Weekly journal-miner., 1918-06-05
(From Wednesdays Daily)


 Semcr. Ala. now a soldier in the United States army, Company D, l57th infantry, just returned from the battle line in France, addressed a capacity crowd in tine Elks' theatre here yesterday afternoon, giving a straightforward talk on the conditions which prevail in inc sectors which are being held by General Pcrshing's men,
 While thc young trooper Is no ora tor and iS not capable of iudulging :n howcry flights of cloqucnce. he told a simple story oi things as he found them. mixing in a picturesque manner his southern idioms and scat icring hiiS of French which he had picked up during his sojourn in Flu rope. The young man came here at the instance of the State Council of Defense, being one oi 50 of Per shiugS veterans who are Stumping ;hc country m an effort to bring be- fore the American people the actual conditions winch prevail lover thcre.' and to spur the home folks into an acute realization of the fact that the fighting forces now in the trenches
  support of the nation at large fl tine big battle is 60 be won. By picturing a few of the many hardShipS which Uncle Sam's young fighters are en- during iT their efforts to make the world a decent place in which 10 live, it is hoped that Alr Average Citizen will in the future rot be lOath to dig down into his pockets and give every bit of money which he can possibly spare toward the numerous loans and b"nevolcnccS which are from time 10 time promoted in the United States in behalf of the boys in Europe.
 While myself and other young Americans are over in France bat tc-ing the Huns with our Spring. fields and Brownings, you people here at home have big job on your hands in suPprcsSing the activities of |. N. ". organizations and pro-Ger- mans The traitorous bands are do- ing just as much to aid the kaiser in winning the war aS are inc PruS- sian soldiers who are fighting in tine trenches opposite the Allied lines, and ifs up to you to stamp out every vcsiigc of Nobblyism and kaiScrisn in the United States" \ round of cheers greeted this statement. The young soldier who was standing be- fore inc footlightS in his battered steel trench helmet had put over his point in a most convincing way. No body in the audience went away with out having been imbued with at least a small amount of the enthusiasm of young Nr. Whitcd i
 The speaker mounted the stage dressed in his regulation trench mi form. On either side hung the bags which contained his gas masks \ large revolver hung from the front of his belt. while the steel hat which he wore somehow reminded one of an inverted wash basin. He was iu- troducod by N. E. Hazeltinc. and lcctured for just one hour. He was compelled to limit his talk to this period because of the fact that he had to take an auto for Jerome June ton Tn time to make connections with the L. V. & F. train which had been held there for his trip to Jcr- omc At the close Of his speech. collection oi SS3.50 was taken up to aid ihis young soldier in dcfraying his expenses, the boy having been long away from his regulation pay envelope. the audience was reminded by Mr. Hazcltine.
 Wears Croix de Guerre
 Corporal Whitcd was one of six Of the 50 veterans sent 10 this country for the campaign, 10 wear the famous French decoration, croix de gucrrc, a Maltese cross of metal, swung from a ribbon of rcd and green fila gree stripes. He was one of the first Americans to capture a German pris- oncr without the aid of the Allies and he was there to tell how it is done. Last March Whitcd had been in the trenches for seven days and seven nights and had not had more than an hour and a half of sleep at time. There were four inches of snow on the ground and wind com ing over No Mans Land at 4O miles , ar hour. SO that it was some cold iIc was ordered by Sergeant Hall to f go on patrol duty and replied that as he had had several details that day he would rather not. 1T the sergeant could find somebody else Tho ser , Ecant called him a piLcr. but Whited denied the allegation and went
 We were not expecting to meet anyone at all he said
 He borrowed couple of grenades from a sentry and presently they met up with II Germans in the American |. trench. ''Thc first man made a lunge at i Sergeant Hall with his bayonet and r }. he had not stepped back inc steel would have gone through his heart. [ The second man commenced to shoot d with an automatic. Sergeant Hall shot seven times and called for - grenade. l had never thrown a live h one before, only dummies, but I gave f 10 them. We retreatcd ten feet q to get out of the way of inc cxplo- il