Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-17
South Dakota Chaplain


When the Twenty-e ighth infantry came out
OF the line in Argonne to sprawl IN well-earned
rest any visitor to the candlelit bllets or to the
little October campfres was sure, sooner or
later, to hear the talk reach the name OF their
lost friend and priest, Father O'Flaherty-Chap-
lain c. f. O'Faherty. killed in action at Very,
France October 1918
Then is the time to get at the truth about a
man, because after such battle death seems far
too common a thing for any one to have pretty
nothings said Gbout him just because he is dead.
One night, when the fog dmmed the light OF
the full moon, they were talking about Father
O'Flaherty-a chance miscellany of officers and
men, gathered around sunken fire, where, on
sizzling griddIe, someone was turning the hap-
Jacks made from supply OF recently acquired
German -four
Il was with him when he was kled-or not
more than 20 feet away, a young lieutenant SAID.
"Al that morning he had been burying German
dead Then at noon, when a shell struck
truck at Nery-and when every one scattered to
the four winds. Father, O'Flaherty hotfooted it
to the place to see who was hurt and what could
be done about it. The second she'll got him
killed him outright"
Merry guy. he was" the cook observed.
"The doughboys tell me he went over the top
with them at every fight since Sossons.'
Sure he did. | can see him now with that big
cane Of his, parading through the mud. re-
member how he used to point this way and that
with it. Once, when he was trying to show
bunch of German prisoners at St. Mihiel the way
to the nearest lookup for Heinies he had to do
all his talking with his cane. They thought he
was going to hit them and yelled 'kamerad TIL
he most died laughing
He accused me of swearing at him at st.
Mihiel," said captain, grnning remniscently.
81 denied it,
eyes, you did. captain he says, trying to
look solemn, and highly improper it was, too
7. haf tbe ha
at me- Keep that damned nut of yours down or
you'll lose it!
What I used to enjoy" said another was
watching him suavely toying with all of You,
making monkeys of you when you didn't know
it. man of the world he was, and you were
all Just children in his hands
There was no denial.
DO YOU remember his blessed bedding roll?
Lord. it was the biggest and finest in the A. f.
F-sze of an eight-room cottage. A gift, |
think from his loving parish out in Mitchell,
S. D. When he joined us he was too green to
know the trenches were not palatial enough to
make room for that kind of housekeeping.
Il remember once when he first came to
France" the K. of c. man said. He was bill
leted right near one of those big French naval
guns and while we were waiting for HIM one
rainy day we saw him through the window,
pacing up and down the road. talking, talking,
talking to little poilu, the mathematician OF the
battery, whose job was to calculate the trace
tories and all that sort of thing
"'Well, father we said when he came in at
last been showing him how to hit the cathedral
at Metz?' Not exactly he said; that little
chaps priest I've just come from contes-
sion"
THAT new chaplain of ours is no slouch
either" said man from the engineers who had
dropped in hopefully, smelling the gridde cakes
from afar. Names Cannon. Don't know where
he comes from. Not a Catholic, imagine
Don't know just what his church is. Nobody
does. When they ask him, he just says. I'm
what YOU are He made good many friends
on Hill 269.
81 guess you know it was the engineers who
took that little old hill for you, and rotten
hard fight it was for we haven't lot OF machine
guns and hand grenades and fancy things like
You fellows have. Just rifles and shovels, tor
us. Well, the chaplain, he was in the thick. OF
it every minute I'll never forget him burylng |
that officer. Dug the grave with one OF those
1nky little medical department axes. Covered
him over, dropped on his knees and Whlstled
taps over the grave. That chaplain doesn't know
what fear is.
Same with O'Flaherty," said the cook
THAT was the trouble" said the private, pour,
ne out the last spoonful of batter and as he did
so, unconsciously phrasing for all of them the
lead priests eptaph. "He was too damned |
brave"