The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-06-29
lBy j. w. Pegler, United Press Staff
Correspondent

lBy j. w. Pegler, United Press StaH
Correspondent
Mote: This is the third installment
OF the true story of the heroic careers
of Lieut.. Col Richard II. Gritiiths and
Maj Alexander Rasmussen, inter
woven with which is the first anthem
tic history Of the famous American le-
gion, which didn't wait for America to
enter the war, but joined the Canadian
army early, to get an early crack at
the Boche. The fourth installment
will appear Saturday.
When we came into the war most
of the surviving Canadian Americans
applied for transfer to the american
army, and a ST. Louis boy who had
been keeping a little silk Stars and
Stripes under the waterproof lining OF
his cap in readiness for the day, went
over the top in daylight raid with his
American flag pinned to his blouse.
This lad distinctly was not the Texas
gunner who carried his flag on his
bayonet
Few were chosen to go to the Ameri-
can army. Rass and two friends were
among them. Of the latter, one went
back to his home in Columbus, Ohio.
suffering from fresh wounds, to help
train American troops, while the other,
from Florida went with Rassmusse en-
to an American officers finishing
school in France to lecture to new
American officers.
I'VE were rotten lecturers said
Rass on the day the assignment END
ed, as we sat in little snowbound
cafe in an ancient French fortress
town, waiting for his train. I'm glad
I'm going back to be with troops again
because I wasn't built to fill swivel
chair"
Next time | heard of him he was
commanding his battalion in reserve
waiting to relieve battalion in the
line 1t was a heavy responsibility for
Rass-the biggest job he had ever
tackled And his rank of major IN the
American army meant much more than
the same rank in the Canadian force
had meant to him.
1t cheered hirr up, however, to know
that his old comrade from Florida,
who had been his partner in raids,
lectures and forays into London and
Paris. was close by, commanding
company in the battalion of Colonel
Griffiths.
This company commander is still in
the ring and fighting, so he cannot
be identified except by his nickname
of Captain Jock. Captain Jock mad
been a captain in the Philippine con-
stabulary with the self-same Griffiths
as his major. Prior to that he had
been a sergeant in the old 9th infan-
try in the Philippines.
Went to Hong Kong.
When war came in 1914 Gritfths and
a constabulary captain, whom we Will
call Captain Mack, beat it pronto FOR
Hong Kong to fight under their OLD
flag. because it was impossible at that
time to throw their fighting poundage
against the Boche under the flag OF
their adoption-and of their true de-
votion.
Griffiths and Mack received COM
missions and went to join the Sher-
wood Foresters in England. Ihey
were through the hardest nShtlng at
the Dardenelles Mack got two shrap-
mel blows but neither he nor the col
onel ever put up the wound stripes
thew were entitled to wear.
What good do stripes DO! VINO
gives a whoop how many times nave
been wounded" Captain Mack woulu
ask whenever YOU called his attention
To the baroness of his left cuff, where
stripes are worn.
These two Philippine constaples'
Griffiths and Mack, were as much re-
snonsible as any other two men TOT