Evening star., 1926-10-31
Gen. Summerall Due
To Arrive in Capital
Within Next 10 Days
Chief Of Army Staff and Mrs.
Summerall Soon to Estab-
lish Home for Winter.

'"The new top soldier" as the gay
young Army men call every new chief
Of staff, Gen. Charles Pelot Sum-
neral will in about 10 days arrive in
Washington from New York, and
with Mrs Summerall viii establish
home for the Winter. He Is the third
commander from the American Elk,
peditionary Force to reach the sum-
NIT, the first being the grand COM
mander. Gen. Pershing. Gen. Sum-
merall was the youngest of all the
corps chieftains but he had already
gained reputation which the Yanks
have expressed rather neatly in the
doggerel, "tlnd EN- all, drive 'em all,
kill 'em all, Summerall."
Gen. and Mrs. Summerall, though
young to be in such lofty station. are
nevertheless of mature years. Their
only child, Charles Pelot Summerall.
jr., graduated from West Point two
years ago and is a second lieutenant
of artillery, stationed at Camp Meade,
Md. Almost phenomenal in a military
commander, who has won all the
grades from his graduation at West
Point, Gen. Summerall has spent less
than three years in service in Wash
ington. In 1914-17 he was a lecturer
assistant to the chief Of the Military
Bureau and in charge of the Field
Artillery of the National Guard.
Washington fairly swarmed with
military in those days, for the rumor
Of American participation in the
World War was in the air, and Col.
and Mrs. Summerall were known to
a few personal friends. The big off,
cial circle naw opens for them an
absolutely ntsw experience and one
which cannot fail to be q pleasant
one.
Gen. Summerall is a native Of Lake
City. Fla, location" as the movies
express 1t, which was almost swept
out of vision In the late catastrophe
on the East Coast, and among the
inland towns of the Palmetto State.
After studying in the best military
school of the South, the chief Of staff
was appointed to West Point and
graduated with high honors in 1892.
The same year, being attached to an
Alaskan regiment and spending some
time In California, he married Miss
Laura Mordecai Of Benecia.
Ordered to China, the young lieu
tenant arrived in time to take part
in the Boxer rebellion, or rather in
its suppression, and he was among
those rewarded for bravery before the
Manchu gate, the fall Of which gave
admittanCe to the Forbidden City and
was the beginning of the end Of the
great revolution. After serving in
China, the Summeralls spent several
years in the Philippines and then
were for a time residents of New
Orleans. when the general was aide
de camp to Brig. Gen. Pennington,
commanding the Department of the
Gulf. This brought Gen. Summerall
close to his old home and gave him
the opportunity to revisit cherished
scenes and to introduce his wife and
son to his relatives still living in the
vicinity of Lake City
Since the World War Washington
people have known Gen. and Mrs.
Summerall through visits to New
York City, for no comma nder or his
family at Governors Island has been
more kindly to the civilian or admitted
him on more equal terms to all the
martial celebrations which feature the
year. In fact. his residence In Gov
ernors Island has been marked by an
increased cordiality between the mill
tary and the civil population not only
on the reservation but in the big city
adjacent. Profoundly interested in
history, Gen. Summerall has entered |
With zeal into all local celebrations
and has appeared at many of the |
street pageants so prevalent in the |
Summer.
The new chief Of staff is said to re-
eemble that grim warrior. Oliver |
Cromwell, both in face and figure. and |
his creed is likewise rumored to be |
founded on that of the stern Coven-
anter. But no such warm-hearted- |
ness Is recorded of Cromwell as Of |
6ummerall in attending the sick and |
wounded of the 1st Division during |
the gruelling days in France and in |
the hospitals and sanitariums since |
the armistice, nor in the sense Of |
humor and whimsical spirit which |
was shown when he was the leading |
spirit Of the grand tour of the 1st |
Division circus which went from the |
Candadian border to the Gulf Coast |
and from ocean to ocean. gathering |
funds through their grotesque per- |
formance for the memorial shaft, with !
its gilded figure. which adorns the F.