The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-03-03
ADVENTUROUS
AMERICANS
By
Elmo Scott Watson
Machine Gun Maestro

er rebellion in China and the La
Guardia campaign in Honduras. But
that was because he hadn't yet laid
his hands on machine gun.
In 1912, when Gen. Campo led an
uprising against the Mexican gov
eminent, Dreben Joined the rebels.
Near Parral, when Gen. Campa's
son was killed in front of him, the
rebels morale broke and they began
to retreat in confusion.
Only pudgy Sam Dreben remained
calm. He sat at a machine gun and
covered the retreat with constant
hail Of bullets that permitted the
rebel troops to take up an orderly
position in the rear.
When the revolution was put down,
he crossed the border to Ell Paso
and made a small fortune selling
guns. But Huerta led an uprising
against Villa and Dreben decided
to go to the latter's defense. Sit
ting astride his famous machine gun
at Bachima pass, he held off the
Huerta forces. Single handed he
delayed them until Villa could re-
organize his troops and turn a re-
treat into victory. Then he re-
turned to Ell Paso again and made
a half million dollars in Green Mon
ster copper stock!
Although Sam was rich and al
most 40 when we entered the World
war, he enlisted. Leading a group
Of doughboys, he silenced menac-
ing German machine gun enplace-
ment in battle near Etienne. Forty
Germans had to be killed before
his mission was accomplished and
Dreben killed % of them himself.
For that feat, General Pershing
himself pinned the Distinguished
Service Cross on Dreben's already
medal-heavy chest.
Lee Christmas
w HEN Lee Christmas was engi-
w neer for the Yazoo & Missis-
sippi railroad, he got into a scrape
and was sent to jail. His fellow
trainmen dynamited the building
and got him out. That's how his
adventurous life happened, literally,
to start with bang!
Pursued, he slowed away on a
ship for Honduras. There was a
war going on when he got there and
he joined the army. It was wise
choice Of vocation--he was rapidly
promoted through every rank in
Guiding general.
Then he went to Guatemala and
got into another fracas. No dyna-
hitting was necessary this time,
however, as he shot the officer
and several members of the group
that were sent to arrest him. Then
the entire army was called upon to
capture him.
Running through side streets, he
saw the rear door of an unguarded
armory open, ran in and barricaded
himself. He found more than thou
sand rifles, plenty of ammunition
and many loopholes. He went
around the building for day and a
half, firing as fast as he could from
one hole after the other. Not only
did he give the impression that he
was more than one man, but he
actually killed about 80 soldiers.
He didn't come out until, of all
things, they offered him not only his
liberty but commission in the
army.
He won SO big battles in Central
America and even went so far as
to start revolution of his own in
Honduras-and won it. Later he
succeeded in getting into the United
States army intelligence service
with an assignment to Central
America. In 1928 he died peace
fully in hospital in New Orleans.
Varmint Killer No. l
LIE HAD keen eyes, steady
IL nerves, infinite patience and
knew no fear; it was natural that
Ben Lily should love big game hunt
ing. But it was only because he be-
came one of Americas most de-
pendable hunters that he was en-
ployed by the United States biologi-
cal survey to kill mountain lions.
Ben began to hunt in Louisiana
when he was child not much taller
than the length of his rifle. Later in
life he took Theodore Roosevelt
through the Louisiana canebrakes
on hunting trip. Then he trailed
big game in Mexico, up in the Yu.
kon and in the distant wilds Of
Canada. He even got to the jungles
of Africa before working for the gov.
eminent in Arizona.
He worked in the Blue river sec
ton of the White mountains Of
Arizona protecting cattle from lions
and bears. Ben worked all veal
round, travelling on foot with moth
ing but dogs for companionship.
In the Apache forest reserve alone
Lily stalked and killed more thar
100 mountain lions and two score