Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-08-15
SOLDIERS MASCOTS
Almost Every Organization Overseas
Had Its Pet.
BELGIAN hoy WAS GREAT fAVORITE

BELGIAN |BOY WAS GREAI fAVUkll
Jeans Relatives Were Killed by Ger
mans and He Was Taken Unde
Douehboys Protection-Neero Or
ganization Had Baboon for Pet.
BY Lewis M. Grist.
Practically every organization tina
Iserved overseas had its own masco,
Mascots mostly were confined to regi
ments although there were man!
smaller units-battalions and ever
lcompanies that had their respective
pets. These mascots included children
dogs, cats, bears, donkeys, snakes
monkeys-almost anything. remem-
ber well, Jean. mascot Of regiment
of husky American engineers who were
quartered for long time In the towr
Of La Rochelle, a French town In
which was also stationed for several
months.
Jean was a Belgian lad, some five
or six years of age. His father and
mother and sister were killed before
his eyes while the Huns were masters
of Belgium and he was allowed to live
after the most horrible cruelties and
indignities had been practiced upon his
little person by the hellish hounds.
American soldiers routed the Ger
mans out Of that part Of Belgium
which included jeans home shortly
after this occurred. The boy, abso-
lutely alone not only his parents but
all his other relatives either having
been killed or driven into exile by the
Germans, sought q haven among the
Americans.
He was a winsome little fellow, with
plenty of spirit and pluck despite his
many sufferings and the terrible scenes
that he had witnessed. One Of the
members Of the regiment Of engineers
who had adopted Jean told me his
story one day:
Jean Just naturally blew In on our
outfit" one day he said. "The first
sight any Of us had Of him was when
he appeared at one Of the regiments
cooking shacks. He was dirty and
ragged and hungry. The cook could
mot understand bit Of Belgian then
but when the boy pointed to the poi
of beef that was cooking on the stove
and began rubbing his stomach, hs
knew the lad was hungry. Several OF
we fellows happened around about
that time and amused ourselves by
watching that kid eat. The way he
went after the chow was a caution
Then when he had eaten all he could
he politely thanked the cook in his
Belgian and then just sort Of took uI
with we fellows.
I'VE liked him from the start. One
of the fellows could talk his lingo and
through him we learned the boys
story. The Huns had shot his mother
and his father and his sister right be-
fore his eyes. They hacked and cut
the body Of the boy and left him
bruised and bleeding, believing that he
would die.
I'VE gave him some old army
clothes and bunk in one Of our tents.
| We are fools about him all right and
I guess he will 60 home with US when
we Co."
That was the history Of Jean. The
wee Belgian boy, dressed in khahl
suit, overseas cap and in fact an en-
tire soldiers layout was a familiar
figure around La Rochelle. Soldiers
Of every organization came to know
him and his story and the lad was
universal favorite.
French children almost worried the
! life out of "Y" secretaries in La
Rochelle. They would enter the build
ings and carry off literature, writing
materials and everything they could
lay their hands on. One day a num-
Der of these French children proved
Unusually annoying to a certain Y. M.
| c. A. man who drove them out withou:
ceremony.
Among the youngsters in the build
| ing was Jean the mascot, dressed IN
his suit Of Uncle Sans khaki. The T.
M. G.. A. worker either did not know
him or did not recognize him. He
ordered little Jean out Of the building
talong with the rest.
Jean did not want to go, and the "Y'
man slapped him and slapped him
hard causing the little fellow to cry.
He left the building and soon came
upon a lieutenant Of the regiment OF
which he was mascot.
Observing that he had been crying
the lieutenant asked the lad what was
the trouble and after saluting in true
soldierly form, the little lad informed
the officer that he had been slapped
and driven out of the "Y" building
The officer Immediately went to see
the "Y" man about it. carrying little
Jean with him. 1t was Some baliine
out that the secretary received at the
hands of that "looey."
| didn't hear the balling out that the
"Y" man got but every man aimos'
who was stationed in La Rocheiie
heard about 1t. and i. was daisy.
Little Jean no doubt Is now resi-
dent of the United States. I saw him
Just a few days before left La
Rochelle, to go to another station ano
the understanding then was that the
regiment Of which he was such
popular member was to be sent home
within a short time.
A negro outfit which was campeo
for a long while near my own com
pany had as a mascot giant baooon
Where they got 1t I never knew. The
negroes thought lot Of it, however
and they spent many a leisure houi
teaching the animal how to soldier
Like Jean, the Belgian boy TINS
baboon was always dressed in khaK'
clothes and it was common sight to
see it come striding down the streets
of that little French town during leave
hours along side some Of the soldiers