The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-15
WANT A BUILDING
MacLean Says Soldiers Have
Own Idea OF Memorial.
Battery 4 Captain Talks Before
Topeka ROtarians.
He PRAISES THREE TOPEKANS
Fable, BeerbOhm and Bell
Showed Their Mettle.
When Shell Hit Table They
Kept on Working.
He PRAISES THREE TOPEKANS

= soldier's idea of the right kind of
memorial to the heroes of the world
war is building erected and dedi-
Gated for the especial use of the men
who fought the war This was the
suggestion made at the Chamber of
Commerce today by Capt. william P.
MacLean in a speech before the Ro-
tary club.
The captain pointed out that il To-
peka can see its way clear to make its
memorial of such a nature the soldiers
and sailors and other service men of
the world war will have place all
their own as club house and as
memorial.
MacLean asserted that in the eyes of
the soldiers the proposed monuments
and arches are very fine things and
should be erected and will be appre-
ciated-but he also said that the SOL
diers will appreciate the building me-
mortal to a much greater degree
Talked About Battery A.
The bulk of Captain MacLean's talk
to the Rotary club today had to do
with the peregrinations of Battery A
of the both field artillery in its serv-
ice in France. He gave especial stress
to the action of the battery in the Ar
gonue show.
He said that the battery men
and that they with the men of Bat
terry b, of Pittsburg, were especially
commended by General Trdub for
their part in the action.
He spoke particularly of three To-
peka boys and their nonchalant at
titude when un6er fire 1t seems that
Frank Fable, Fred Beerhohm and
Edwin Sell were detailed to work out
the battery position on a field map.
The map was on top of a table set up
on a tripod and the men were grouped
closely about-it.
Shell Did Not Bother Them.
A shrapnel shell broke close by, one
splinter breaking one of the table
legs. Not illustrated in the least, the
three boys stopped their map drawing
long enough to splint the table leg
with an old handkerchief, and went
on as tho nothing had happened.
Captain MacLean also spoke of the
deeds of the First battalion of the
130th field artillery in the struggle
for Montrebeau hill. He says that the
Germans and the American infantry
were both concentrating every energy
on oVerrunning this salient point. The
Germans having been on this famous
peak of the ArGonne first were having
aIlfthe advantage of position and pro-
lection. The American doughboys
We're up against it hard. The order
came down for the battalion. which
included artery A of Topeka and
Battery & of PittsburE, to throw as
many shells as possible into the hill in
a half hour The American doughboys
withdrew from the attack for the time
hcinE and went into action. Captain
MacIean said that when the artillery
battalion had finished its time job, the
dou"hbovs went over and far beyond
Montrebeau without any opposition at
all from the Huns
Hard Part After .Armisticc.
Captain MacLean related many 9TH
err Incidents of the war, most of them
dealing with the thousand and one
funny things which happen in an
army waiting for action or an army
in action.
He said that the hardest part of
the war was after the signing of the
armistice. Before that time things
moved too fast for the boys to get
tired. Afterwards all the men had to
do was to be tired and to wonder what
was coming 10 them next.
After the close of Captain MacLean's
talk, Frank Beck. president of the
Topeka Rotarians, read a letter from
the president of the seventeenth dis
trict clubs announcing that the seven
teenth district clubs are at the head
of the international Rotary clubs in
attendance record.
President Beck also introduced Cap
tain MapT