The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-05-29
WORLD
WAR
YARNS
by Lieut.. Fronk E. Hogon
The Victor of the Marine

The Victor of the Marine
According to the popular idea. Mar
shall Joffre, who died recently, was
the victor at the first Battle of the
Marine. but recent historical scholar
ship proves rather cOnclusively that
credit for the miracle of the Marine"
belongs to a most unmilitary-loOking
military genius, bespectacled and
untidy looking little man with shaggy
mustaches, black buttoned boots and
yellow leggings, of whom high-hat
British general once said. mo Brit
ish officer would be seen speaking to
such q d-n comedian" His name
was Joseph Simon Gallieni and he
was governor of Paris when the Ger
man tidal wave began to roll back the
British and the French that day in
September, 1914.
1t was Gallieni who saw that the
German right flank was exposed at
critical time during the Battle OF the
Marine, 1t was Gallieni whose insist
ence gained from Joffre permission
for counter-attack and it was this
counter-attack which caused the Ger
man advance to waver. then stop. then
begin to recede.
Associated with this battle also Is
the famous story of the "taxicab
army" which is supposed to have
turned the tide. The popular idea is
that Gallieni rushed his soldiers to
the front In q feet of taxicabs just
In the nick of time to halt the Ger
man advance. The true story is this:
The Seventh French division had just
detrained near Paris, but it was 40
miles from the battle front. II 1t
marched to the front it would be too
late. The available rail transport
could take only half of the division.
So the Paris police rounded up all
the available taxicabs. 600 in num-
Der, and sent them to Gagny, where
they were filled up with soldiers and
dispatched toward the Marine. Cal
lieni, upon seeing the ingenious trans
portation expedient, is said to have
remarked with some amusement:
swell, at least it's not commonplace y
Commonplace or not, it was effective
and in two trips the taxi fleet took
5000 soldiers to the place where they
were so badly needed even though in
passing and repassing they became
so mixed that several hours were
spent in sorting out the passengers"
before the division could attack.
Decorated"
How was the king of Montenegro to
know that the consuming passion OF
Americans in Paris, and on other
fronts, after the armistice was the
collection of medals?
Anyway, an American medical ma
for attached to the military police OF
Rue Ste Anne spawned the idea that
his private collection could be mate
rally enhanced if only the king would
cooperate. So he went into confer
ence with Russian colonel, aide-de-
camp to the Montenegrin monarch.
The result was that the king ended
one of his daily drives through the
Bots at the prison stockade near Long
champs so fatal to many wandering
doughboys.
Lieut.. Albert Mackey of Detroit
Lieut.. Albert Mackey, now of De
troit where he is giving the world
something new in the way Of windows.
but then of the Two Hundred and Six
ty-third M. P. corps, tells the story of
what happened at the stockade.
ct CHANGED that we were changing
guards when the king arrived" swears
Lieutenant Mackey. .'The old and
new guards were drawn up with the
prisoners paraded between. 1t made
a great impression on the king.
"a brother officer presented the king
with an American sawed-off shotgun;
/ handed him box of buckshot shells
to use in it. The king enjoyed the
reception tremendously and shortly
after, issued orders we were to be
decorated.
"There was HI to pay. since the
majors carefully laid designs had
become public. However, compro-
mise was effected. The major and an
officer who had just arrived from the
States were made officers of the Lee
gion of Honor of Montenegro. The
officer who'd disposed of the shotgun,
and l, became chevaliers.