The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1919-04-07
BANQUET GIVEN
FOR LIEUT.. RILEY
SATURDAY NIGHT
A Number OF Gen. And Mrs
Keesler's Friends Give Recep-
tion And Banquet In Honor
OF Their Visitor.

, banquet was given at the Confederate
Memorial Building in this city last
Saturday evening at 8:ae o'clock by
number of Gen. and Mes S. r.
Keesler's friends, in homer of their
guest, Lieut.. H. w. Riley, of St.
Cloud, Mimi, member Ct 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 s;x-ccurse menu had
been prepared for the occasion and
twas fauitlessly 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 hsnor guest,
Lieut. Riley and also Private Claude
Romine, of the 82nd Cenpany, 9th
Regiment Marines. Private Romine
had just arrived here Saturday morn
ing from France, where .l1e spent 18
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
| Noroan CITY. Private Romine was in
vited to attend and share in the re-
certion 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 re-. j ), ed by Mrs L. Mehr,
Mrs. A. NJ. Holly ard Mrs, r. L. Mil
ler, with Mrs. R. P. Parish and Mrs.
Laeta Wright as accompanies on the
piano.
| After the feast had been concluded
y those present repaired to the parlor,
laI acre Lieut.. Rilav gaue ~ n 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 tc
Souilly, where the Headquarters OF
the American First Army was located
to do special work, which consisted
of verifying all reports that came il
both from observers on the ground
and in the air. Soon after arriving
, at headquarters we were ordered tt
cross the river and ascertain the posi-
ton Of reserves which were reportes
in wooded position about fifteen Kill
ometles behind the German lines, w,
had the sun in our eyes and were I'm
able to see what was behind Us, bu
we had been told that the Boche wer
well scattered and that there wer
patrols Of our machines covering tn
:, section of the sector where we wer
= to work. We flew over our objectiv
and found that instead of having re
serves in this woods the German wer
= going to the rear, both with artiller
and infantry. We started for hom
ard had gone in this direction but
short time when we saw four Boch
machines between us and the lines
The first machine that attacked u
was put out of the fight but the 9th
er three were soon on our tail an
were fortunate in placing one of thei
h first bursts of fire into the rudder G
: our ship and consequently put out c
commission one of the most importar
y parts of ship for fight. We wer
at about fifteen hundred metres the
and had quite little distance to ?
IS before we could reach our own line
s. The Boche with two guns on eac
ie ship had wonderful chance to pun
c. lead into us there was little "
N could do to get out of their way. Or
1T burst of fire finally hit the ailero
er of the machine and we started for Il
" ground. On the way down, we wei
G. fired at and 1t. Keesler, who was
the rear of the Machine managed
keep up his fire under very difficu
circumstances. When we crashed,
got out of the ship and went aroul
to the rear to see how 1t. KEGS!
- was. He had renamed in the cockT
and was firing on the Boche, w
were taking turns shotting on US, al
4. he would not get out of the machi
4 until he had fired the last Of the a,
=. munition he had in his guns. We sta1
5; ed for some woods that were abo
r. seventy five metres from US and
af the way over there 1t Keesler w
= again hit in the hip. Previous to t