Evening star., 1922-02-12
BURIED BY SNOW
IN HOTTEST AFRICA
Novel Experience of Pitts
burgher, Only American Of
ficer in Foreign Legion.
IN PARIS ON BRIEF LEAVE
Left His Company Tied Up by
Cold in Mountains South
east of Fee.
IN PARIS ON BRIEF LEAVE
by WILLIAM r.. NASH.


By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1922.
PARIS, February 11.-Snowed un-
der in hottest Africa was the novel
experience recently Of Edgar Gerard
Hamilton of Pittsburgh. a former
member of the Lafayette squadron
and the only American officer in the
French Foreign Legion. He is visiting
Paris this week on a short military
leave. Hamilton left his company
tied up by the cold in the mountain
GUS region southeast of Fee, Morocco
first sign of spring and expects stiff
fighting with the natives before
long.
1t is a romantic story this soldier
of fortune has to tell. The foreign
legion is made up of adventures
Hamilton says no questions are asked
as to their past. Forty per cent Of
the enrolment consist of German
volunteers recruited in the Rhineland
since the armistice and amounting
in round numbers to 5000 men. Then
after the bolshevist revolution. Third
in numbers are Sim Feiners whose
presence in Ireland proved Disagree
able to former British rulers.
Ten Americans I'm Ranks.
Ten Americans are serving in the
legion as privates or non-commis-
stoned officers. Three of them hail
from Chicago. James Cardwell Ruth
stationed at Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Algeria,
the headquarters Of the foreign le-
gion. Eaniel Cole, a negro private, a
graduate OF the University of Michi-
gan and the Massachusetts, Institute
of Technology, who despaired of gain
ing success as an engineer in the
United States. is serving at the front
in Morocco. He hopes to gain q COM
mission in the French army, where
no color line is drawn, and carve out
career for himself in aerial engi-
neering.
A Mr.: Winston is working out FIVE
year enlistment period in the jungles
of Indo-China- Two years ago he fell
in love with French girl and wanted
to marry her, but she refused to live
in the United States. He tried to find
permanent employment in Paris, but
citizen. 1t Is a long and tedious task
to acquire naturalization by the ordi-
nary process, but it can be done ac-
cording to French law by serving
three years in the foreign legion. Win
ston seized the opportunity, and If he
1
! in Indo- China, he will win CITIZENSHIP
and q wife.
Living Conditions Not Ideal.
Living conditions in the foreign le.
gion are not IDEAL" says Lieut.. Hamil.
ton, "but there are some compensatory
features. Our conditions are much
better than those in the Spanish for.
eign legion. know several men who
were so brutally mistreated by Span.
ish officers in the recent campaign
about Melil1a that they fed to Fee and
are now serving in the French foreign
legion.
"Despite its heterogeneous compost.
tion our unit claims to be the best
disciplined division in the French
army. We have plenty to do in Mo.
rocco. Large areas to the south oil
the Atlas mountains remain unsub-
dued by the French. The natives fight
fercely and cut OF the heads of the
men they take prisoners. 1t will take
some years to reduce them"
Notwithstanding the guerrilla fight.
ing described by Lieut. Hamilton, It II
well known that the French have &C.
complished wonders in the way OF
road building in the pacified regions
Practically the whole credit Is given
to Gen. LyautAy, the resident general
at one time minister OF war and one
| of the leading administrators Of the
French nation.