The Washington times., 1921-03-11
ARMY RECRU|TER
I ENL|STS REGIMENT
Sergeant Bentley, Now at WAL
ter Reed, Works Moor shine
Zone Effectively.


CHICAGO. March 11.-Serseant Ed
ward NJ. (Mickey) Bentley. former
University of Chicago law student, is
one man who is worth a regiment TO
the army. He has proven il by turn
| ing himself into one-man recruit
ing bureau and enlisting 1.104 ex-
| moonshiners for service in the first
division.
Sergeant Bentley produced a regi-
| ment OF raw material for the army
at cost of II pairs Of shoes 5000 in
| his own money, 1,160 miles of travel,
81 pounds OF his own weight and a case
| of nerves. He now is in Walter
Reed Hospital, Washington. ID. c.,
covering from the expedition, but he
plans to go back among the hill
billieS' as soon he can look al
enc without getting sick.
HIS OWN IDEA.
His plan to spreadthe Gospel Of the
new army through the Blue Ridge
mountains was his own. He had been
released from the hospital on sicl;
leave, so he needed no complicated
official sanction for che work. He
started up into the mountains weigh
ing POS pounds AMI believing his uni
form would serve as f. guaranty ut
picious mouutaineerc.
He speedily discovered that he had
not heard much about mountaincers,
and that the ountcincsrS had L)t
heard about the army. II is the cts
tom In the ;poultaias, il apears, 10
shoot first and listen to recruiting
talks afterward.
But Bentley, for all of his physical
extension, did not stop any bullets.
He returned with his 1,107 recruits
only three OF whom failed 10 pass
official muster. and received gold
watch from the First Division So
ciety and a letter OF commentator
from Washington. The letter indi-
Gated that a pair OF shoulder bars
might be one of his rewards. For il
seems that in arguing with unwilling
moonshiners Bentley convinced him
self that the army was the greatest
institution in the world, and he has
decided to remain with IL.
CHILLY SUNDAY OF THE ARMY
Bentley is known among his com
rades of the First Division as the
Billy Sunday of the Army" thanks
| to his success in "cvangelistic" work.
He recently filed a report OF his eX-
dition-a report containing more
OF romance and adventure than hith-
erto had been recorded in the history
of the recruiting service.
His journeyings frequently were
made under constant peril Of chance
shot from some moonshiner on watch
| for stray "revenooers"-one who did
draw bead" on him eventually sue
cumbed to his arguments and Joined
| up"--and the necessity OF getting on
| friendly basis with the mountain
GERS demanded that he take part in
their daily life and even participate
| in their occupations. At one time
Sergeant Bentley donned a miners
outfit and worked underground in or
der to win the confidence of pros
pective rockies" Staid army regu-
lations took him to task for this. but
he escaped punishment because of the
results he obtained.
OUT-TALKs SUSPICION.
often penetrating into wilds fifty or
sixty miles from a railroad, Sergeant
| Mickey" was forced to out-talk a ma .
tive suspicion, heightened by his
Northern accent, before the family
Winchester would be laid aside and he
would be allowed to put up" for the
highland. incidentally, talk army to
the men of the family. Many Of his
recruits were obtained in this way.
| oUCc utCIuiHB 10 JOIN inc army, the
eagerness of the mountaineer to "be a
soldier" was amusing as well as pa
thetic. says the sergeant. He always
carried extra uniforms in his pack.
| and, when the first recruit was
"tricked out" his chest measurement
noticeably expanded. When a re
cruiting service" armband was added
his self-esteem rose another notch.
but when he was decorated with an
IN. p, band and assigned to convoy
batch Of fellow-recruits to division
headquarters, he felt bigger than the
| President OF the United states"
Compared with his twenty six
months service over there" with the
First Division, Sergeant Mickey"
says his mountain experiences make
little thing like sleeping in n trench
on the western front seem like play
| time again" Substantiatiop of this
opinion might be gained from the fact
that when the sergeant started on his
hike" he weighed 265 pounds. and
/ l.