Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-09-03
INTERESTING STORY OF CORPORAL MOUVET
An American in the Foreign Legion Who Could Not
Stay Out
TALKS OF HIS REGIMENT, NOT OF HIMSELF
How the Legonnaires Learned What the Boche Means by
''Warfare' and How They Wiped Out That German
Squad" and Afterward Took No Prisoners

luck" But this sort Of good luck" Is
frequently with the legion. 1t is such
luck" as makes the Germans rave al
them for "schweinhunde" and "teufel'
hunde" and every other "hunde" in the
list.
My father had been naturalized be-
fore l was born" said Corporal Mou'
vet, going back TO the beginning oi
things. Doubly Americans, you see
Somehow went on the stage-tt didn''
specially appeal to me, but our family
are good dancers. My brother is the
dancer Maurice-you have heard OF
him. ! suppose?
His First Battle"
MY mother died when was seven
and my father married French wo.
man, so over to France we all moved
l liked to travel. A theatre circuit
seemed agreeable. Our troupe went to
Russia once and danced before the
car. Neither he nor any Of us had, OF
course, an idea Of the impending revo-
luton. But recall being introduced
to a prince Of the blood royal who
talked rabid socialism. 1t startled
me, / remember
when war came my brother and
were in Vichy, resting after hare
dancing season. We intended to make
trip to Normandy. but as we went
toward the steamship, he saw another
vessel booked for America. In Paris
nobody supposed the war would
amount to much. so we had no intima'
tion-and very gayly we decided to &c
'home'-to New York-in that steam
boat"
Mouvet smiled. You know what 4
panic the war made among tourists
People were shrieking for room on the
deck, up the masts, anywhere. There
was a millionaire with only one pail
of socks. He had left so hurriedly
poor man. You should have heard
him grumble when he had to wash
them with his own hands.
News kept coming Of the drive or
Paris. 1t made me most uneasy. But
my brother and 1 talked things over
and-you know how Americans fell
then. We had always been Americans
at heart. We saw no impelling reason
to Join in a European quarrel. Still
those outrages in Belgium
"One night stood with crowd be-
fore a newspaper bulletin In New
York. There were Germans near and
they laughed exultantly over the news
I had a fight with them-yes, q real
fight; my first battle of the war. OF
course, the police arrested me. In the
station l explained that these Germans
had come to America. and while 1t re-
mained a neutral country they had nc
right to talk otherwise than as neu'
trails. The police released me. but the
incident set me thinking"
Mouvet's dark brown eyes burned
What l began to see then has proved
disastrously true. A lot of Germans
change their nationality, but not theil
hearts. 1t is true, and 1t is danger
Gus.
II grew restless. My people thought
it unwise for me to be soldier'-he
had gone to Vichy because tuberculo'
sis threatened-"and / went to South
America, thinking new scenes would
take away my desire. But. no. L grew
worse. itched to be in the fight. And
then came news Of the Lusitania. OF
course, there was no question afteT
that.
This Whitmore. the fellow ] met IN
the shellhole, went in because OF the
Lusitania. too. He was forty-two years
old, yet he sold his business and came
over. He was older than most, but ne
had the right stuff. Never did l hear
one word of complaint from him. Ev-
erything was always fine. l can see
him now, after I'd delivered my mes
sage to the colonel and we were in the
field hospital. They had served US
each glass Of wine.
".Say. kid, isn't this great?' he said
with the blood running from his shoui'
der and his eyes shining. Brave! You
bet he was, Killed a year ago.
The Lusitania sent Mouvet to war
But, though he did not learn OF 1t un-
til months later. he had another and
more personal outrage to avenge. The
young mans eyes are narrow lines
when he mentions il, and the muscles
Of his Jaw strain beneath the clencheo
teeth.
MY cousins in Belgium-there was a
Young girl, Alice, and her kid brother
The Germans tortured her before they
killed her. The boy-fourteen years
old-was put to work and then for
some reason sent to prison. How ne
did 1t I don't know, but he managed
TO write on the inside Of his vest the
story Of what-of what they did 70
Alice. He threw the vest out Of hi:
cell window. Friends Of the family
picked 1t up and sent 1t to my father
There It was, as much as he could
write. 1t was enough. We've heard
nothing Of him since"
The whole legion was soon to learn
what the Boche means by warfare.
Three things happened.
A squad Of German machine gun
ners. in face of a legion attacking
party raised the white flag. In
stantly the iegionnaires ceased firing
and approached the Germans. Wher
the men OF the legion were but fe"
wards distant the Germans turned the
machine gun on them.
Half a dozen Of US fell" said Mou'
vet grimly, but we wiped out thai
German squad. And afterward We
walked into no such trap be sure o'
that"
During one retreat the Germans ief'
copper wire sticking up above thei'
trenches. This was charged with cleo
tricity.
Our men died like flies"
The Pride Of the Regiment.