Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-01-09
DUE TO Be SHOT,
Marine ESCAPES
Taken Prisoner by Huns, He
"Nicks" Fuses and Is
Caught at It.
MAKES sPlURGE IN PARIS
Is Arrested While Posing as an Officer
Wears Croix do Guerre and
D. s. G. He Won for Bravery
In Battle.

Paris-HiS name Is Smith, but every
one in Paris has heard Of him. He
wears Croix de Guerre and d. s. Z.
He got them for the most extreme
bravery at the front. Then the bat.
tie of Paris" got Smith. He enlisted
in the marine corps at Atlanta, Ga,
when he was seventeen and came to
France a few months ago. He was
taken prisoner and held just back Of
the German lines.
He "nicked" fuses and killed several
hundred Germans with their own ex-
plosives before he was caught at 1t.
And then at the eleventh hour, like
the hero Of a movie, he escaped and
got back to Paris hospital to tell the
tale. 1t was so remarkable that no
one believed it until official citations
confirmed 1t.
Smith, whose first name Is Jack.
was refused for service when he first
volunteered because he was too young.
He finally succeeded In enlisting as
bugler in the marine corps and
crossed to France with a fine company
of "real scrappers." When they
reached the front, Private Smith threw
away his bugle and get himself a gun.
His company went into action on the
Lorraine front and young Smith and
two other buck privates went SO far
and so fast on the first day they went
over the top that they lost their COM
pany and were taken prisoners.
"Nicked" the Fuses.
The Germans, needing labor, held
them just back Of the lines, setting
them to work at preparing hand
grenades. The boys daringly "nicked"
the fuses whenever the backs OF
their guards were turned, cutting
them short so that they would ex-
plode prematurely and kill the Boches
who used them. They were finally
caught at II, and orders had just been
given to march them back to the line
and shoot them when laundering
barrage cut off that section of the Ger
man front line. A high explosive shell
dropped few feet from them, scat
tering dead and wounded Boches on
all sides Of them.
Three Germans and the three Amer
leans dropped into the shell hole to
escape other "soup wagons" that were
coming their way. While the BOches
were lamenting tho war and the cruel
fate that put them in the front line
and such danger, young Smith slipped
a revolver from the holster of one OF
the dead men and made his three
"kamerads" prisoners. He waited un-
til there was lull In the barrage and
then with the two Americans and his
three prisoners nude break across
mo Mans Land" for the American
lines. The other two boys were killed
In the hail of machine gun bullets that
were falling, but Smith managed to get
back with his three prisoners.
Makes Big splurge.
Not content with his days work, he
armed himself with rifle and, after
having disposed of his prisoners, he
started over the top when the order
came for the Americans in that sector
to advance and had several Boche
dead to his credit before he was
wounded. Two weeks later he was
brought to an American Red Cross
hospital in Paris where he made
rapid cOnvalescence.
One night, after he was we'll enough
to be up and out on brief leave from
the hospital, he failed to report. The
hospital authorities lost track of him
until stories began to come back to
them of young marine officer who
was creating great splurge around
the city. He was being entertained
by Red Cross officials and frequently
assisted a pretty girl in one of the
Red Gross canteens where wounded
Americans were evacuated for the
south of France.
An inquisitive military policeman
finally discovered that the young cap
tain was none other than Private Jack
J. Smith of Atlanta, Ga, who, while
entitled to wear the decorations which
had made him such hero In Paris.
was not entitled to wear a captains
shoulder bars.
Private Smith, reduced to the ranks
once more, was sent into camp IN
southern France to repent his premas
ture celebration as an officer.