The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-18
GOTHAM IS
No Bayonct Wounds.
Continued from Page One

| NO ftAyohct wounds.
II is worthy OF note that scarcely
a man bore wound from a G'ermon
bayonet--they usually made some
German woman widow before the
boche soldier could use his steel on
them.
Sandwiched in among the musicians
was Willie Webb, Louisville KY,
NEGRO, whaling away at a snare drum.
Webb had whaled other snare drums
in his lifetime, but never with quite
I the satisfaction and ambition with
which he beat on the one he carried
today. For 1t was a German drum.
In the great Champagne fight Willie
saw German performing on that
drum and decided it would be a bully
souvenir TO fetch home. OF course
when one OF the hell fighters" devel-
oped liking for anything German
II was as good as his. so Willie Just
naturally took the drum,
What became of the German? Who
cares Willie got the drum and today
when the first returned combat
troops paraded in New York's streets.
he whaled 1t as his comrades had
whaled their German adversaries.
| Colonel Billy" Hayward who once
was a public service commissioner in
New York, was as proud OF his boys
H., as they were of their leader. He
Erinned UP at Governor "Ar" Smith
as the regiment swung past the re-
viewing stand at Sixtieth street. and
the governor grinned back in warm
welcome to Colonel "Bill' and his
Homecoming heroes
| Mrs. Astor's Welcome.
Mrs. Vincent Astor thrust her head
through a window of her home and
treated all and sundry who might
care to look to the sight. waving with
both hands to the duslty heroes who
had done so much to uphold The honor
of America and the freedom of the
world.
Who dat LADY," queried soldier
from the cottonfields of the south of
his buddy marching at his elbow,
who had been bell hop In one OF
New York biggest hotels.
'Da's Mrs. Astor--Mrs. Vincent
,Astor" replied the sophisticated New
Yorker. She's got more millionsn
she knows what to do wild an heart
Iwha's bigger'n all her Millions
The marching soldiers swung on,
Thanked by massed humanity closely
packed on either sidewalk. At one
point the shrill cry of a child made
him for the moment the synosure OF
eyes nearby.
"Pappy" he chortied He had
recognized his father among the SOL
diers. One swift glance the soldier
stole, flashing smile OF love and
happiness at his pitkaninny progeny.
Then with shoulders squared and eyes
,straight to the front he had instantly
reverted to the perfect type of the
soldiery fighting man. And in that
lreversion he melted into a unit OF the
whole or II Rudyard Kipling could
have seen the hell fighters today
assurediy he would have called them
SOLDIERS ALL
A Real Hero.
where's Sergeant Hen johnson ?'
demanded someone on the sidewalk
who did not relish missing the sigh,
OF the old Ftfteenth's chief hero who
had the enviable record of alone slay-
ing four boches and wounding twenty
three during fierce hand TO hand
fight on No Mans Land. f1e was MOI
marching owing to the fact that rs
walks with crutches. But was his
spirit dimmed? No. He stood up in
the automobile in which he rode and
waved his arms and showed his white
teeth and grinned his appreciation
of the honors heaped upon his regi-
ment and himself. He openly and
flagrantly scattered military regula-
had scattered Germans.
| And after the parade was over the
hell fighters were steered to the
Seventy first regiment armory and
!, there treated to chicken dinner.
Tho dinner was cooked In Southern
!ety1e and for at least once in his life
every blessed cofored soldier In the
regiment had all the chicken he
could eat