The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-09-12
Pershing's Boyhood Life in Laclede, Mo.
--.Home Life the Basis of His Career.

-
to lick the young teacher.
Showed Iron Dissemination.
Then it was, as my children re-
counted at the time, that johns usu-
ally rudy lips whitened and his big
blue eyes narrowed to steel gray
points. He stepped toward the big
man and his words had a cold preei-
sion that was truly ominous.
"'You get out of this house and off
these grounds and stay off as long as
I'm teacher-or I'll kill YOU
with mumbled apologies, old man
Card hastily backed out of the school
house" concludes Capt. Henley land
he did not trouble the young teacher
again"
From other sources there Is addi-
tional evidence of the sturdy fibre OF
John Pershing's courage and power of
will.
John was no sissy, even If he was
clean and we'll behaved" asserts
Charles r. Sturgeon, who was Per-
shings boyhood chum and his college
roommate. Gle was a manly, up
standing boy. In his classes he had
| his lessons, and when asked to work a
problem he would step promptly to
| the blackboard and do it in way that
proved his heart was in the work,
ut was the same at college. At
Kirksvlle Normal, where we We're
classmates, John was a hard working
student He always was thoroughly
interested in his class work and was
always looking forward to the sue
ceeding years in the course and the
finish.
"When we came home at the end OF
our first term ] was offered position
in store took it and, by heck, I'm
clerking yet John had similar Of
fer, but turned it down.
"I'm going back to Kirksville, any
way he said. Il don't know what
III finally do--probably be lawyer
but just now I'm going to stick to the
school,
"The next time | saw him was when
he came home the time the Laclede
postoffce was robbed, His father was
postmaster then, and of course the
loss, fell upon him personally. John
came home from college and turned
over the remainder of his savings tC
his father-gave up his college course
to help the folks at home.
Won His Way to West Point.
1T was just then that Congressman
Burrows of the old Tenth district an.
nounced the first competitive examin
alton for the appointment of a cade
to West Point. John heard of it, saw
his chance, went to Trenton and woi
the appointment fairly and SQUARED.
by the sheer merit of his work.
"After John went to West Point
saw very little of him. When he ha,
been away two years he was given {
furlough and came home for visit
With my team we drove out to the riv
had gone fishing and swimming in on
boyhood days. ..-
well, John ? said, how do yol
like it by this time?
1.-The training is a good thing H.
answered, but as for following it as
life work-why, / don't suppose Their
will be another gun fired in a hundre,
years. l shall go on and finish
though, just to get the education
THAT was his main idea--to get al
education. There was no foolishnes
in his makeup.
AT that time. you know, hazing wa
much in vogue at West Point. Tn
hazers even inflicted serious physica
injury on several of their victims an,
throughout this part of the countr.
there was widespread condemnation
of the practice. But they didn't haz
John Pershing, although they at
tempted to do it, That much he con
fided to me during our quiet visit tina
day in the woods. / have never told |
either, until today" added Mr. Spur
geon.
Naturally, John was on the alert il
this matter of hazing, for he suspecte,
that he would be chosen sooner o
later to undergo some sort of initia
, ton at the hands of the hoodlums. On
night three men entered his room. B,
the lateness of the hour he was con
WINGED that they came on no homes
errand and he instantly chose a course
of action that proved his generalship
Put Hazing Trio to Rout.
without giving his uninyited guests
time to say a word, he just natural,
knocked the stuffing out of all tire,
of them. That was the first and las
attempt the West Pointers made t.
haze John Pershing."
Il knew him simply as quiet, stu
dious young man." says another of hi.
od-time friends, f. Il. Allen, now The
mayor of Laclede. II never heard OF
any petty tricks done by John Per.
shing.
The impression he made here was
that John Pershing would make hi.
mark in the world as professional