New-York tribune., 1919-05-23
Tennessee Sergeant Who
Killed rs of Enemy Re-
turns With 89th Division
on Steamship Ohioan
Greeted by s'Home Folks
Winner of Congressional
Medal to Get $4,000
Farm and $4,000 Bond

Sergeant Alvin C. York is a red
head" His neck is red and criss-
crossed with un-baked burrows. His
ears are red and prominent. HIS leg
ular-featured face is red, and his
mustache, too, so that by contrast his
eyebrows and lashes are white. But
his eyes are blue and deep set and
sharp. Without his No. II u doughboy
shoes he is more than six feet tall.
On October s, 1918, near Chatel Che
hery, in the Argonne Forest, Sergeant
York killed twenty-five Germans, cap
tured 1872 others, including Il major
and three lieutenants, and out oat Of
action thlrty-tive machine guns. When
this man on November IA, 1917, left
Pail Mall. Fentress County, Tenn,
where he is second elder in the
Church of Christ and Christian Union,
he was a conscientious objector. When
he landed in Hoboken yesterday from
the transport Ohioan he was wearing
the Congressional Medal Of Honor and
CroiX de Guerre with palm That had
been pinned to the wrinkled breast of
his olive drab tunic by Marshal Foch
himself.
27,309 Other Troops Arrive
Besides Sergeant York there landed.
in the port of New York yesterday
27,309 other soldiers. While the latter
went into quarantine and through the
cootie mill, Sergeant York was greet
ed at the dock in Hoboken by re-
ception committee of the Tennessee
Society of New York, with a special
pass from the Adjutant General in
Washington granting him five days
leave in New York For hectic half
hour this Tennessee hill country black
smith was the vortex of swarm of
photograph reporters, movie cam
era men and members of the recep-
tion committee, all of these last fight
ing for the privilege of carrying some
part of the dunnage that Sergeant
York bore on his fat shoulders for
many weary mile in French mud.
Then he was assisted (Which made
him chuckle) into a big automobile
and ferred to New York and thence
to the Waldorf Astoria. Two bell boys
fought for the honor of carrying his
blanket roll, trench helmet and pack
into the hotel.
Manager Acts as Bellboy
Oscar Tschirkey, the manager has
greeted potentates with far less
warmth than he showed to Sergeant
York yesterday. Oscar waved off a
clerk who presented the register for
the sergeant's signature. He could
register in his suite, the one adjoin-
ing the suite reserved for the Pres
ident of the United States. Then Os-
car led the way, using his own portly
form to batter a path through the
idlers in Peacock Alley. 1t was Oscar
who held the gate of an elevator until
the sergeant and all his retinue of
bellboys and reception committee were
inside and again it was Oscar who
clapped his hands for maid servants
to unlock the doors of Sergeant York's
suite.
The sergeant entered a room with
wondrous pictures on walls lined with
heavy brocadc, upholstered furniture
and gilded piano cleaning in a cor
ner. He took off his overseas cap and
looked for a nail on which to hang It,
Then he laid it down on the edge of
divan and stood up.
His Mothers Picture
E. A. Kellogg, member of the Ten
nesee Society's reception committee,
turned toward the soldier silver pic
ture frame, standing on a table. The
red haired man looked at the spectacled
old lady whose photographed likeness
gazed back at him. Then he said:
That's the first picture I've seen of
my mother in several days"
Several days meant about eighteen
months for York then explained that
he had not carried pictures of his
kinfolk overseas. "Id rather leave 'em
home than in the trenches" he said.
Don't you want to have bath ?"
Tn1, E..>