train 40 miles In forty
six hours. And the Official repo :
said be brought In every man and
animal in good condition"
wins First PrOmOtioa.
His nrst jump came In 1893. when
he was given his nrst lieutenaney
and assigned TO the Tenth Cavalry,
the crack colored regiment which AFT
erward won fame at San Juan. Be
cause of this appointment, people
began calling him BLACK Jack, and
the sobriquet has stuck 10 MN
through all the yearE
Then he was appointed military IN
structor at the University Of Ne
braska, and Just to prove that he was
really from Missouri and Just had 70
be shown, he studied law there ano
took his degree before he LETT In loS0
to rejoin his regiment
After two years OF intensive work
with the Tenth. he was appointed an
Instructor at West PoinH and for
little while he taught strategy.
But he didn't last long as q teacher
As soon as the war with Spain broke
out, he applied for active service, ana
was sent to Cuba with the crack
negro cavalry.
Gains Fresh Glory.
There he covered himself with
fresh glory.
THE bravest and coolest man under
fire ever saw" was the way Ms
} colonel referred TO him.
At the battle of Ell caney. be won
his captaincy by signal galantry IN
action.
From Cuba he came to Washington
land orranized the Bureau OF Insulai
Anai.s Of the War Department. After
that he went to the Philippines as
major and assistant adjutant genera
OF volunteers.
He was given 1900 men, q free rein
and the pleasant task of subjugatine
J the few hundreds Of Thousands o.
Moros in Mindinao and Jolo: He
DISTINGUISHED himself a. q diploma
l-and also as soldier.
Ne was something like the preacher
Who trusted in prayer when his horss
ran away-until the traces broke ds
1 turned missionary, preached an
: armyized version OF the Koran, anc
won such confidence from all but two
, of the tribes OF our little brown
5 brothers that they got together ane
made him a datto-
Tactics Less Mild
4 Then he went out and won th'
l. confidence Of the recalcitrant two
! tribes-by slightly different tactics
however.
In a whirIwind campaign, he storm
: ed forty native forts, killed q hundred
5 and seyenty-fve natives or so-anC
lost only thirteen wounded, none Kill
o ed. He was made military governor
= of MIndinao then, and ruled with al
I iron hand gloved with kid.
3 He was held back by the hide
e bound conventions of the army, how
2 ever, and he was still a captain II
! 1908, when Roosevelt sent his mem
Z orable message to Congress, attack
ing the seniority rule in the militar!
department
1t was then, by the way. that hi
: romance started-the romance tina
! was later to become the blacklist o.
!, tragedies
; WEEDS Senator's Daughter.
Miss Frances Warren, beautiful
a daughter Of the Senator from Wyom
n ing, was in the gallery when Roose
r velt's message was read, and sh'
heard the Coloners specific. mention
q OF the remarkable record OF Captain
e Pershing. as an example OF how Eoo'
? men were held down IN the army
e She was so much impressed that sh
Y expressed a desire to meet the mai
q who had won such praise from tn