Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-11-07
Hun Buttons on Jones's Belt

WIFI I0S fAIHSIlSdh 6ihiy ANoA III "SSs
| Of Verdun.-Eveybody in the gypsy
division" knows about Private Slim
Jones and his scalp belt. Jones was
raied in the mountains Of West Virginia
and his voting name is James A. Jones.
He halls from the country back of Fair
mont, but as he says, has not been home
mich Of late.
Jones is lean and reckless and has
a musical drawl and his comrades say
there is no braver man than he.
At the request OF his fellow soldiers
Jones showed me his famous bell buck
led belt labelled "Gdt nit uns," stud
ded with brass buttons, each button
representing German killed or captured.
At first Jones puzzled over the ques-
ton Of scalping his German victims
Indian fashion but compromised on
buttons.
at amt a beauty" said Slim. "but
II is nv own invention and everv but
TON represents a German I've killed or
CAPTURED with nv own hands. or
course. there's only 20 buttons on II
now but got three more in my pocket
that Pve not had time to hitch onto it
And believe me, no button goes on this
belt unless Pm sure got nv man."
<CTones has all the fastidiousness
OF an aviator in this respect, his com
rsdes explained.)
-"There was a few" continued Jones
that could not get near so Just had
70 shoot them. In most cases though ]
have used this trusty jack knife (his bay
onet) because our gang always goes
forward to meet them. got the idea
for this belt from the diamond belt thev
gave Tohn L. Sullivan. I had sort OF
an Indian idea, but you know you
couldn't tote so many blond scalps, so
I decided to put buttons on instead. A
whole lot Of these buttons stand Tor
Prussian Guards. Here's one that IS
furnished with gas and it stands for the
first Heinie knew killed. Maybe got
few more at Cantigny but I'm not sure
how many.
"Well, sir, heard so many fellows
talking about Fritzes they had got that
lust naturally decided to keep count.
7 thought il would be better to decorate
nv belt than notch the old rifle when
I decided that scalping was out OF the
question.
"There was a German who was just
getting the drop on me at Cantigny
when UP and blew his jaw on. cut
of his shoulder straps, for you see he
was nv first German. That fight at
Cantieny wasn't a patch to the scrap
in the Argonne forest. 1t was regular
Indian stuff in the woods. We just
went from tree to tree picking them on
az amt got much religion, neigh
Dor. but as lay out there in the shell
holes with the machine gun bullets and
cannon balls roaring all around. I've Of
ten said, we'll, sir, here I am alone with
God, and sure put my trust in Him.
at sure was hot, but we had platoon
leader that the men sure would 20 to
hell for il he gave the order.
"His name was Stanton. don't re
member the initials nor what State nc
ever came from but men never followed
Drawer guy. Nothing but kid, too.
Always ahead OF his men, yelling out to
encourage them and giving them gooe
exemple.
"There was one case where Ger
man machine gun nest was giving our
outfit trouble. II was a dirty pocke
and Stanton asked how many OF us
would follow him in. Seven OF our
guys stepped out. There was somo
Irish-Americans in the crowd, among
them a fellow named Dunlavey. Wei
sir. we went into that Dutch bunch with
all our pistols blazing and we got l32
prisoners and captured nine machine
guns. got a colonel, captain and
a lieutenant in an officers dugout."
"You can't praise our first division
artillery too much," he declared. "The
barrages were so perfect that we went
ahead, just standing UP straight and
confident as could be. Glory How
the guns did smash them Huns"