The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-12-24
how BEN TURNER
HELD F|SMETTE
ase Of Most Daring. and Brilliant Elk
ploits q War Perpetrated by
Well Know kahoka
Man.
MAS MANY FRIENDS HERE
Fought and Blurred a German Division
After Sending His Men Back
Across River from
Hornets Nest.

The story OF the remarkable ex-
Mott, much written of as one of the
greatest exhibitions of nerve and cour-
age of the whole war, by which Lieu
tenant Ben E. Turner, OF Kahoka, held
of an entire German division after
| oroering back his men. is told again
| In Munsey's magazine for January.
This is about the best account OF
the incident, told in easy English diff
ferent from the formal phraseology
OF the official records. 1t has been
stated that Leuteant Turner was dec
Grated for his action at Fismette, but
he is so modest that he has not men
toned that, nor indeed made more
than general reference to his con-
nection with the capture of Fismette-
He is best known In Keokuk and
Clark county as Ben Turner, and he
has many friends in both. places as
we'll as at Galesburg, where he went
to both Knox and Lombard colleges
ten years ago. His identity with the
hero of Fismette was camoufaged by
his being credited to New York in
some of the newspapers, and to Chi
cago in other papers, ana IN >dunsey's,
when he was born, reared and always
lived in Kahoka, Missouri. He en-
early in the war. He is a nephew OF
Miss Linnie Hagerman, of Keokuk,
and OF Frank Hagerman and James
Hagerman, the famous Missouri law
yers.
What the Kahoka Boy DID.
The article in Munsey's is entitled,
"For Extraordinary Heroism," and is
the story of seven or eight examples
OF the height to which heroisM reach
ed during the world war. 1t carries
the inference that the men named re-
ceiyed the Distinguished Service
Medal. the highest decoration of the
American army. The magazine &C
count OF the conduct Of Lieutenant
Turner is as follows:
AT o'clock on the morning Of the
27th OF last August one hundred and
ninety American soldiers, commanded
by six officers, were spread in Gre
scent formation around Fismette, just
across the vesle from Fismes, where
the Americans were established. At
earliest dawn the Germans loosed a
torrent of projectiles against the
place Gas shells poisoned the air.
Bursting shrapnel filled it with death
Airplaines rained bombs from over
head Then the gray-clad infantry
in overpowering numbers, came
through the streets at a run.
A man in American uniform appear
ed among the United States troops,
shouting that resistance was useless,
and that one of the American officers
advised everybody to surrender. The
man was later identified as a German
spy.
The -kahoka Mans Reply.
Surrender, hell" swore Lieutenant
BENJAMIN E. Turner. of the Ameri-
cans. We'll stick it OUT"
Lieutenant Turner had with him
Sergeants Richard Moore and William
Fileshifter, and Privates Frank s. In
coushi. o. n. Hunt, Moses Wallace.
Ralph z Lesser, Douglas Hunt. and
Stanley Savage. They were on the
extreme right of the crescent.
Until o'clock in the morning this
little detachment held back the Ger
man attack, while other American
units commenced to recross the Vesle
In safety. The enemy's guns laid
heavy barrage on the opposite side
of the river, and no reinforcements
could reach them Then they began
dropping back slowly until they reach
ed the wreck OF q nOuSe a lew nun
dred feet from the river bank, where
they held on until II o'clock.
Now, you men, clear out!' the
lieutenant ordered finally, when he
saw further resistance was suicide.
I'll follow later
Not man would go without Turner,
however.
Finally the lieutenant retreated
with his men ac far aS the river bank
There he stopped TO write his wife's
address and brief message on a
scrap of paper; then he ran back to