Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-08

Corps language. In a matter Of seconds
he had them in the hollow of his hand,
gripped by that personality which even
his friends cannot analyze. They
cheered him to the echo and went away
to work as though it were play. And 1t
wasn't. It was pick-and-shovel stun
day laborers would have baked at.
It wasn't a trick on Buffers part
either. He was sincere. He's sincere
in whatever he says in his talks so
sincere that a long speech leaves him
limp as diShrag. sometimes even ready
for medical attention.
Believes in Marines.
1t is Buffers belief that there is
nothing on Gods green earth the Ma
rines can't do. He makes his men be-
lieve 1t, too. II Butler has been told
job Is impossible, he either sets his
men to doing 1t or does it himself.
Take the assault on Coyatepe in the
Nicaraguan campaign Of 1912. Coya-
tepe had never been taken by assault.
But the Americans took It, with the
Marines in the middle of the mess. In
cidentally the officer who ordered the
charge up that cone-shaped hill was
Col. j. H. Pendletom, now a retired
major general, reported as ordered to
sit on the Butler court-martial.
Concerning the assault on Coyatepe
and his own part In it, Butler seldom
has anything to say. He remembers
mainly how the night before, while his
men were in bivouac below the hill
and out of ri1eShot, he made the rounds
with his staff. He was then a major.
Two kids who were plainly under age,
but had as plainly lied about it to the
recruiting officer and got away with 1t,
had cried themselves to sleep and the
tear stains streaked the dust on their
faces.
They Led the Attack.
"They had cried because they were
afraid said Butler. "and it got me
about the heart to look at them. To-
morrow they might be dead. So might
some of the rest of us. But looking
at them knew I'd do my best to get
to the top without undue casualties.
When we went UP next day under Sc
we're rifle fire those two kids led the
way, yelling like a pair of Commanche
Indians
Butler went in civilian clothes into
Mexico City, simply as Mr. Johnson"
and got the plans of the city streets,
which had been renamed during the
DiaZ regime, but hadn't been changed
on the maps. There were only the
original sketches and copy or two of
the new survey in existence. Butler
got them.
He chased butterflies into both forts
at Puebla and got the disposition Of the
Mexican forces there. It wasn't
courage, for he was scared all the time,
he said, that he'd be tripped up. He
has Marine Corps emblem tattooed on
his chest and he knew that If ever he
were suspected and searched he'd never
be able to explain that.
He Met Correspondent.
While on spy duty he met a corre-
Spondent who was looking into the
war" Years later the correspondent
recognized Mr.. johnson" as Butler.
1 wanted to tell the Mexico spy story
in print and Butler agreed to collabo-
rate only on condition that it be told
as a juvenile, and as fiction, and it
was so told in book form. Among other
things he Sneaked into Chapultepec
Castle in Mexico City on this spy trip
and it isn't and wasn't easy to enter
Chapultepec.
In Buffers own mind Gen. Butler is
merely Marine who Is trying to do his
job the way he thinks 1t should be
done.
When a newspaper syndicate wanted
a story from him commenting on his
disagreements with his superiors in
various Latin American Campaigns I
approached him on the subject.
mol" he said. MY superiors never
sat on me that didn't deserve it."
(Tomorrow-Butler. the Impatient
Idealist)
copyright. 1881. by North American News
DaDef Alliance)