Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-23
POINCARE INCIDENT
TOLD BY SERGEANT
AmpIifieS Pershing's Account
of Informal Greeting to
French President.
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March % (NANA) -
The full story Of how he showed Gen.
Pershing and President and Nine Poin-
care the sights OF war-torn Sampigny
on a pleasant morning in September,
1918, was told last night by Louis H.
Miller, once an Artillery company sup
ply sergeant and now a manufacturer
Of ladies' rsady-to-wear who lives in q
comfortable apartment on West End
avenue in this city.
Although the incident, as told by
Gen. PerShing in the installment OF his
memoirs published on March Is, has
resulted In many rather emotional let
ters from men who had served In
France and found the account hard to
believe, to Sergt. Miller the experience
remains merely an interesting basis for
his belief that sometimes some generals
are human
Gen. Pershing's story of the incident
tells how he accompanied President and
Mime. Poincare en- a visit to their de-
stroyed country house on the outskirts
Of Sampigny. Leaving the house they
walked through the streets of the town.
Met Two Americans.
"As we strolled about" Gen. PERISH
ing wrote, two American artillerymen
whose brigade happened to be billeted
In the village came forward and when
I told them who the visitors were they
seemed to regard my remarks as an in
PRODUCTION, and both walked up and
warmly shook hands with President
and Nine. Poincare and then quietly
went about with US.
ut was Just another illustration Of
our democracy and the President and
his wife were very gracious though
much amused by the cordial and rather
unconventional manner Of their guests.
Sergt. Millers version Of the incident
starts with his discovery that there was
q woman IN town.
IT was walking around with Corpl
Frank Herman and we saw this woman
down by the railroad yards. We went
right over to see her and asked her
what she was doing there because this
was territory that hadn't beer open
long. She said she was q maid on the
private train of the President of France
and pretty soon she went away.
Suddenly Sees Pershing.
I'VE walked around and Just as we
turned a corner Corpl. Herman sud-
denly said, Let's beat it. Here comes
Pershing.'
:" Stick close I said. We can't beat
it. We've got TO salute
$50 when they came up to us we sa-
luted. Well, the general asked what We
were doing there, because We weren't
supposed to be there, of course.
II said that was q supply sergeant
and that we were out hunting TO see
where he could get more water If the
water we had gave out. So he said
something about having the President
with him don't remember just what
and said, I know It, and sort Of
smiled, and Corpl Herman and I went
over and shook hands.
Then we walked around q little
and we pointed out q strange sight to
them, q dog that looked Ike It was
petrihed. It was lying at what had
been the window of q house, but the
window had been blown out and there
was grass growing in cracks in the
door. But the dog was lying there with
It's head out like 1t was waiting for its
master"
Asked for Autograph.
A short time later they left the
Presidents party and Sergt. Miller hur-
red over to the special train. He told
q French oficer there of having been
4GuNuCEu 70 EIS6luCub EOhlC&AG anu
said that he wanted an autograph. The
oflcer explained that that was i'm
possible as the President could not give
out his autograph while the war was
on, but promised TO send it to him af-
terward If he would leave his address.
"But didn't know where I'd be
when the was was over" he explained
last night, 80 I didn't leave an ad-
dress. Maybe I'd be dead for all I
knew and they'd have all the trouble
for nothing. AS it happens I'm long
way from dead, but that's my good
luck"
He returned from France with the
Dist Brigade, 57th Coast Artillery
Corps-with which he had served out
the war-and married Estelle c. Adler,
who had been a volunteer in the
Motor Corps Of America. They have
two sons, one years old and the other
5, both Of whom. according to their
father, ARE lively with lots Of initiative
that we like to see"
Sergt Miller is not certain about the
present address of Corpl. Herman, but
Is sure that he lives somewhere in Far
Rockaway.
Copyright, 1881 by North American News
paper Alliance)