Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-09-23
AMERICAS Greatest
Soldier
H. F. Wheeler

/ ours never Travelled over the A. T. &
s. f. We told stories, sang class
songs, cleaned out eating houses, fired
at prairie dogs, hazed the peanut boy
and practically ran the train.
Our stories came to be such chest
nuts that Bean bought an old fash
toned door bell which was used as a
chestnut bell, with which we had great
fun, until Bean rang 1t on a cowboy,
and the bell was retired. Duncan left
US at Albuquerque. N. NJ, the rest of
us coming together as far as Deming.
where 1 left for Silver City, reach
ing Bayard Sept. 80, where l met Cap
tain Wood. Rosey Cabel, Old Crank
Cole, the married old soul; Billie Bid
die and Tough Koehler. who is my
roommate.
"This letter is much longer than I
intended. but if you don't think 1t fit
for the waste basket, publish 1t.
your classmate,
(Signed) ~. ]. PERSHING.
Second Lieut., Sixth Cavalry"
Jack Pershing arrived at Fort Bay
ard in time, however, to participate in
several enga gements with Apaches.
For, after the surrender of Geronimo
and Natchez, small band of hostiles,
manned at large, and these renegades,
with others, continued to ravage the
countryside. They were finally cap
tured, though, and New Mexico and
Arizona wrested from them, even as
Europe and the world today have been
wrested from the Hun. The onmarch
of civilization never has. nor never
will, brook interference.
DEDSLIhIN nuTL TILE CIVIL
Meantime one might ask, What Of
Jack Pershing when he Joined the
Sixth Cavalry?
There is in Washington an old, re-
tired army officer, Major General Will
liam H. Carter, who probably knows
more about the Sixth Cavalry than
history of the Sixth-"From Yorktown
to Santiago with the Sixth Cavalry
which tells in detail about all the en-
gagements and movements of the reg
iments from timn it came into being
Aug. 3, 1861, to the time of the Cuban
campaign. To visit General Carter at
his home, 1926 Bancroft Place, in
Washington, is to re-live the Sixths
glorious achievements.
Indeed l do remember Jack Per-
shing when he Joined sthe Sixth" the
general said to me the day 1 called
upon him. II was quarter-m ster of
the Sixth at the time. Jack Pershing
was as fine a second lieutenant as ever
came out of West Point-a perfect
type of the perfect soldier. The day
lie Joined his command he gave prom
Use of becoming the great soldier he is
today"
The general went on to outline the
history of the Sixth after Jack Per-
shing became one of it's personnel.
But If one would secure a really in
innate picture of the Jack Pershing of
1886, one should call at the building
of the quartermaster's department at
B and Nineteenth streets in Washing
ton. In that building is a classmate
of Jack Pershing at West Point-Col-
onel Letcher Hardeman. I called upon
Colonel Hardeman and found it well
worth while Incidentally, the day I
called, Colonel Hardeman had just re-
turned from France. where he had had
a long and interesting talk with the
friend OF his cadet and shavetail lieu
tenant days-his general of today.
Colonel Hardeman enjoys nothing
better than to talk of his friend, Jack
Pershing With much detail he told
me of those days on the Mexican Dor
der when he and Jack Pershing chased
Indians and where years later, Jack
Pershing was to chase the Mexican
outlaw, Villa. He told me of those
days in 1890 and 1891 when the bloody
| war with the Sioux Indians was fought
| in the Dakotas. He told me Of those
days when, first lieutenant of the
Tenth Cavalry-the famous colored
| cavalry, part of which Jack Pershing
led up San Juan Hill-Jack Pershing