The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-23
SECOND ELDER
Who KILLED 20
A MODEST HERO
Sergt. Alvin G. York, Cap
tor of Whole Battalion,
Home From France.
NET BY TENNESSEEANS
They Put Him Up at the Wal
dorf and Spread a Ban
quet for Him.

the transport Ohioan. about his feat
in the Argonne, after killing twenty or
more Of them with rifle and automatic
pistol.
The simplicity Of his talk. pleasantly
drawled. the frankness of his shrewd
gray eyes and his modest manner were
convincing. His friends from Tennes-
see crowded aboard the transport with
the reporters and told him that they
we're going to feed him at the Waldorf
Astoria York did not seem a bit sur
prised, and merely remarked that he
believed the Waldorf-Astoria was a
right smart hotel. He showed no en-
barrassment even when they asked him
II Grace Williams, his Tennessee
sweetheart, was not the prettiest girl
in Pail Mall, Tenn. He answered: 'Tn
stand pat on that question" and
grinned.
The naiveness Of Sergt. York won
everybody who talked with him. He
was second elder Of the Church of
Christ and Christian Union in Pail Mall
and before he was persuaded to Join the
little congregation he had been a drink
ing man and. as he admits, used to
gamble some" The girl who persuaded
him to join the church and his mother
changed his course of life, common in
that part Of Tennessee among the hardy
males. and he became second elder with
ambitions toward the ministry.
why the Americans Won.
He attributes all his prowess as a
soldier to the grace of God, while ad-
hitting that he was one Of the best
shots with the rife and pistol in his
neighborhood. being able to shoot the
head OF turkey with either rifle or
six shooter. He said to his questioners
that he felt stronger spiritually since he
had come out of there. with the help
Of God. The American army and the
American flag won the war because they
had God behind them, and when you
have God behind you you can come out
on top every time
When the stalwart sergeant came
down the gangplank of the transport
he was taken to the office of Brig. Gen.
McManus Of the port of embarkation
In Hoboken where he was greeted by
four members Of the Tennessee Society
Of New York. DIR. James ]. King. presi-
dent, and Malcolm NJ. Meacham, s. A.
Kellogg and J. Z. Lavender. He learned
that he had been granted four days fur
Tough by MaJor-Gen. Shanks, and he
grinned his appreciation.
They took him 10 a fine. room en- the
ff,h floor Of the Waldorf-Astoria next
10 the Presidential suite, enough to make
the eyes of an ordinary mountaineer
bulge but the speciality of Sergeant
York is not bulging at anything, his
father having impressed upon him in
infancy and boyhood always to keep cool
and keep his head, which would enable
rim to take the heads of others, as he
did in his great fight.
The first thing he noted after they
had ushered him into the fine room
was a framed portrait of his mother
on the wall. He gazed at II IN silence
for a moment and then said slowly and
Enthusiastically: IT'S been several
days since / saw her"
Then they took him to dinner. without
cocktails or anything that the most
fervent Church of Christ elder would
not approve. He was a bit enthusiastic
over that dinner. remarking: That's
the first square meal I've had in morn
year. and 1t certainly did taste good"
Sergeant York was totally unembar-
rassed by the throngs that followed hin.
around the hotel. He had to tell his
story to newspaper men, representing
about all the big cities in the land. who
had not been able to get aboard the
ohioan. He abbreviated 1t somewhat.
He said the fight was the greatest
he had had. He was then a corporal
and had sixteen men with him when
they started after a large number Of
Germans at a gun nest on top of HILL
The Germans did not wait for them to
come up but came down to meet them
In twinkling six of his men were
killed and three wounded. The eight
able men left, York said, were pretty
lucky as they had about ITS rounds of
rife ammunition and 1875 rounds of pistol
cartridges.
And Then 1872 Surrendered.
York kept on blazing away. In a
few minutes eight Germans had fallen
under his personal fire. The rest or
the Germans then threw up their hands
and surrendered. There were 1872 OF
them, including a Major and Lieuten-
ant. The prisoners were taken back
10 the line and turned over to commits
stoned officers, who asked York who was
responsible for the capture. He an
sWered that he had gone out as a
corporal in charge of sixteen men, that
SIX had been killed and three wounded,
and that the other men could tell how
It was done. The others thereupon said
to man that Corporal York had done
all the hghting and deserved all the
credit, and they made affidavits to that
enect,' the sergeant said last night,
although ] did not see anything to
make so much fuss about"
For his remarkable texploit Sergeant
York has received the Distinguished
service Cross and the Croix de Guerre
and later will have the Congressional
Medal pinned upon his big breast The
sergeant said that he hadRt had much
raining when he first went into action.
ent that he reckoned that did not make
much difference because he always was
pretty good shot. Before entering the
service he was a Observation-Disclosures, as
his father before him. He has seven
brothers and three sisters, the youngest
o. whom are at his home with his
mother. There is general store at
rah Mall with a long distance tele-
prone, and last night, much to YORK
Joy which he made no effort to camo-
nage, his hosts called up his mother on
me telephone and she had little talk
with her big boy.
Will nave $4,000 Farm.
They measured the rather sizeable
root OF Sergeant York in his room at the
t,olei In the afternoon AID went out and
bought him 3l4 pair of soft shoes and
several pairs of 81 socks. They also
old him that Tennessee folks were buy
ing MIN $4,000 farm and stocking n
MN the finest animals money could get
Ihey made him seem almost startled
Nhen they said that his friends here
SSocut were going to give him a $4,000
nsletory note so that he may help that
nlle church down in Pail Mall that he
"a Ia