The Washington times., 1919-01-26
T|MES.MAN WITH
YANKS IN PRUSSIA

After going over the top with the
famous "SiNth" Marines. seeing 100
men of his company hit and escaping
without scratch himself. Private
Henry Surguy. former secretary 10
General Harries when the latter was
associated with the Washington Rail
way and Electric Company. and 4
newspaper man of this city, was sen.
to a hospital in France suffering from
exposure and hardships attending the
march into Germany.
Private Surguy was with the
marines when they entered Treves,
Prussia. and. in letters TO his father,
Arthur E. Surguy, of the Govern
ment Printing Office, who lives ..
Sixteenth street and Park road nortI =
west, he states that the inhabitan S
were cold and mostly sullen,
though not. openly unfriendIy," and
that, though defeated. they are "stilI
the same Old Huns;~~and will bear
watching"
He tells of meeting an old friend,
Capt. John N. Popham, tr., of 11O1
Euclid street northwest, also mem
ber of the sixth" who was wounded
in action after "having some awfully
narrow escapes in the last drive and
previous ones
Private Surguy is thirty-one years
old. He graduated from Business
High School. After his graduation
he became associated with the Wash
ington Railway and Electric Com
pany. working under General Harries
for five years. He then entered the
newspaper field, and worked on the
staff of The Times.
Enlisted in NariBea
When the war broke out he en-
listed in the marines. After train
ing at Paris Island he was sent to
Quantico for two days then left for
France last August.
In a letter, written last October Q.
he describes the battle of Thiacourt
as he got the information from one Of
the marines who took part in the
conflict. He says:
yesterday | talked with a marine
who has been in some of the big
scraps. and he told us lots Of very
interesting things that h" had been
through. He said that in one fight
the French schedule called for tn"
capture of Thiacourt within four
days but the marines had driven
the boCho out of the town b. noon
Of the FIRST day, lie said that things
moved so ~ iftIy that German train
knowing the place had changed
hands. and - their surprise was cap
tured."
Within week Of this tim" hc was
tran.ferrcd to the SOth Company.
sixth Regiment, and sent to the front
for active duty.
Wrote From LuXcmburE.
Hc wrote from Luxembourg on Do
ccmbcr ::
1.-TWO days after | joined the Sixth
ReEimCnt We were stnt to the Frcuch
army Of General Gouraud ON TIN"
cha npaCrc front. We only we've with
the French few days when they
shifted our division the second
IrrcuIarsD 20 TN" Arg"nn" f"lc~l tn
lead the attack in thr big American
drive which ended with the arnristi""
on Nov, mb"r II and belicv" m"
" hen ! say "" saw all tn" hGhtirg
We wanted. I'm not going t" write
anv Of the details. But I'll ten you
our company was hit pretty hard. v %
lost all our officers except ono leu
tenant the first morning Wc went
over the top'-our captain wa killed
and four licutenants badly wounded
Several Of my 'buddieS' Wcr" "bump-
ed Off" and when we cam" out our
company numbered Iess than SIXTY
men out Of the 30 We stsrted in with.
How 7 escaped can't figure out at
all. but 7 came through it all without
d st ratch.
81 met Jack Popham Capt. John
y. Popham. OF Washington just be-
fore the drive started. He was In
the same battalion. but was with an
other company. He is captain and
certainly acted hne. He had some
awtul!y narrow escapes in tn" Last
drive and previous ones. But he Won
through alive, although he has been
wounded. The marines hav" certainty