The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-30
YORK TELLS STORY
Of FAMOUS DEED
Tennessee Hero After Many
Honors Awaits Return to
Private Life.

CHATTANOOGA. Tenn. May So
Sergt. Alvin C. York. hero OF the Ar.
gonne, East Tennessee m~ountainesr
after a day Of festivities here, Is now
at Fort oglethorpe awaiting demohiLiza-
ton,
Sergt. York vas met at the station
here Thursday morning by Brlg.-Gen
w. ). Scott, commander at Fort Ogle-
thorpe, and a great concourse Of citi-
zens, who escorted him to a local hotel
and served with lunch, He was intro.
duoed to the guests by Mayor Jesse
Ldttleton and made probably the long
est address which he has delivered
since his return from France.
His Longest Speech.
II certainly appreciate what Ten
nessee has done for me In Welcoming
and ! will go q little further and say
! deeply appreciate what America has
done for me In welcoming me back.
and not only me, but every boy who
has gone TO France. There Is not a
boy any prouder to return than l.. and
we had q pretty tough time Of It In
bitter with the sweet, and we had our
bitter parts there and we hope now
the result from the bitter will be the
sweet. There has been no army in
the world which did its work with 30
great a will as did our army. America
now has a. chance to put itself at the
top notch In the hearts OF the people
Of the world, and during this time we
should not forget whose hand 1t was
that was with us during II all. America
today Is the only nation Of the world
that has a generation Of young men,
and firmly believe 1t is the most
Christian nation in the world. The
hand of God, | believe. was certsinly
want money or fame in this war, There
was something higher and better than
that, The boys who gave their lives
for our country have done a great deal
and we ought to be proud OF theni,"
Later Sergt. York was a guest Of
the Rotary club and was made an
honorary member. 1t is expected that
he will be discharged from the army
at once and will return to his home
at Pail Mall, Tenn.
Detailing the fight in which he
gained undying fame, ssrgt. York said:
Tells Of Famous Exploit.
Il was sitting down when the battle
was going on. I wasn't excited. You
know Il things get hot q fellow
to lose heart. Just at the time you
think you are about to surrender your
self the other fellows are ready to sur
render. The Germans came down the
hill. There were seven or eight OF
them In the first wave. | didn't have
time to count them, but began rapid
they all went down. My men were on
my left, guarding the prisoners. In
the batch upon the hillside | kept on
hearing someone shooting. l made them
all take off their belts and throw away
their guns and packs where they stood.
/ couldn't help but get tickled at them
when they went marching off with me
among the prisoners. got mad. when
he found out there were so few OF
us and said oh In good English when
he found out l was American. He
thought we were going to kill him."
How was It you got seven or eight
made on YOUR Sergt, York WAS asked,
II was doing rapid-fire shooting.
can empty three clips at 20 yards be-
fore anyone can reach me-"
mo doubt you. thought you would
Associated Press reporter.
81 didn't think n such a thing. J
j went over to France. II you keep
God with you and trust and obey Him
You will come out victorious" said the
valiant soldier.
Sergt. York Thursday night wired
Senator Kenneth Mcclellan, asking
him to introduce the necessary
legislation allowing the return Of
the revolver-No. 2%obs-with which
he killed the Germans at the
time of his Argonne exploit, and also
a revolver taken off the German major
whom he captured. The revolvers were
turned over to the army quartermaster
AT Retz, France. Sergt. York was made
an honorary member of the Chat
ia O Rotary club and elected a dele
gate to the Salt Lake convention by
the Rotarians.