The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-11-29
1BIG FIVE" EXPERTS AD-
TOJZRN THEIR SESSION
AT REQUEST OF ONE
SECRET BROODINC
OYER VAR HORRORS
SHATTERED MIND
That Is Explanation BY Lieutenant
Colonel Whittelsey's Friends and
Relatives of the Suicide Of
Hero of aLost Battalion"


New York, Nov. 29.--Secret brood
ing over the memories of his expert
ence in the great war, from which ne
emerged one of Americas greatest in
dividual heroes, was ascribed to-day
by friends and relatives of Lieutenant
Colonel Charles w. Whittelsey as the
cause of his taking his life Sunday
while on the way to Havana.
Leaving several letters, presumably
explaining his act, the commander OF
the aLost Battalion" disappeared from
the steamship Aoloa "a hours out from
New York. His intimate friends had
no idea he was making an ocean voy-
age.
Members of his family and close
business associates were incredulous at
first when a wireless dispatch reported
him missing. Then they began to re-
call incidents which, pieced together
might have been recognized as indica-
tions that his spirit was shaken by the
recurrent memories of his brothers-in-
arms who had died before his eyes IN
France.
The last blow, they said, more try
ing than the rest, was in Washington
a fortnight ago, when Colonel Whittel-
sey took part in the funeral services
for Americas unknown soldier. He re.
turned from the capital more de-
pressed than ever. There he had met
hundreds Of former friends, and had
marked anew the gaps in the ranks OF
the men he loved.
sHis mind stopped" was the expia-
nation of Robert Forsythe Little OF
the law firm of White &, Case, with
which Colonel Whittelsey had been as
sociated for about year. 1T had AL
it could bear, remarkable mind though
it was
.sFor the last two years there has
scarcely been an hour when the grief
and horror of the war was not brought
vividly and specifically. before him.
Colonel Whittelsey had told no one,
apparently, that he was going to Ha-
yana. When he left his office Friday
afternoon it was with some CHEEKY re-
mark regarding the Army Navy foot
ball game which he indicated he in
tended to see.
At his boarding house on East 44th
street he told friends he was going
away "to be by himself-to rest, "
when he left Saturday morning with
a travelling bag.
Colonel Whittersey's name leaped
into prominence over night through his
retort to the German officer who called
on him to surrender, after he was sur
rounded in the Argonne-
For four days and nights his com
mand, the First battalion, 30Sth in
fantry, 18th division, had lain under
fire, cut off from aid, without food or
fresh water. All but 81 men had been
killed or wounded.
Blind folded and under the protec-
tion OF white flag, a German soldier
stumbled into the American strong
point.
Surrender" he cried, 'in the name
OF humanity and Ne told how, from
the German trenches the agonized cries
of the American wounded could be
heard. But his message to the enemy
was not that he would lay down his
arms.
"You go to II" he said.
A few hours later American reserves
attacked all along the line, the Ger
mans were pushed back and the little
band of survivors saved.
On his return to the United States
he was voted the congressional medal
of honor, the most coveted American
decoration for heroism, and few
months after the armistice the Ger
man officer who called on him to sur.
render made public statement extoll-
ing the courage and dogged determine
tion Of his former foe.