Evening star., 1943-05-09

and bawled out at the top of his
lungs:
Les Americans! Les Americains!"
Tindja patriots leaped to life as If
they had stepped on an electric wire.
Out came the flags and flowers
showered the surprised CORES
pondents.
'Vive Les Soldats Americains!"
roared the little throng in blast of
welcome that shook Tindja.
They think we are soldiers and
saved them from the Nazis,' I said
while trying to.break a stranglehold
on boy urchin who had leaped on
the jeep.
We'll. who are we to tell all these
people they are wrong?" asked Sey-
mour Norman of the Chicago Trib-
une, splitting out carnation.
Didn't you always want to be
here?"
Just then stout Frenchman en-
braced Dave Brown of Bath, Me,
Reuters correspondent, pinioning
his arms enthusiastically and plant
ing two vigorous kisses on the lee
ward and WinWard sides of Browns
new harvest-stage mustache.
Il would be kissed by the only
guy in town that ate garlic for
lunch" said Brown, then shouted
loyalty:
"A la victoire!"
The Frenchman retired satisfied.
'Hooray. Hooray, Hooray."
AS the crowd surged over the We
hicle seeking to shake hands with
the four brave Americans, Hovey
said lets get out of here before
they find out who we really are and
throw us into the local bastille"
We asked again which was the
road to Bizerte and half a hundred
hands dramatically pointed down
the highway.
'Merci beaucoup," said Norman.
"Hooray,' shouted Brown, waving
good-by.
"Hooray," shouted Boyle, Chats
me-
"Hooray," shouted Hovey.
"Hooray,' shouted Norman.
"Hooray. hooray, hooray," roared
the crowd. "Vive les Americans.
In final barrage and counter
barrage of flowers and cigarettes.
the four war correspondents swept
on in the unarmed jeep to help the
American Army take Bizerte.
Satisfied by the parade, Tindja
lapsed into normalcy after one of
the most exciting days of its his
tory.
When rejoicing residents of Fer
ryville gave the key to the city to a
conquering column of American
tankmen they promptly used it to
lock up captured remnants of the
German Army in the city hall.
French Dance in Streets.
Fleeing Nazi military units from
Bizerte, 10 miles away. dashed
through town, and less than an hour
later American reconnaissance units,
pushing northeast from Mateur
were in control after smashing their
way through German rear guard
artillery and machine-gun nests.
More than 225 Nazi prisoners
were herded through the streets to
the white city hall-Hotel De Vile
while Frenchmen who no longer
had to pay the German piper
danced in the streets with joy The
whole town, from toddling children
to aged granddames. went literally
mad with delight and the capture
of Bizerte itself later in the day was
a comparative anti-climax to the
flower garlanded troops after the
royal welcome they got here.
Every American soldier was king.
Still wearing a dazed look from
a trip through the city, Capt. Elgin
Sanders of Douglas. Ariz., and Corpl.
Nathaniel Good of Ell Paso, Tex,
sat at the crossroads about 2 miles
southwest of Ferryvjlle in a jeep
covered with flowers and with flow
ers sticking out of their helmets.
"One thousand and one people
gave them to u.s. said Capt. San
ders. watch out when you go in
there. They'll kiss you to DEATH"
Long Way to Tipperary.'
Four blue-clad French Marines
jumped on the jeep carrying this
writer and three other correspond
ents and on the way to Ferryville
they sang what could be detected
even through heavy Gallo brogue
as strains of ITS a Long, Long Way
to Tipperary."
The center of town was packed by
hundreds of people, each acting as
II he had just been told he had in