The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-04-09
GIVEN
FORLEUT. RILEY
SATURDAY NIGHT
A Number OF Gen. And Mrs.
Keesler's Friends Give Recep-
ton And Banquet In Honor
Of Their Visitor.

LlOn ana banquet In HONOR
OF Their Visitor.
A most delightful reception and
banquet was given at the Confederate
Memorial Building in this city last
Saturday evening at $50 o'clock by
a number Of Gen. and Mrs. S. R.
guest, Lieut.. H. w. Riley, of St.
Cloud, Minn.s a member OF the oath
U. S.. Aero Squadron in France, and
who was with Lieut.. Sam R. KEGS
ler, Jr., in the aerial machine combat
with three Hun airplanes when Sam
received six severe machine gun
wounds from which he died later in
a German hospital.
A delicious six-course menu had
been prepared for the occasion and
was falltlessly served by the Work
Committee of the Earnest Workers
Society Of the Presbyterian church.
The table was tastily decorated with
violets and presented beautiful ap-
pearance.
| Capt. S. L. Gwin presided, but an
nounced at the beginning that there
would be no speeches; that at the con-
clusion of the feast talks would be
heard from the special honor guest,
! Lieut. Riley and also Private Claude
Romine, of the 82nd Company, 9Th
Regiment Marines. Private Romine
had just arrived here Saturday morn
ing from France, where he spent Is
months and served in the thickest of
the fighting at Belleau Woods, Sois-
sons, Catigny, Lucy, ETC., where he
was severely wounded and scored sew
en- citations for bravery and was dec
Grated with the highest medal of the
French government, the Croix de
Geurre with Palm. Being a Leflore
county boy, born and reared near
Morgan City, Private Ron1ine was in
vited to attend and share in the re-
ception and banquet given for Lieut..
Riley by Gen. Keesler's special
friends.
A splendid musical program of
beautiful songs appropriate to the oc-
casion was rendered by Mrs. L. Mehr,
Mrs. A. NJ. Holly and Mrs. R. L. Mil
ler, with Mrs. R. P. Parish and Mrs.
Laeta Wright as accompanies on the
piano. .-...@,@-zz
After the feast had been concluded
those present repaired to the parlor,
where Lieut.. Riley gave them the fol-
lowing graphic and interesting ac-
count of the aerial battle in which
Lieut.. Sam Keesler received his fatal
wounds, and in which he also was
wounded:
"The American Army had advanc-
ed several miles on the west bank of
the Meuse river and the Boche were
using their artillery from the east
side as flank fire. The French, who
were holding the east bank were then
ordered to advance to protect the
American right wing and began to
drive on the eighth of October. 1t.
Keesler and myself were ordered to
Souilly, where the Headquarters of
the American First Army was located,
of verifying all reports that came in
both from observers on the ground
and in the air. Soon after arriving
at headquarters we were ordered to
cross the river and ascertain the posi-
tion of reserves which were reported
in wooded position about fifteen kill
ometres behind the German lines, we
! had the sun in our eyes and were un-
able to see what was behind US, but
we had been told that the Boche were
we'll scattered and that there were
patrols of our machines covering the
section of the sector where we were
to work. We flew over our objective
and found that instead of having re-
serves in this woods the German were
going to the rear, both with artillery
| and infantry. We started for home
| and had gone in this direction but a
short time when we saw four Boche
m achines between us and the lines.
The first machine that attacked us
was put out Of the fight but the 9TH
| er three were soon on our tail and
| were fortunate in placing one of their
| first bursts Of fire into the rudder of
our ship and consequently put out of
| commission one Of the most important
| parts of a ship for fight. We were
| at about fifteen hundred metres then
and had quite little distance to go
before we could reach our own lines.
The Boche with two guns on each
ship had a wonderful chance to pump
| lead into US as there was little we
could do to get out of their way. One
burst of fire finally hit the aileron
! of the machine and we started for the
| ground. On the way down, we were
| fired at and 1t. Keesler, who was in
the rear of the Machine managed to
keep up his fire under very difficult
circumstances. When we crashed, l
got out of the ship and went around
to the rear to see how 1t. Keesler
was. He remained in the cockpit
and was firing on the Boche, who
were taking turns shooting on US, and
u he would not get out of the machine
until he had fired the last of the am
munition he had in his guns. We start
ed for some woods that were about
seventy five metres from US and on
the way over there 1t. Keesler was
!! again hit in the hip. Previous to the
time we landed, he had been wounded
); six times in the body. We were TAX
en- prisoners by the infantry as soon
. as the Boche pulled off and were held
without any medical attention from
about four thirty until some time af-
ter midnight, when we reached q