The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-02-22
Memorial.

The great war has been fought and
won Americas SONS have returned
with the halo of victory about them
and the praise Of the world in their
cars They have come back to us
| knowing that their tasks were well
done and their duty toward the liberty
and brotherhood of the nations Of
the earth was fulfilled
In going to a foreign country to
help that country fight common
enemy, they offered all they possessed
| as a sacrifice to the cause Of democ-
racy and many from among them
gave the supreme sacrifice of their all
upon the field Of conflict
Many an Indian OF the ChickasaN
Nation went forth with his white
brothers and many Of them never
came back but sleep in honorcd graves
bneath the peoples and lilies Of France
lar from the homeland which belong.
ed to their fathers long before tie
white man found it.
There seems to be an especial sic.
nificance about the service Of these
/ ihN4ttAi llB llA'iNs NNlhlflS anu StillOIS,
Upon the services Of many of thom
the United States government hal
no claims whatever and yet a great
number Of these Indians volunteered
at the first for service wherever they
were needed and in the performance
of their duties az warriors and dc.
tenders of their native soil, they
were not eXcellcd.
Our commissioner, cato Sells. in his
annual report TO the Secretary Of The
Interior, has cited a few Of the In.
stances of heroism on the part of the
American Indian during the war.
Mr.. Sells says, "As "A rule, the Indian
bears his honors very modestly and his
reluctance to any display has some
what hindered definite information
in many cases. ! shall however give q
few instances Of representative sig
nificance.
1T is reported that Francis Legulre.
young Chippewa, in company with
two or three others. attacked q I'm.
chine gun nest and when left az
the only survivor, faced all that re.
mained of the machine gunners and
killed or captured the entire group. He
was said To be recovering at the
time from eleven wounds received IN
action
"rhe superior officer of Richorq
| Bland Breeding Of Oklahoma said
of him: lie was the most capable. dar
( ing, and fearless platoon leader in the
DIVISION
Alfred u. Bailey, n Cherokee, of
Oklahoma, had been in regular service
with Gen. Pcrshing in Mexico. lrc
was q sergeant when killed in ac.
ton in France and was awarded the
distinguished service cross for crac-
I ing into the cnemy's lines alone ftr
/ in advance Of his regiment, where
unald"d, he killed two German ma
chine gunners and captured a thr,
together with his gun.
Sergeant O. ". Leader. a three.
fourth blood Choctaw. was foreman Of
o. cattle ranch in Oklahoma when wc
entered the war. Greatly to his chag.
/ rim an idle rumor gained currency
| that he was a Hun spy. He quit the
/ cattle business at once and enlisted
as proof of his American loyalty. He
was cited for bravery in battle in
| the course Of brilliant record of
which this is a synopsis: Fought Al,
| Cantgny, May 2S, 1913; fought AZ,
scissors, Chateau-Thierry. July r.,
1918; fought in the st. Mihiel salient,
| September II, 1918; fought in the AZ
/ sonne Forest October l, 1918. Twice
wounded and twice gassed. In addition
to thi, military record is the inter.
esting fact that Sergeant Leader was
selected by the French government as
the model original American soldier Of
whom an oil painting is to be made to