Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-09-08
AMERICAN LEADER
WELCOMED HOME
General Pershing Given Joyous
Greeting As He Lands At New
York Early This Morning.
(By Associated Press)

New York, Sept. 8-Amid the din
of thousands of factory and ship
Whistles the United States Steam
ship Leviathan with Gen. John l..
Pershing and his staff on board,
docked at Hoboken early today. AS
the ship came up the bay, guns boom
ed salute and thousands of per-
sons. lining the shore of Long Island,
Brooklyn and Manhattan, shouted a
greeting. When the Leviathan warp
ed into the pier the assembled crowd
gave a tremendous cheer.
General Pershing stepped ashore
at 9:o0 o'clock. Waiting for him
at the end of the gang plank was
eEecretary Baker with hands out
stretched and in al address he well
coined him on behalf of the United
tates.
4 Gen. Pershing and his party board
ed patrol boat and crossed the
river to New York, where the wait
ing crowd gave him vociferous well
come. An automobile conveyed him to
the City Hall between surging
throng, who voiced another mighty
welcome. AS the riot of cheers grew
into a continuous roar, Pershing stood
in his car and stood at salute. Final
ly apparently carried away by the
enthusiasm, he waved his cap around
his head and kept it continuously wav-
ing until the city hall was reached
half way up the steps of that edifice
he turned and faced the sea of faces
for few minutes at salute. After
the city hall exercises where he was
welcomed by Mayor Hylah, Gen. Per-
shing drove through the cheering
throngs to hotel where he will be
the city's guest while here. Gen.
Pershing was deeply touched by the
swarm reception" He declared the
personal compliments received are
far greater than my humble SER
vice deserve"
When Congress confers the perm
anent title of General upon John L..
Pershing he will be the fourth man
to hold that coveted title in the army
of the United States. The other
three were Grant, Sheridan and
Sherman.
AS the central American figure in
the world war, with the single ex-
ception of President Wilson, so much
has been written about Pershing,
and his life and history are so fresh
in the public mind that it is difficult
to tell the average American any
thing new about the man who COM
manded the great army on the battle
fields Of Europe.
As late as the time of the Russia
Japanese war in 1904, Pershing, over
40, still was captain in the regular
army. His associates say he never
grumbled, but always kept plugging
at his job. Reams and reams have
been written about how he took
prominent part in the pacification of
the Philippine islands and how Presi-
dent Roosevelt made him brigadier
general jumping him over the heads
Of exactly 1862 other men who were
senior to him on the service roll.
When Pershing took the punitive
expedition to Mexico after the bandit
Villa, he became the only living
officer in the American army who had
commanded any body of troops so
large as a brigade in anything ap-
preaching action. It is true that the
late General Funston commanded
more than a brigade on the Vera
Cruz expedition but Funston's troops
never got into action.
From the time Pershing graduated
from West Point in 1886 he did full
shafe of active, and valuable service
in the army. Like his classmates he
Immediately was plunged into the
Indian Wars. He entered cam
paign against the great Apache chief
Geronimo who for many years had
kept the great southwestern country
almost closed to immigration by his
kill and bravery. 1t was in those
that many of young
American army officers received that
special training evolved in combat
with the willy savages which proved
of peculiar value in certain phases of
the highly semitic modern warfare
of France and Belgium. They were
taught the art of scouting, of trail
ing and of perfect self-reliance in
the school beyond the ken of any
European soldier and many a mid
night raid by the Americans into
No Mans Land doubtless found its
inception and clever execution in the
brain of one Of these one-time Indian
fighters of Pershing's type.
1t is recorded officially Of Pershing
that at the beginning Of his career,
for instance, he'was complimented by
General Miles, his commander-in-
chief in the Geronimo campaigns,
for marching his troop, with pack
train, over rough country, lao miles
in 46 hours, bringing in every ami
NAL and man in good condition" !"
Until he reached command rank
Pershing always was cavalry officer
and records of, the War Department
show more than one honorable men
ton of his conduct during his ten
years srvice in the Department of
Arizona. In the Spanish War as an
officer Of the Tenth Cavalry he was
promoted for gallantry at the battle
Of lei Caney to be major in the
Volunteer army and after a short de-
tail in Washington in the Bureau of
Ins,ilar Affairs was sent out to the
Philippines as Acknowledgement Of
the Department Of Mindanao and Jolo.
That was the turning point in
Pershing's career. He began to take
his profession of arms more serious
ly and to display the powers of con-.