The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-02
Unit Left Stuart Thursday fOl
Topeka and Funston.
PROGRAM is LAID OUT"
Headquarters Co. of 139th Is
Also a Happy Outfit.
Geo. Jacques Tells of 43 Days
in VOsges Front.

for Camp unston Thursday. The band
was organized in Topeka and is conn.,
manded by Topeka man. Lieut..
Theodore Morse, 1927 Quincy street.
Out in front of their billet the men
were presenting fine display of ener-
gy and elbow grease in shining up
their instruments. What for?" ask
ed A W. McCarter, of Twenty-first and
Lime streets, as he and w. A. Gillispie
and o. ]. Stitt, of 1885 Kansas avenue,
used polishing rags vigorously. Were
going to parade in the old home town.
that's why, We're going to show 'em
some class"
Over TO one side c. J. Smith, 511
Fillmore, and Ralph E. Mitchell. of
Erie, Kan, were shooting out a flock
of musical curlecues from a pair of
trcmbores, as tho in celebration of the
fact that entertainment orders had
come.
NJ. H. Hartley. 1135 Monroe street,
was so enthusiastic on the subject that
his volubly expressed plans for home
coming infringed OF those of his pal
Ora E. Ninninger. 500 Quincy street.
Ninninger promptly donned his gas
his own plans.
Laid Out Topeka Program.
Lieutenant Morse and William r.
Pettigrew, 631 Monroe street. who is
the drum major of the organization
were improving the time until en-
trainment by laying out the musical
program for the Topeka parade after
which Pettigrew went into executive
session with Sergt. Neal c. Larimer
Corp. Jas. Bushes, Jas. NJ Buldron
and Sergt- Alfred Crouch, of 100 KEEL
lam street, regarding the bands cele-
bration when it reaches home.
Next to the quarters of the band Is
18th, in which is a large Topeka con-
tingent- They were Overlooking with
pep and roughhouse, horseplay and
general merriment and kept things
busy around the billets and in the
company street To get word that the
final stage of the trip home is at hand
after months of weary waiting on the
other side. long sea voyage and then
a week in port is enough to instill a
surplus of energy into any outfit.
Even the boys on duty policing the
street presented arms with their
brooms when a lieutenant walked past
and were rewarded with a grin. The
officers, of course, have to maintain
dignity. say regulations. but they are
just as glad to be off as the men.
jacques Tells of Vosges.
In the headquarters company is a
big kansan named Corp. Geo. l..
Jacques, who lives at 1885 North Har-
rison street, Topeka. He told of the
work of the headquarters company in
the NoSges, where it occupied front
lines for forty-three days continuously.
The headquarters outfit consists of a
trench mortar platoon. one FOUNDER
battery, pioneer platoon. a mounted
platoon, a signal platoon, intelligence
platoon and regimentaI runners.
Therefore. while the rest of the infan-
try could be relieved from time to
time the platoons of the headquarters
company had to be on duty at all
times.
You should have seen the hikes we
went on" says Jacques.
I'VE were a hiking outfit, that's
sure. About half of all the travelling
we did at the front was on It"
Jacques tells of the occupancy of
the town of Sondernac, in Asa e
where a creek ran thfu both the
American and German lines, making
it comparatively easy for Hun patrols
to sneak down the creek bed.
1t was in this creek that Talbot
Davis, of Topeka. had a finger shot off
by a German spy dressed in an Ameri>
can officers uniform
Zimmerman Had Close Shave.
H. W. Zimmerman, SIS Harrison
street. is with the headquarters COM
pany, and tells of remarkable luck in
escaping serious injury during the
fighting. Once in the Argonne he was
knocked down by the explosion of a
nearby shell and only hit by flying
splinters of rock which cut his face.
He was a mounted orderly with the
dangerous work OF carrying dis
patches. The tanks were not popular
with the infantry, say the Topeka men
altho they did great work in cleaning
out machine gun nests ahead of them
| They didn't like the battle machines
| they say because the Huns were sc
| afraid of them that to be in the
| vicinity of one was to be deluged with
every form of projectile the enemy
had. One of them tells of lying in g
/ shell hole and having a tank clank VI
| to his side. There something hap
pened to it and the driver coolly opened
| the door, stepped out and commenced
| tinkering with it as tho he wAere some.
| where on a boulevard
| at looks as tho that BANKED ma.
chine would never get away from
! there or else I never would" he said
Jerry was throwing everything hs
had at it Finally they got it fixed
| and rolled away. much to my relief
Among the Topeka men with tn
| headquarters company are Alfred E
| Carter. Don Hart, Fred Merrill, Ed
nest King. Sergt Jim Fleming ant
Eugene Wolfe. Wolfe has the distinc
| ton OF being one of the sergeants re
duced to the ranks at the time of tn
armisuice for celebrating. and abou
whom so much discussion was created
kansans Cared for Allen.
Capt o. A. Schmib of Joplin is il
COMMAND of the 139th field hospita
| of the 10th sanitary train, in which
are many Topeka men. They had
field hospital at Kruth, in the Vosges
in July and it was at lie Menil tina
they took care of Governor A1lel
when be had diphtheria there. The
| were in reserve at St Mihiel and wen
into the Argonne September Is Her
they had the hardest work of the en-
tire time in France. working night an
day until they were relieved on Octo
Der 1, under continuous Smelling A
their triege, which is the French mill
tary term for clearing station. the To
peka unit took care of thousands G
men of not only the 35th but also 92n
and 2Suh divisions
The whole 10th sanitary trair
Captain Schmib says. received tn
compliment from corps and geners