The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-20
-
STAGE CAMP SHOW.
Sammies Give Musical Before
Going Into the Trenches.
Star With Home Made Fiddle
and Mouth Organ.
MACHINE GUN INTERPOLATES!
16-Year-Old Corporal Sings
Villista Border Song.
Okla. Sergeant Brings Down
House With Prize "POme."
MACHINE GUN INTERPOLATES!
BY J. w. PEGLER.


With the American Expeditionary
Army, France. March 20.-The fell
lows in L company had musical
evening" back in the rest camp on the
night before they went back into the
trenches.
The big Swedish supply sergeant
played everything he knew on his
trench made fiddle. A young boy
from Milwaukee, with German
sounding name, whose daddy can't
speak English without a Weber and
Fields accent, gave the Star Span
gled Banner" on mouth-organ.
Slim, the cook, sang poor Boy"
which has seventy-five verses, while
all the rest of the fellows sang in a
harmonious undertone of minors,
''plinky- plinky- planky- plunk' in imi-
tation of banjos.
Irish Jig Jars Candles Loose.
Willie, the 16-year-old corporal
san "Cuccaracha,'' the rollicking
Villista song which the boys learned
on the border. And johnson, the cap
tain's "dog-robber." contributed two
wailing Gaelic melodies with some
steps that Jared half the candles
down off the shelf
The camp is not far from the front
At one moment when the captain was
ordering" johnson to do the dance
for the boys" there fell lull in the
entertainment and you could plainly
trenches probably spraying at a boche
working party or patrol.
The captain was an officer in the
Texas field artillery-in a regiment
ruled by his dad, an old-time colonel
of militia. He says the fellows in
Company L are the gamest. least COM
planning crowd of Woodworking fight
ers in the army.
Company L is kind of a big family
and the 22-year-old lad from Dallas
rules his crowd with diplomacy, good
fellowship and kindness@recognizin
human frailties and making allowances
for them.
Describes His Pigeon Gas Masks.
The fellows in the hut would have
felt pretty much hurt if he hadn't
come to tonights musical evening""
They feel that he is their patron and
they come to him with their little
troubles and some big ones just as a
high-school boy back home would go
to his dad and make a clean breast of
it when he gets in Dutch with the
professor.
Little Mike Francis, from the hills
of North Carolina, told how he lodged
the revenuerS when he was distil1ing
Illicit corn-juice on the acres ''willed"
to- him by. his old dad. : Mike is the
pigeon" specialist of the company
He claims to have invented a gas mask
which will protect the faithful winged
messengers from the enemy's poison
fumes.
His "Pome" Won 'sY'' Prize.
A sergeant from Anadarko, Okla,
won the Y. NJ. c. AS first prize just
before the regiment went into the
trenches in a contest to advertise the
atrocities of the boche and perk up
the regiments fighting spirit. The at
tempt that COPIED the five bucks
follows:
Rx-f ha rif 10 hocI
By my old and well worn pack
By the bayonets we sharpened in the billets
down below
When we're holding to sector
By the Holy Jumping Hector
Colonel, Wen be gott-straffed if the
Blankteenth let it go.
And the Boches big and small
Runty ones and Boches tall
Won't keep your boys a-squatting in the
bitches very long
For Wen soon be busting thru, sir
God help Fritze when de do sir
Let's be going Colonel Blank, because
we're feeling mighty strong.
The sergeant recited his poem and
brought down the house.
"Can 1t: We Want to Sleep"
There was vigorous knocking on
the door, f-@
The captain went to answer the
summons and stepped outside to talk
with a second lieutenant of an en-
ginee-- company stationed near the
front to build a light railway.
Captain, don't you think your men
ought to be made to consider someone
else?" the second lieutenant demand
ed in an irritated tone. I've been
working since a. m, and so have
my men. We are tired. This noise is
disturbing US and it's now $50. My
men have got to get sleep and so
have l."
Always a diplomat the captain
apologized.
Wen have just one more song"
he bargained, "and then we'll quit
They whooped it up:
1.-THE Infantry. the Infantr-ee.
With the dirt behind their ears,
The Infantry, the Infantry.
They can't get any beers.
The Cavalree-the artille Zee
And the LOWSY engineers.