The New York herald., 1921-11-01
FOCH JOINS LEGION,
RECEIVES OVATION
Kansas City Welcomes Frances
Military Genius in
Tumultuous Style.
POLICE LINES SMASHED
Convention Town Runs Riot
With DOughboys and
Cowboys in Action.
POLICE LINES SMASHED

By a staff Correspondent OF THE New YoRK
HERALD
CONVENTION HALL KANSAS CITY, Mo-,
Oct. 31.--The special train carrying
Marshal Foch" from New York to the
third annual convention Of the Ameri-
can Legion, in session here, arrived
in this city tonight.
What happened can be appreciated
to certain degree by those who saw
the French soldiers reception in New
York. But relatively Kansas City's
greeting dwarfed Now York's. 1t was
just growing dark. Somewhere above
The fleet Of airplanes that were to
have escorted the train droned un-
heard. Perhaps ttey were lozt.
High above the plaza in front of the
railroad station stand the Penn VAL
ley Bluffs and on these heights thou
sands Of men and women had crowded
On either end Of the cliffs two 1000
candle power flares were burning. A
great band. composed of several small
ones, held forth In the rotunda.
. They say there are 100000 strangers
here because Of the convention, for
mer members of the American Ex-
peditionary Forces and their relatives.
1t seems fair to say all of them were
banked upon the slopes OF the heights
and in the wide plaza before the depot.
Down on the runway beside the
tracks where the train stood there
were two bands. one playing The Star
Spangled Banner" and the other alter
mating with the "Marseillaise."
Rockets Announce Arrival.
Just as the train entered the station
few rockets shot over the town.
That was the signal for the mob to
say what they thought of Foch. You
can say nothing except that they
yelled. You could hear the bands
down in the train shed, but the big
one in the rotunda might just as well
have stayed home
II Is not possible that the Gascon war
of the ovation he received IL iSew York
and along the route to Kansas City. He
was crowded out of his car and down
between a line OF National Guardsmen
into the long corridor leading to the high
gates of the station. On either side of
him were veterans of French wars. the
recent one and that OF 1870. Behind
them were members of French societies
of Kansas City.
Police and military lines were smashed
and the Marshal had TO shove his way
along and have II showed for him almost
like the ordinary folks following him.
He emerged into the Plaza directly fac
ing the Victory Memorial at the foot of
the bluffs that mark the beginning OF
Penn-Valley Park and here II was that
the remarkable demonstration took
place.
He was lifted into an automobile and
taken TO the home of Irwin R. Kirkwood.
proprietor Of the Kansas city Star.
where he will live until Wednesday night.
when he leaves for st. Louis. Detroit.
Chicago and Washington again. He was
officially met here at the gateway to
tho great Southwest by Arthur G. Hyde.
Governor of Missouri: James r. Cowgirl.
Mayor Of Kansas city: Brig. Gen Ely.
commanding at Fort Leavenworth
Lieut.. Col Peronne. the French army at
tache at Fort Leavenworth; John G
Emery national commander OF the
American Legion: Lemuel Bolles. the
national adjutant Carl Il. Bartlett
chairman OF the local convention com
mittee. and A. Il. Hutchins, genera
chairman Of the committee.
II is shamefully easy TO forget that
no less celebrated parsonage than Gen
John ]. Pershing was with the Marshal
when the tumult broke. But Pershins
refused TO do more than walk behind the
French strstegist. lie did everything
possible TO effaco himself.
This town prides itself upon its con
| vention facilities. II claims there never
has been convention that swamped It
When this ono comes to close ant
stock IL taken OF the affair II Is likely
| they'll say the limit was reached. Every
section OF the country and almost every
State is represented In this mob thai
Continued on Page Four.