Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-10-03
WAR HERO" IS FOUND
TO Be AN !MPOST0R
n.ped Army Officers and Civil
ans o; Paris, But Finally His
Taking Was Exposed.

Paris: foy niatN.-rhe nsrcie exploits
arc hssr breadth escapes Of NArtag-
:lap as narrated by DUMAS i'll The
Three Maskctcers face into
Ave WAisniSiTaDt: when compared with
.tc achievements of Rene Bertrand AS
Told b, ti.asclf. Minus am arm and
2 'eg w':a -.;,e medals e;ittering on
us h-s2as. an asserting that his body
n,'re more fAa,. 90 bullet and bayonet
wfoun1s. "frisate Rene Petrand q: the
french Colonel IafaHtry" posed in
s%shs ~ the greatest hero OF the war.
NV l., has teen arrested IS perhaps
OF the Wars greatest fakirs and
tie tcFce authorities declare that he
lcss his leg and arm IN Il railway acct
gen: ana that i've imprisonrnents in
5,Iad or five citations compose his
fecor1. n vas the publication, of Bet
TeN.s photograph in q French news
papar that lea to his uRdoing.
Meantime. wl.ile ie.ciins in the fruits
Ok ms o@:, romance. Bertrand enjoyed
tns confi;s.ica OF army officers and
We creai:e ct si.e leading Paris cafes.
one fcI1oo: n fearless aviator made
private l;-hia1d his goason and adopt
a. HIN t"r the balance o. the war.
Ihe r..sU:l!s he Wofa included the
cross - .iie legion OF honor, the mill
tary .7e';a!. the war cross with seven
fIhns anu I stars. the British milk
tary cross. il.o i;cl.ian war cross, the
colonial rhcdal. irciai OF Morocco, and
me media! for sa. ,ns 'ife. and the medal
TOT wounds. IN edition he wore the
'Jo4:Hagers" OF tho legion OF honor.
Where no so: then. ilas rot been dis
closeS bnt 10 ACCOUNT for them Bet
E2fA constructed Il story OF wonder
ful Incidents. According to his tale he
won the military medal by saving the
lives of tw' officers and vas himself
wounded Is. tue thigh when surrounded
nv N9tlCac S-t1tI fir,.eS.- ,:t &I>N
French tesr:torial :crcea tn Morocco
in 1919.
Then. according 10 his own story,
Bertrand woa the VIZ: cross; :, q. patrol
exploit in the present war. when, after
his companions were killed he captured
a whole German cooking outfit at
Laon, having !it;.i most of the cooks.
Next. fighting wiz. the British on tho
Som.nc he wen the military cross by
Ca pttring W Germans single landed
Meantime he Fad been captured five
times by the CtiTnu:s bI. always man
aged to eSn% 3a.
IN the neSt chapter .of his biography
Bertrand appears IA The fight around
Monastir o" the Macedonian front
where he Siinu.t %arousiv operated four
machine guns aN2 M-eaked such an
awful havoc witt, sae enemy that their
att.c c wa beataE off AT the battle
of Monast:1 lie n:-ay ed to rescue an
- H'N - ~ A1 wv Il =
Land and w:aA himself wounded in the
abdomen. Despite his vain he dragged
the officer back to safety and went
out again To rescue IL wounded nurse.
in the last trip lis arm was shattered
by n bullet n later was arnputated.
Mex we find Bertrand 81 passenger
on board q ship bound for France. The
torpedo whics hit tho vessel shattered
one of Eetrand'* legs. Calmly ainpu
tating it Wit. his knife Bertrand bound
up the stump. dragged himself TO ths
rail. threw himself overheard. paused
long enough to rescue the captain and
swan to a piece OF di,ftwood where he
lived for three days and three nights
before being rescued by a Spanish yes
/ sci. For this Bertrand said he received
the medal OF the legion of honor.
Numerous stars and leaves Of palms
thai. Ect~and wore upcn his war cross
had heen acquired. according to his
tale. by IL distinct acts OF heroisn
worthy of the coveted cross but the de.
tails OF these incidents have not ye'
| hpcn given to tho public,