The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-08
STABBED, BOMBED,
SARRAUT CLINCS
TO HELUCK PIECE
French Delegate Feels He
Owes Life to Carved
Bit of Jade.
ny NADINA CALVERT.

BY NADINA CALVERT.
II. Albert Sarraut, minister Of the
colonies In the French cabinet and
delegate to the conference on lin
itation Of armaments, has looked
death In the face about as often as
falls to the lot Of any man in nc
ton, or fact. and has always come
out of IL whole, with one exception.
He has received bombs in his
mail for holiday gifts and his
dwelling was blown up about his
ears.
He has fought duels and on one
| occasion was pierced through the
chest by the rapier OF his antaEon-
list.
A sub-Iieutenant in the French
infantry, in the front line trenches
at yerduni when his comrades were
blown TO atoms about him. Mr.. Sar-
raut was unscathed.
He holds the Croix de Guerre
with a palm for bravery in action.
His Lucky Piece.
NJ Sarraut attributes his fortune
to a Jade lucky piece which he
picked up on his first mission to
French Indo China. II is q highly
| ornate. eXquisiteiy carved bit OF
green that has been his so long and
So probably he would part with a
large portion OF his personal for
| tune rather than let IL 60 from his
possession.
For purely sentimental and pa
triotic reasons he prizes his cits-
ton and decoration won at the
front. but the tiny jade token
comes hrst In his esteem.
II found the Jade charm in a
squsid little Chinese shop far in
the interior OF French Indo- China"
said NJ. Sarrsut, but even in this
remote place. seldom visited by a
white man. It took plenty OF gold
to acquire it II has an odd his
tory. dating back several hundred
years and always associated with
| the superstitious old shopkeeper
had to be well paid to part with It.
Il have never had occasion TO re-
greet the purchase.
stabbed Through Chest.
sixteen years ago in Paris !
! fought q duel with another member
OF the Chamber Of Deputies about q
political matter. He proved the
better swordsman and was
stabbed through the chest. 1t was
narrow escape. but il was not
| long before recovered and was in
the best of health again.
Again, in lndo-China the natives
/ were in constant turmoil. 1t be-
came the habit of the Chinese to
/ send me explosive bombs for re-
| membrance. My study on one occs-
! sion was wrecked and debris fell
| all about me. but / survived.
When the great war occurred I
returned from Indo China, where !
held the position OF governor gen.
ersl. and volunteered for military
service. Although l am a grand
father ! went into the front-line
/ trenches as a second lieutenant and
I am glad that ] won my war cross
I in this way instead OF being at
| tsched TO headquarters in the rear
as a staff officer"
Has Filled Many inches.
NJ. Sarraut has followed many
profes Sions. always successfully. He
| has been newspaperman. educator.
lawyer. soldier and statesman. He
was principal editor OF lie Depoche.
one of the most influential Of the
French journals.
He was born at Bordeaux in 1872
and was made undersecretary of
state at the age OF 30. In 1911 he
was appointed governor general Of
Indo-China and is responsible for
many of the reforms which finally
made it possible to extend a mea-
sure OF elf-government to the
colony.
In 1918 NJ. Ssrraut was appointed
minister OF colonies in the French
cabinet by Millerand. His admins
tration proved so successful and
popular that ". Leagues and NJ
BRAND reappointed him.
He " reputed to be wealthy and
has collected in his travels about
Europe and the Far East one OF the
finest private collections OF paint
ings and prints in France