El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-30
COL. WESTNEDGE
DIES IN FRANCE
Was Idol of His Michigan
Fighters; Has Hundreds
of Friends Here.

Col Jos. B. Westnedge, Kalamazoo.
Michigan. is dead. To many in the
southwest it only means that another
soldier has paid the supreme sacrifice.
To hundreds of people in FL Paso, it
means that a friend has gone to his
reward. Col Westnedge was the
lieutenant colonel Of the 32d Michigan
regiment when the troops from that
state were located on the Ell Paso Dor
der in 1867, and was promoted to
the colonelcy Of the regiment about
the time the troops returned to their
homes from FL Paso. He was mus
tered into the service with the Michi-
gan troops when the United States
went 10 war with Germany and went
to France as colonel Of his regiment.
He died in the hospital at Nantes,
France. following period OF exposure
on the fighting front, the telegram
says. Pericarditis is the disease given
as the cause of his death
Was Hero OF His Men.
Col Westnedge was the hero Of his
men, as witness the following. printed
some time ago in a Grand Rapids
paper from the pen Of Emerson ".
Dickerson:
"a colonel is not supposed 10 lead
to direct from a safe position behind
the line What other colonies are ex-
pected to do, however, made no diff
ference TO Col Westnedge- He viii
order no man 70 do anything that he
would not do himself and he is with
his men wherever they take the field.
Their dangers are his dangers and
their hardships his hardships.
Time and again this man OF whom
Kalamazoo may well feel proud. has
led his men when those all around
him were killed and wounded His
men say that he must bear q charmed
life. There are no frills or four-flush
about this man; he is one OF the boys
and their commander at the same
time
Compared TO this war. the civil
war was but a minor affair The
heroic ride OF Phil Sheridan can be
compared to the timely arrival Of Col. (
at points on the line
where he had been needed as
badly as Sheridan was at Winchester. I
He was at the head Of his command /
in every drive Of a recent engagement {
lasting q days He is the Phil Sheri- 4
dan OF a fighting SD division that has
been over the top as many times as
any division Of the American army 4
Col Westnedge was born August
is. 1872
Joined Military Early.
Early in life he evinced a desire 10 .
become a military man, and at the I
age Of 81 enlisted as a private in the .
Michigan light guards. From a pri-
vate he worked himself up TO the .
office OF lieutenant. and at the time
)f the Spanish-American war he was
promoted to captain
Following the spanish-American
war he was promoted to major and 7
alter was made Northumberland In
1916, when the Michigan national
guard was on the Mexican border. he
vas promoted TO colonel. and sent
overseas at the head OF the 126th
Michigan
His only brother. Lieut. Richard
" estnedge, died in the Philippines
Turing the Spanish-American war He
vas a surgeon Of the Third infantry.
md death resulted from typhoid.
Col Westnedge was born. reared
nd educated in Kalamazoo. He was
! member OF St Luke's church. was a
Jason, a member Of the Knights OF
'ythias and had many other social
nd fraternal connections.
Col Westnedge was a football star
Turing his school days and was prom
nently identified with athletics in his
tate throughout his career. He was
he star half back OF Kalamazoo col
eye in his school days.
In civil life Col Westnedge was
aper manufacturer.