Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-11
GENUINE AMERICANS These
Indian Soldiers Made Coed Fight.
efS 10 Europe
ALL Love The COMMON COUNTRY

ALL Love The COMMON COUNTRY
Stories of Aboriginees Who Went te
France, Did Their Duty and Who
Are Proud Of II AIl-The Red Men
! Have the Right Kind Of Pluck.
"The North American Indian has
distinctly made good in the great nat
ional crisis" asserts the Washington
Star, in a typicaly complimentary edi-
torial on Indian Commissioner Sells
annual report, and the New York
Evening Sun follows with some inter-
views obtained from wounded Indians
showing how they did. Out Of $4,000
eligibles, nearly 5000 entered the SER
vice, and 500 more performed other
war-work As scouts and small group
fighters they won greatest fame
From the standpoint Of discipline
admits The Sun, "the Indians were
not the best soldiers" They would
not salute except when compelled. to
10 so. and, instead Of snappy Sir to
an officer, which military regulations
demand, they "grunted." But when II
came to fighting, and scouting, and
sniping, "woodcraft was bred in their
bones." and their tactics helped to
keep down the casualty-lists. Silas
Samuels, a full-blooded Choctaw from
Oklahoma, arrived in New York not
long since, with wound and q story
Of how they carried on:
Samuels was with the s12th Infan-
try, which walked all over France
fight a lot, but plenty food most of
time" He was over the top four
times, and knows positively that he
killed at lease one German, who op-
posed him during a trench raid. He
led party over the top in a raid
at midnight, and, guiding them along
over the shell-torn terrane, was amons
the Germans before the latter knew
Of the foes presence.
The Huns fought for q few minutes,
and then their artillery lay down a
box barrage Of shrapnel and gas. The
gas got fourteen Of the Indians party.
and shrapnel accounted for three
more. However, he assisted in bring
ing back fifteen prisoners. and saw
one other Hun fall before his rifle. His
dark eyes fairly glistened as he told of
the death of the enemy. He made a
quick, instructive move Of his hand,
and one could almost see the knife
fash.
"You know the cannon?" he asked
in his rich cultural tones. Gums never
still on our front. They roar all time
like Thunder God in the mountains.
Nothing so much like 1t except the
Thunder God in the mountains. When
German gums talk 1t Is just like bat
tie of good and bad gods: His eyes
glistened as he resorted to a native
figure Of speech to convey his impress
sion OF the gallery.
Twice the young Choctaw and his
band attacked the German trenches
after violent artillery preparation.
by, damn, Germans run away and
hide. Not stand and fight like US
troops We catch some in dugout.
They come up. they yell something and
feel silly. No, fight till die like Indi-
ans. quick give up" he said.
The fourth time Samuels charged
over the top he was struck by shrap-
mel fire. With typical Indian stoicism
he walked back to the dressing-station
and asked for first aid so that he might
rejoin his troops. The surgeons ex-
amined his wound, and he has been
in a hospital ever since. Leg sore,
but can fight when they don't let me.
Old time Indians hurt worse still
fight" he said, reverting to his own
race for comparisons.
Samuels did duty as a sniper at odd
times. He says he accounted for a few
Of the Boche, and his eyes danced as
he described the death Of one Of them.
This Jerry was peepins over trench
one night when Samuels was exploring
around in a shell-hole. Years Of hunt
ing deer at night gave the Indian a
skill with a rife that can be obtained
in no other way. and the German went
west" on one bullet
Samuels said that the whole Choctaw
nation was glad of the chance to fight.
They answered the call, but now that
it is all over, he said, he was glad to
get back to America, and he hoped to
20 home to Oklahoma and stay there.
Having expressed his opinions on the
war and told his experiences, the In
dian stood up and said, That's ALL"
He shook hands gravely and returned
to some Of the other boys in the war.
Louis Atkins, a Pottawatomie In
dian, Is another brave who answered
the call to service. Atkins was edu-
Gated at the Shawnee Mission school.
and is "a modern Indian Of the finest
type" He was with the 103rd Field
Artillery, attached to the 26th Divi-
sion, and IL still suffering from the ef-
fects Of "gassing" received near Ver-
dun. Though reticent at first he later
says the reporter, warmed to the con-
versation":
1--WE were in a heavy artillery reSt-
ment." said Atkins. 1--WE devoted most
of our attention to Smelling a certain
cross road over which the Cermons
were bringing up detachments OF troors
and issues of supplies and ainniuni-
ton. We hurled six-inch shells on
this road every night at two-minute
intervals. OF course we never saw
our target, so can not tell you Just
what we accomplished, but II Jerry
was around when we were shelling ne
certainly got his,
occasionally we were called IN to
participate in artillery-duels with the
IN, nnHQQl0nS