The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-05-24
UNKNOWN HERO
WINS CITATION
French Unable to Learn Identity
of Soldier Who Gave Life
for Country.
REFUSES TO SAVE HIMSELF
With Pipe in Mouth EIe tranquil,
Picks off German After German
Until He Falls, Riddled With
Bullets.

/
With the French Armes.-To the
Seyenty-ninth French regiment Of In
fantry belongs the honor of the only
citation in the present war to "An I'm
known Soldier"
The croiX de guerre, which the cita-
tion merited, and which in view of the
hero's death would ordinarily be given
by the French government to the sol
dier's nearest relatives, lies unclaimed
at the ministry of war at Paris. All
that is known of the man is the man
ner of his death and the fact that he
Is buried where he fell on the heights
of Saint Epvre.
The story of this unknown soldier"
is unquestionably the story of thous-
ands Of other French heroes in the ear
ly days of the war Before means Of
Identification of the dead had been es-
tablished and when regiments were
hruriedy formed thrown into action
and decimated before a soldier knew
the name of the comrade fighting at
his side.
Story Of Heroism.
The only difference is that this "un.
known soldier" received citation for
his life's sacrifice and the others did
not.
This is the story:
On August 26. 1914, during the fore
noon, the First battalion of the Seven
ty-ninth regiment of infantry, which
had been decimated at Morbange, was
hastily reformed in the vicinity of
Rosieeres-Aux-Saline from contln-
gent of reserves which had been
rushed up.
That evening before the original
members of the battalion had had time
even to get acquainted with their new
comrades, the battalion was engaged
by the Germans in a violent surprise
attack on the heights of the farm of
Saint-Eypre, near Luneville.
About five in the afternoon the ad-
vanced line of the battalion took shell
ter back of a little ridge, which pro-
tected it from the Germans, who were
only 100 yards ahead. A veritable
storm both of rifle and artillery fire,
whistled constantly over the heads of
the sheltered French battalion.
Suddenly, from out of the ranks of
the Third company, an unknown re-
servist, who had just arrived that
morning, leaped to the summit of the
little ridge under which the battalion
was resting.
Dropping to his knees, with pipe
hanging from his mouth, he began
TRANQUILITY to fire shot after shot into
the ranks Of the Germans, just 100
yards ahead.
CONSERVATION reigned in the ranks
of the First battalion of the Seventy
ninth. Then, the officers recovering /
from their surprise, loudly ordered the
man back into ranks.
Refused to Save Self.
But the latter, without ceasing for
an instant his firing and without even
dropping his pipe from his mouth, bell
lowed back:
'Leave me alone. I'm an expert
marksman and 1 want to do something
for my country while ] have such a
fine chance to do it,
From the very first instant of his ap-
pearance ON the summit of the ridge the
rifle fire of the entire regiment of Ger /
mans was centered on him. Yet for
full five minutes he continued tran
gully to fire with sure aim into their
ranks before he finally fell riddled I
with bullets, the stock of his rifle shat |
tered into splinters and his pipe |
knocked from his mouth as he rolled |
over on the ground.
A moment afterward, the Seventy /
ninth leaped again to the assault and |
drove the Germans down the ridge.
That night the Seventy-ninth buried !
their hero on the summit of the ridge |
where he had fallen. There was moth .
ing about his person to indicate his (
identity. His deed of heroism was sig
nailed to the ministry Of war; The min !
istry of war did everything in its pow
er to identify the soldier, but without .
results. Unwilling that the sacrifice
should go unrecorded, the citation was
granted in the name of "An Unknown
Soldier"