New Britain herald., 1918-10-02
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LIFE OF. GENERAL PERSHING

Then put down that gun and fight like a man." said John, making a sudden spring and twisting the gun from the hands of the astonished man. He knew the effect of a sur prise, and the man, beWildered by the unexpected attack, was quickly pulled from his horse.
 Punch him dad!" called the young bully from the outskirts Of the crowd, where he was hiding to witness the outcome of the affair.
 Dad with the below of a bull, rushed his assailant and sought to get him in those big arms of his. John, realizing that he would stand little chance at close quarters, avoid ed the rush, and, as the big man lunged by, planted fist in his face.
 Blinded by the blow, the man turn ed and rushed again-with the same result. Finding he could accomplish nothing by these tactics, he stood up to Pershing, his arms flying like fails as he tried to reach the elusive youth. It was 8 battle of blind rage against a cool, collected determina- ton to make every bow count; and, as usual, the latter won. Watching his opportunity, Pershing landed 8
  onist, who sank heavily to the ground, dead to the world.
 Pershing was not particularly e1at- ed over this victory. save that it proved to him that with determina- ton he could win out in the physical side of life, even against heavy odds.
 He turned to his pupils who were cycling their teacher with the respect full admiration of the small boy for a hero, and ordered them into the schoolhouse. Nothing could have inn pressed them more strongly than did this encounter that he was deter mined to have discipline. When the last of the children had disappeared into the building Persh- ing turned to the man, who was be- ginning to regain consciousness. He grinned sheepis111y as he sat up.
 Well, young feller", he said, 1T wouldn't have thought you had 1t in you. I guess that boy of mine has been pretty ram bunctious and I recI- on he got just what was coming to him.
 He turned to his son, who. seeing how the wind blew, was trying to escape from the scene.
 You go on back into that school dnd IT 1 near OI any more cutting up I want the teacher to lick you good, and when you come home I'll whale you myself
 When the young teacher entered the schoolroom there was silence, but upon the blackboard was this sen- tence:
 Preacher is the boss here.
 Pershing pretended not to see this writing, but he smiled to himself with a feeling of security in the knowledge that never again In that school was he to have trouble which would make it impossible to accomplish what he had been sent there to do.
 Gap" Henley and the school board heard of the affair and congratulated themselves upon having secured not only a teacher but man.
 Still John applied himself to his books after the days work was done He had begun to read law, and found this one of the most difficult of all subjects to master by himself. It is not unlikely that the world would have lost a great soldier while gain ing a brilliant lawyer had not John Pershing seen this announcement in the Laclede Lancet, the little weekly paper that each week was sent to him by his mother:
 On July Is there will be a com
 petitive examination for the ap- poi11tment of cadet at the Unit ed States Military Academy at West Point. All honest strong, 8 God-fearing boys of this district may take part.
 - J. H. BURROUGHS, Member of Congress, Second Dis trict. <..
 At first this announcement did not