The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-11
SPIKE WEBB WINS
 l. CHEVRONS WHEN HE - OUTCLASSES MULE

Correspondent Headquarters, Camp
 Mcclellan, Anniston. February 10-(Spe- , cial) l)--That Spike Webb, the popular boxing instructor at Camp Mcclellan, Is
 not a dead man or at least badly crip- pied. Is due solely to the fact that hs 's physically perfect specimen of young l manhood, and that he knows how to take
 care of himself in any emergency.
 This morning the versatile athlete essayed to do the Texas cowboy stunt of riding a vicious, unbroken chestnut colt at Camp Mcclellan, and thereby hangs a tale.
 The boxing instructor saddled the colt, mounted in true western style and not to be outdone the colt began 10 buck, kick and bite in an efort to ols- lodge the rider. In it's mad plunges t3s horse covered a whole lot of territory and finally the animal fell and pinned the athlete beneath it's body. The ian carried the horse and rider into DIE mud puddle in. a low place on the can tonment, and when the boxing instructor finally extricated himself after veri- table fight for his life he was cov- cred with a thick cake of mud Iro'" head to foot and the horse had ialieo n many efforts to kill the rider After falling on the rider, the horse undertook to pound Spike Webb to delta with his fore feet With his body Dur- jed in the thick mud, the Baltimore atn- iete brought all his strength into play and used his head for all it was worth, and but for the strength in, his arms ana his ability as boxer the story or ms experience doubtless would have han different ending. Grasping the rlgnt fore foot of the horse tightly under his left arm, he warded off the blows aimed at his head and face by the vicious horse on top of him and weaker ana less skilled man would have been beaten to death before help could have ar rived.
 As it is the boxing instructor Is Ilt- tie worse for his encounter beyond the extreme soreness caused by the pound ing of the horses hoof against his right arm His new uniform was ruined by the temporary burial in the mud puddle, and in recognition of his several aoil!- ties, a new olive drab uniform eWas issued to him by the order of his corn pany commander.
 The redoubtabl Spike came into the city this afternoon resplendent in hls new unlIOTm, anu lie IS WcdtllS tuis' week the shevrons of a sergeant which came to him recently in very pleas ant and unexpected manner. The boxing instructor was engaged with the instruc- tion of a class of 800 men in the Hath infantry, when Maj-Gen. Charles G.
 Morton, commanding the Twenty-nlnth
 division, rode by the regimental drill
 grounds and stopped to view the tactics
 being taught the men by the boxing in
 structor.
 General Morton called the boxing in-
 structor to him and placing both hands on the shoulders of the athlete, said to
 him: Boy, you're doing more for the Twenty ninth division than l am do- ing"
 Returning to the division headquarters later in the day. General Morton issued an order making sergeant out of the
 boxing instructor, who had heretofore been first-class private. The promo tion which has come to Spike Webb In such an unusual manner and which is in direct recognition of his meritOri- ous work among the members of the Blue and Gray places him in line tor entrance to tho next officers training school and unless he is sooner com missioned in the army, he is certain 70 be given chance to earn q commission along with the others who will be admit ted to subsequent schools.
 And if there is an enlisted man in the whole Twenty-ninth division who de- serves a commission more than Spike Webb. he has done something really wonderful. General Morton recently paid the boxing instructor an unusual com pliment by saying of him that he was worth his weight in gold to the Blue and Gray division and that he worked | just as hard as if he drew a s10,000 sal- | ary.
 | These incidents coming so close to- | gether may mean that "the versatile ath- l lete' is soon to be authorized to wear 1 band on his sleeve and rank with | the second lieutenants and if this be the