The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-12-02
HERO OF ARCONNE
DIVES INTO SEA
Colonel Who Told Germans To go
To Hell" Dcrangcd ny Tn
known Funeral.

New York, Nov. 2s.-His mind APP
parently unbalanced as a result OF
his having been a pail bearer at the
burial of Americas unknown soldier
in Arlington, Charles w. whittlesey,
famous as the leader of the lost bat
talon" of the 3Osth Infantry, ended
his life by jumping into the sea from
the United Fruit liner Toloa, which
is bound for Havana and due there
late tom morrow
The suicide evidently was careful
ly thought out Colonel whittlesey
sailed without letting any of his rel
atives or friends know he was going
to do so, or divulging his identity to
the steamship company. The Tooa
left here at noon Saturday.
A wireless came from Captain
Grant, the Toloa's master, the morn
ing that c. w. Whittlesey, a pass
enger had been missed when the ship
was twenty-four hours out on the way
down the coast.
Colonel on Passenger List.
A check of those who sailed show
ed that c. W. Whittlesey had booked
passage through the American TX
press Company. Through. the address
gliven in the hooking, IA Wall Street,
the identity of the missing passenger
became known, for there Colonel
wnttlesey had been engaged short
time in law practice with the firm Of
White & Case.
Those in the office could not be-
lieve 1t when they were confronted
with the facts. Colonel WhittlCs. y
when he ltf. the office SATURDAY. told
some o. his friends that he vas going
&c visit his mother. Mrs Frank r
VIII. iesey. of Pittsfie.d, Mass 1t
,l.o was Ined that he told others
that N was going away for the week
md but ID not know quite VI cro
To all he said he would be home Mon
day
The identity of Colonel Whittlesey
was wirelessed to Captain Grant on
the Toloa and he sent back details.
After Colonel whittlesey was missed.
an officer of the ship went to the
state room and found note for the
captain asking him to notify Frank
II. Whittlesey. the Colonel's father
of his sons~death. Mr.. Whittlesey's
address in Pittsfield was given.
Wanted Classmate Notified.
The note requested that John b.
Pruyn of New York. also be notified.
MIR. Pruyn was classmate of Colonel
whittlesey in Williams College and
his former law partner here. A third
request in the note to the Captain
was that the baggage left in the state
room. be destroyed.
In the transmission of these details
by wireless, Captain Grant added to /
his message:
$50 to He'll Wins Fame.
The crisp. laconic reply: "You go
to hell" hurled in the teeth of a
German officer who called on him and |
his men to surrender. was the rhe-
torical battlefield classic which
brought Colonel Whittlesey into fame
overnight.
Surrounded in the Argonne with
mis- commend, the First Battalion of
he 3OSth Infantry, Seventy-seventh
Division, Colonel Whittlesey had
been cut off for four days without
'ood or fresh water. All but eighty
,even men had been killed or wound
I'd. At dusk October z, 1918, a
lag crossed the lines. He bore a
Message asking the Americans to sur
'ender, lin the name of humanity"
A few hours after the messenger
lad been sent back with Colonel
reply, an American adj
-ance took place and all were rescu-
ID.
His exploit was rewarded by Presi-
lent Woodrow Wilson with the Con-
,ressional Medal of Honor, the most
herished American wartime decora-
ion. given only for valor outside the
ocular line of duty. Some months
fter the armistice the German Of
Ger who demanded Colonel Whit
lesey's surrender added to his lau-
els by publishing statement extol-
ng the Americans courage and de-
summation.