The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-12-05
JUDGE BELL
WAR VETERAN
JUDGE BELL AT AGE OF FIFTY
SIX ENLISTED IN THE RANKS
AND FOUGHT LIKE A YOUNG
STER.

AND FOUGHT LIKE A YOUNG
STER.
Private Bell. aged Sc. is the dean
of the A. E. +. veterans who made
up fifty per cent of the men employ
ed in the bureau of war risk insur-
ance.
Twice gassed, veteran of y-erdun,
Bedford and the Argonne and wearer
of two gold service chevrons, is the
record that ex-Buck Private Alden Bell
OF the 10th infantry. Spanish-Ameri-
can war veteran, formerly judge OF a
probate and criminal court in Texas,
public prosecutor, orator, editor and
four times a member of the Virginia
Legislature, has added to the achieve
ments of a remarkable career and plac-
ed him jump from the lead in the
race for the honor of being the grand.
daddy of all A. E. F. vetrans. Frank
Nelson of Dillon, Montana, aged TO,
claims to be the Methusaleh of all
veterans after four months overseas
service.
Private Bell, who prefers his army
title to the Judge" that prefaced his
| patronynic cognomen avant lie guerre,
| is a kindly looking old gentleman.
small of stature, with gray hair and
i
| imagination to picture him trudging
| through a sea of mud carrying an
| eighty pound pack or going over the
/ top side by side with huskies forty
| years his junior.
| He did it, though. His record shows
/ it,-and a lot of other things, too, for
Private Bell was not only good and
faithful soldier, but he topped the ordi-
nary and ranks among our most distin-
guished doughboys. Mustard gas took
his eyebrows away in the Argonne
and tried to steal his breath at YER
dun. but the venerable battler sur
vived and, indeed, recovered so well
THAT a few months later his name APP
peared as the subject of very COM
plimentary articles in French, English
and Italian publications.
When the war broke out, Judge Bell
applied for enlistment but was sum-
! marily rejected by matter of fact, re-
cruitinG officer who didn't even dream
that there was chance for the appii-
cant. The judge was not stumped,
however, and one day caught train
i to Washington. Due to his persistence,
he was one day admitted to the pres
ence of high official in the war de-
partment. A short time later he made
a bee line for the nearest recruiting
office and exhibited a paper dated
lOctober 81, 1917, signed by the adju-
tant general, to the effect that ne au-
thorizes the enlistment of Alden Bell
formerly a member of Co. b, Bird Vir-
pinia infantry, national guard, waving
over-ape and defective vision, II other
wise qualified" @sasss4-
| private Bell landed in ST. Nazaire
June 81, 1918, and after the usuai
Hommes, s Cheveaux, and various
arast,, areas. arrived in the vicinity o.
yera1n with his outfit. There he die
the same as all doughboys, slept II
mud ate slum and fought coolies
hut he must have boycotted Van hous'
for his commanding officer saia soi,ie
| very nice things about him WHEN iAs
i was discharged.
the exposure that folio"et
hrofght on rheumatism, and Judge Del
fo,,nd himself assigned to the rea
,non his discharge from the hospita
. I,yan this, however, did not oaiipet
h;. enthusiasm and before the eessa
ron of hostilities he was sent aioo ~
to different camps in France uiioe -
,rsn;ces of welfare ORGANIZATIONS =
. lecture TO the soldiers. ana .heie
,oanv veterans who VIII remenipe. -.
&c he stood before them hVliS ~
+ration of the patriotism ne
, ed. , pa+r;otisn O
later. his lecture the Patrio.is
!, ,ha American Soldier was oe , -,
:, paris. London and Rome CO =.
eyfvan high praise by such POI ~,
| ~. Tordon Times, the Parls
$50 tho European edition Oh the w.
- uerald and the Popolo f@oiiie. ~,
Il = daily paper published IN hoi. u..,o,
I,.,s s+orx is worthy OF repelitio
: .sPriyate Alden Bell, soioiei =, ~,
. American expeditionary iorce' ,igb
! rone delivered speech oloyy
in Rome near the Amer a+,;o
which showed him to De poin arcesn
, and a great orator. foe'io ,,,re i,
an "a and true in imagery, pure
: diction, with voice a. ,,,s+ora
II clear and sweetiy moduia.eu,
.;o, was a gem, and ne reahs
n ,,.+ed that upturned sea VI
/ tha Immense audience. sAno 'he
,-arsaI verdict was, that TINS
5 c.,usader. soldier and orator
. s-,a,, of those in Europe, Great pfi..-i.
t r-rance and Italy, who are contenu,.r
/ - .t,a worlds liberty. PrlVate %
) a RI catch inspiration from NJ
t rs to the old Roman For uii'
/ - caesar and Cicero once spon.
/ ,,,,,;cb centuries ago echoeu WI.
49, ster voices of Rowman rei'o@i.
I,,a-a Reu is a graduate or the oiii-
-, of Virginia. He was 1or SOM
;,,ara of the probate ana crIiii
a,,,t Of Fort Worth, Texas, ane
- form as public prosecutor loi
@aTaa,,.n aud Runnels counties In the
-a,,,a state. Before the war ne iia.