Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-18
Ehrntrg Gllat

HARRISBURG ana SteelJOn HOWdudSS
than in those stirring months when
the United States entered the world
struggle and the trying weeks a year
ago when our own Pennsylvania SOL
diers were demonstrating their
| powers over the Hun. This is the
natural result in community which
has welcomed home hundreds of it's
most active residents and it is going
| to have an effect that will be inter
| esting to watch for a long time to
! come. Old residents say that the re-
| turn of the men in blue from the
/ Civil War brought about a notable
change in Harrisburg in the sixties,
sending new men to the front and
| altering viewpoints and generally
| bracing up the town, which was one
| of the most active in the State due
to its proximity to the fighting zone,
| its importance as transportation,
mobilization and training camp CEN
| ter and its official position as a State
capital. In much lesser degree this
| influence was noticed after the
| Spanish American War. And now
there are re-entering into local af-
fairs, many men who have been in
tensively trained to a far greater de-
gree than ever known before, and
the impetus they are going to give
to affairs in every walk of life will
be lesson to a generation of Har-
risburgers.
| 1t has been remarked from time to
tlme the manner in which Harris
burg churches, local organizations,
business establishments, schools, fra
ternal organizations and the like
kept close to the men in the service
and how effectually it was done is
SHOWN by the renewal of ties. 1t
has been good thing for the men
left behind and the kid" who went
away some two years ago is now
listened to with a new respect. And
1t may be said that many of the
stories told have an element of truth
not commonly attributed to war
stories and that it is surprising to
note the familiarity of the average
soldier with the important places and
his conception of the operations in
which he participated.
Major Mahin of the recruiting Of
nee mas an interesting story to tell
OF one OF the chaplains of the A. e.
+. who was with his regiment in the
Fllth Division. which, by the way.
is, at present largely filled with
grated men from Pennsylvania. The
Major says that one time in the at
tack he was going along the line Of
the nrst wave which had been
temporarily stopped when he found
q nSure alone in a shellhole. his
body limp and his head rolled over to
one side. Thinking it was wound
ed or dead man from his own outfit.
MAJOR Mahin Jumped down to see,
when he lifted the soldiers head
the man woke up and the Major
found himself looking into the pale
tired face of the little sky pilot.
rms in the first wave, and he had no
business to be there, but thought he
might do some good. Later in the
attack, when a machine gunner was
holding excavations up by firing on
stretchcr parties, the parson again
figured. The dirty Boche was not
firing when the litter bearers went
up, but as soon as they started back
with four men grasping the litter
and naturally not able to drop and
conceal themselves, the machine
gunner would cut into them. A score
of rifemen were looking for this
lone Hun, and suddenly the Major
chanced upon his lighting sky pilot,
his cross brassard torn off, and
creeping with a rifle in his hand up
the hill where the clip-clip of the
machine gun could be heard.
|
Another story of fighting parsons
comes from the SeVenty-sixth Field
Artillery. In one case, where the
main body had fallen back from a.
slight hill to beyond the railroad
embankment some 400 meters to the
rear, the Seventy sixth sent out an
o. +. party, which included the resi-
mental chaplain, to the hill. In the
course or the next few hours most of
the party were either bumped off
or wounded. And for forty-eight
hours the parson stayed there and
directed the fire of guns belonging
to his regiment. Later, when he
came back, the infantry held him
up and were going to shoot him as a,
Boche spy. The doughboy captain.
had his 45 out already to shoot day-
light into the parson, as they didn't
believe there were any Yanks out in
front of their own outposts, when a
cautious second looie suggested that
they call up the Seventy-sxth and
ask If they really had an observing
parSoh out IN front. Luckily for
the parson, the Seventy-sixth replied
in the affirmative, and he was able
to rejoin his regiment unperforated
And still another parson, this time
Ben Lacey, of the 113th Field
showed himself to be a man who
could preach and fight at the same
time. In the advance in the Argonne
the Thirty-seventh Division can
tured battery of German 40
howitzers, with sights complete, SO
fast had the Heinies deserted their
pieces. Chaplain Lacey got two gun
crews from the 1l3th, one from the
Hath, and the fourth from a French
battery of 75s which was working
nearby. He also got map and went
over to the division, where they gave
MN some targets. Then, with a big
glass under one arm and two tele-
phone men following him, the skv
pllot climbed out on the ridge to-
wards Montfaucon and carried on a
harassing fire until his several hum
ufeu ROUNDS were exhausted. And
after that he regulated the fire Of a
battalion of 75s when their regular
observer could not see the area at
which they were firing.