The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-26
Paris-"Will the Irish fightY"

III y hS"t Va ma pt iAtaANs
They will. 1t can be made on the rec
ords Of two famous Irish-American
regiments In France. 1t Is a record
that makes men of Irish blood hold
their heads high. IL is a record that
betters the brightest page of Ameri-
cas- most glorious military annals.
These two regiments Zone used to
be the old Ninth Massachusetts and
the other the Fighting Sixty-ninth Of
New York; were In every bad scrap
the American army has been in. The
tales Of their prowess are just now
altering back to Paris. They may be
told because the censor at headquar-
tiers has now ruled that regiments may
be named for their part in such fight
ing as preceded that on the River
Vesle.
The Ninth and the ~Sixty-ninth were
In almost all of IL. The story does not
come from official reports. 1t comes
from the lips of two men, one n doc
tor In the Ninth and the other a chap
lain In the Sixty-ninth, who saw what
they relate. These two have seen
many soldiers die. They know what
bravery and courage and cheerfulness
are.
Lieut.. Simon Kelleher of the Ninth
was IN Paris the other day. He tells
the story Of his boys. And most of
the time he Is either laughing. or tears
involuntarily creep out the corners of
his eyes and drop unashamed down
his Drowned cheeks.
Lieutenant Kelleher's stories show
that the Irish boys of his regiment,
the boys of Boston, South Boston. Rox-
bury, Cambridge and Charlestown,
fought with the cool courage that held
the fire on Bunker Hill until those
Americans of an earlier day saw the
whites Of their eyes," They show that
these boys-and most of them were
mere boys-died face to the front, n
grim smile on their lips, fighting, doing
their soldiers duty to the last breath
of ebbing life. Each heartbeat of the
all-too-few left throbbed but to one
purpose-to fight. No mar of the
Ninth died, says Lieutenant Kelleher,
without taking toll and more of en-
envy lives with him.
One for Each Shot.
"Just now the names of these heroes
may not be mentioned. But "Kelly
and Burke and Shea" are there, all OF
them, and many more. Lieutenant
Kelleher says nothing of his own gal
uon&Uws nx.A hfC CAnx4ng uhnrv that hN
too. served. He was not called on for
the supreme sacrifice. But he offered
his life a thousand times ON first aid
dressing expeditions to the farthes,
outposts and beyond.
I'D been told there was a wounded
man In an advanced traverse" h
says. X crawled slowly up to get him
1 heard his iabored breathing In tns
lnlls Of the gunfire. And then ! round
ed the corner of the trench. There
he sat, propped against the wall. Hi'
breath came In tearing gasps and with
each one the blood gushed from his
chest; for he had been shot through
the lungs. He was a boy I had
known all my life.
"'They got you bad. Pack I said
as / tried to help him.
They sure did, Sime,' he replied
But looka there
II followed the wave OF the empt,
pistol he still held In his hand, ant
there stretched across the opposit'
parapet were six dead Germans, on,
for every shot In his gun. They hat
got him only when the gun had emp
tied. 1 stopped the bleeding as bes
I could and we got him back to al
ambulance. But he died four hours
later. / guess his life was well pait
for.
ut was this same sharp raid of the
Germans that produced one of thu
coolest bits OF desperate courage
ever saw. One of our boys had beer
captured by three Germans and n
was being led off as they retreated
one on either side of him and on
behind. Suddenly one of our shell
lit within a few yards of the party
The three Germans ducked. / though
at hrst our boy had. But, no, he ha,
reached into his hip pocket. III
dropped q hand grenade directly a
his w feet and those Of his captor
and the three Germans were killed
= got there quickly afterward I
where he lay. He smiled up at ms
Yes, he smiled, though his arm an
half his side had been blown off.
"sG0dl boy / said, Mortified, 'wh
did you do that7'
"'Saw me get 'em, did you, Door h
answered.
"sYes, but / didn't know what |
~ as I tried to dress that frightfu
wound.
Gave Life Il Get Three.
well. DOCTOR he said gravel,
I'd been to communion this mornin
and I guess I was ready to die. Blu
I wasn't ready to 60 to German.
They searched me for grenades whe
they got me. the three OF them. an
they took those out Of my bag an
mt ~ INV side p0ckaf puf I alway