Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-08
AMERICAN DANCE
HELD IN GAR|SH
COBLENZ CASINO
Officers 0utnumber Girls Eight
to One Even After Drive to
Round Up Every Woman
Who Could Dance,
Copyright, 1919, by the Press Pub
fishing Co.
fTba Nou work. \NnrIl !


CThe New York WORLDLY
Especial Correspondence to The
World and albuquerque Journal)
With the American Army of Occu-
patton, Jan. 3.-The social season,
with all Germans excluded, was form
ally opened at the Third Army head
quarters in Coblenz with the officers
clubs first hop on New Years day,
The historic grand ball room of the
fashionable Cablenz Casino has been
pre- empted by the military authori-
ties. e
In the vast marble hall, gdrish with
red hangings, Teuton mural ,lec0ia-
tons and crystal chandeliers, where
Coblenz'e -Four Hundred were wont
to pay homage and entertain visiting
royalties and princes in the old, IN
occupied days, you saw two American
major generals, five brigadicr gem
cldns, swarm5 of mere Colonrls and
majors and hundreds CT captains and
"shayetails' competing in terms of
the most absolute democracy ana
equality, enthusiastically and fran :
tically for dances with telephone
girls, nurses, amateur entertainers
and .typists-all the American girls
which great round uQ" in the AM
erican area was able to yield in the
way of feminine war NOrl;e"s ana
Gancing talent.
About 100 American girls were mo-
| bilized for the first military dance,
many coming long distances N the
generals staff cars. or even III motG'
, trucks and ambulances. One of tho
| liveliest and most persistent dancers
was Major Cen j. b. Dickman, com
mander of the Third Army, who
showed to great advantage dancing
with Rita Gould. former New York
Winter Garden beauty, doing every
one of the fourteen dances, with in
Vulnerable extras.
General Dckman led the grand
march with Miss Polly Ellis. nurse
of New Orleans, followed by Major
General Hines, Brigadier Generals
Campbell, KING Mitchell, Marshall,
Mclaughlin and Kilburn. and many
other American officers. The odds
of these to the dancing girls, which
included gray-haired dowagers, were
nearly eight to one. There was ire
mendous competition and wild
scramblirg for girls and frantic cut.
ting in, half dozen ball room
queens changing hands ten or twelve
times in the course of a single dance,
while even the average looking or
homely war girls had half a dozen
generals and lesser lights competing
for their favor. One of the typical
features was when General Kilburn,
a copgressionalist medalist, had his
girl stolen by mere Red Cross ieu-
tenant, while nervy subaltern who
tried to cut out General Dickman,
nearly succeeded, but he quickly re-
treated when he caught sight OF tie
generals two stars on his shoulder
strap.
The dancing continued until early
morning. A mystery surrounding
missing refreshments resulted in The
startling disclosure that some salad
provided by the military entertain
ment eommittee,l when tasted bv The
chairman. proved to be "doped" ana
it was hastily withdrawn from cifcu-
lation. Two German cooks of the
club were placed in custody pending
thorough investigation. Simultan-
eously in the military held towns of
Treves and Neuwied dances were held
the dancing epidemic spreading over
the whole American area.