The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-28
WESTERN CHEER TO
GO TO DOUGHBOYS
X. of C. VIII Send Uncle jim
mic McKenna to Entertain
Troops in Europe.
MANY TIMES NEAR DEATH
Veteran in Scores Of Thrills in
All Parts Of World Gets
Task He Wished For.

IL
Task He Wished For.
Par. Of the old West OF this con-
tinent il going to tho still older west
OF Europe TO coax the sunshine back
to that continent. The part Is James
A. McKsnna and the Knights Of CO.
lurnbus were making ready yesterday
to send him soon TO France as one
OF their secretaries. figuring that since
this member OF the fighting Mchenhas
first went out to the plains In 10 amp
started rubbing elbows with Geronimo,
Kit Carson and other persons VINO
drove away monotony and buffaloes in
those DAYS. he has learned enough about
men ana life to look after tho comfort
OF the doughboys still over there with
out losing any of his lu1uriant silver
hair.
Ever since he left home as q lad OF
10 he has been poking himself
into out of the way corners all over
the world about every two years. III
the belief that things were happening
there that couldn't very well get along
without him He has been through IN
dian lighting IN the West, was captured
and released, with the help or a pear
He has seen bolo play in the Philip
pines. winning the medal OF honor as
ma explains Il, for q little argument
with some mules" He has visited
Japan and engaged in mining In Brit
ish Columbia, Central America ana
Siberia
Many Know Uncle Jimmie.
Consequently a good many persons
especially In the West, know Uncle Jim
ME McKenna. He has been a steam
boat hand, rancher. prospector, nilnlus
engineer, foreman OF section gang
scout and United states Army sergeant
and about the only business that ever
really stumped him--he admits Twas
bucking the Texas horse theVea ms
Lack OF success in this being due 10
an oversight In not having peeh poi"
a Texan himself
And he has been a poet and obtained
cold cash at It, Having been two
handed gunhghter in his time, he was
not diffident about taking up gentler
line OF industry, and like everything else
his hand has touched, he has been able
to turn 1t to gold.
While he was secretary at Camp
Cody, Dening, y. NJ, for the Is. OF c.
J the camp commander offered money
prize 10 any one of the $4,000 men IN
camp who wrote the best verse on the
flag and Uncle Jimmie, never having
been known 10 pass up dare. wrote a
lvr!c. OF 1900 entries Uncle Jimmie 6
was adtudged the best. though Uncle
| Jimmie himself thinks that maybe there
| were some better. He modestly ex-
plains that he guessed he won the prize
| because all the sentiment had to be
cran,rned into twenty-slX lines, and his
| Offering was concise and to tho point.
Member OF PittsburS Family.
Uncle Jimmie is one OF the McKennas
I Of Pi;tsburg VINO have grown up with
! that town and are more a part OF II
/ than its SCOT. His hair is prematurelJ
! faded. having turned gray as a result
! Of his narrow escape from death at the
/ hands OF Indians years ago. That is
he can explain this il one can get him
| to talk about himself When that Is
| possible he starts of like this:
81 left home as Texas cabin boy or
the Ohio and Mississippi River boats in
the early '70s. and finally landed dowr
| in Texas started a ranch with q
| bunch OF horses but couldn't keep EN-
too many thieves. After going broke
| twice I got disguised, decided l WASH
hardy enough with a rope or gun fol
| horse owner down there, and quit
| Then took TO prospecting, not so much
| for the money, but to have somethin
dom. In 1881 I was one OF the dis
coverers OF the Kingston silver mines ir
New Mexico, in the Lake district. where
they averaged over 1000 a ton. One
| Of the mines had shares in was sold &c
| the Empire Zinc Company, a subsidiary
| of the New Jersey Zinc Company. fol
! $40, 900. O0o. though didn't get it still
| I'm we'll heeled to-day-not down L
bedrock by big sight,
Escaped Death by Indians.
I'D been through an Indian outbreak
| before that, coming through the Blue
Mountain massacre in Colorado with nS
! skin and not much else. The Indians at
tackled nineteen Of US when we were
rounding up some cattle and killed al
but three of US. was one OF the lucky
ones and got away by streaking on on q
| horse FOR ninety miles.
| when the Indian troubles grew worse
| later on served as a scout under Gems
| Hatch, Lawton, Chaffee and King. ant
| took part in the capture OF Geronimo II
| 1855"
| The same year, while on a prospect
| ing tour, Uncle Jimmie and his partner
| Baxter, were captured by some OF Ger
onmo's band and after seeing what the!
did to Baxter when they killed hin
| Uncle Jimmie says he knew they mean
| TO have some fun with me- But some
thing-he thinks 1t was a bear-scareC
| them or and he escaped. Before h
reached settlement Of whites h
walked straight into n group OF red mel
! and frightened them off.
This happened in a region OF New
Mexico which has since been made tn
| McKenna National Park IN his honor
! IIe enlisted for tho Spanish American
war after visiting Hardin and rose Il
! be n sergeant.
! lie obtained the Medal Of Honor he
cause the Filipinos were thoughtful
enough 70 prepare an ambush for al
! American force which would have sue
ceeded II n battery hadn't broken II up
but before the battery could get busy III
mules had 20 be pried out OF a rive
bed under Are.
When the mules got stuck. about AZ
teen ~ us blindfolded 'em. gave zen
he'll, and said few coax words TO zen
that weren't exactly scriptural Thel
they moved and we got the medals" eH
plains Uncle Jimmie.
| Uncle Jimmie was in tight place II
Mexico six years ago when he was cap
tured BY a Villa band. Uncle Jimm
knew two OF the guards, and when the res
OF the crowd came the next morning 4
shoot the Americans they were mile