Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-07
Americans Are Good,
Is TOnlmy's Opinion
Continued from Paee One

Continued from PAGE One
OF last March. where he got his :
wound, which was only cured TIN e
weeks ago, can be trusted to know
what fighting men are worth.
That he saw Americans and fou-d
them good-"they couldn't have been
cooler if they had been under fire
all their lives" was his expression
is worth more than any praise as plain
human proof of their quality. Nor
could his verdict be accused of undue
partiality. For when I first saw them
standing in the courtyard of local
headquarters within sound of the guns
the trio were under arrest as sus.
pected spies. although before I left
communication with British head
quarters had established their good
faith.
Tommy Taken for Spy
The principal spokesman was Lincoln
shire born and bred. and. despite his long
service, had never lost the dialect of
that country. In civil life he had been.
he declared proudly, a poacher. and he
attributed his escape from the Germans
to the lore and cunning of that profess
sion. As he stood there, a square,
sturdy figure in tattered khaki. any one
might have been excused for taking him
for a boche. Apart from his strange
accent there vas the absence of all
papers of identification. and the fact
that a general warning had been issued
regarding the prevalence of German
spies in French and British uniforms
His bare bullet head was close
shaved in orthodox German fashion.
His piglike little eyes glittered brassly in
his broad, red face. And when he spoke
well, even a Londoner would have
found IL hard TO understand him. Yet
his words and his whole demeanor
showed the proverbial philosophy and
good humor of the British Tommy, on
whom five days and nights of nightmare
had left no more trace than his narrow
) escape from a dishonorable death at its
conclusion.
.They are good lads, them Ameri-
cans" he began surprisingly. They
treated me and my mates fine. We fell
in with one of their machine-gun posts
In garden at the edge of that there
: town on Friday. having been separated
from our company since Monday. and
misdirected like by some Frenchmen.
who told us the British were moving
back in this direction. And I'd burnt me
maps and papers on the first day, lest
Fritz should get them, according to or
ders given, me being an observer for ar
tillery, and only kept me glasses and
rifles and this here" and he touched a
bowie knife in his right puttee.
well. these Americans asked a lot
Of questions. but they did not seem to
understand what we said very well, and
then they tried me in German. which
knew quite a bit, having been in charge
of prisoners for four months when get
ting better from my third wound, and
20 / talked back at them all right. But
that didn't do no good, neither, and the
next thing we knows is they's talking OF
shooting US as spies. That would have
been a fine thing. Ell? And We with
these and all and his hand passed
across the faded ribbons on his breast
Americans Wouldn't Retire
"Then bullets began 20 fly and Fritz
came on hot and heavy. The Ameri
cans had taken away our rifles and ms
glasses. but they let me help carrying
cartridge belts, and when they lost som,
man me pal here. who is a Lewis gunner
gave a hand with a machine gun.
got very hot, but those boys wouldn'
retire.
THE next day Fritz kept creepinl
In toward the town, and by evening hac
showed us down to streets around tn,
bridge. The Americans couldn't hav,
been cooler IL they'd been under fir,
4 all their lives. And there was plent,
OF she.ling, too. Once, when a machin,
gun was put out by shell an Ameri
cana great big feller, he was-cam,
running across the bridge with a new
one on his back He was asking for II
as bullets and all We're scattering
around like peas. but they missed him
They was all like that-just so full o
hght you couldn't stop them.
Eve pushed Fritz back after tina
again and got US across the bridge a.
Fight. Our lot were nearly the last I
cross with the French infantry, Will
the rest fthe Americans gave Frit