The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, August 10, 1917, Image 3
PERSHING
The Romance of a
barefoot Fxnj uiho
Rose to De the
Leader of America's
Army in France irv
the Great \*forld
U:te?IV * - i - -
By CHARLES N. CURIE.
CHAPTlft I..
LHtl# Johnny 8m? th# ,8old?or?. \
jjj^r Johuny Pershing peered
J around the end of the work train
r' -Dad." lie called. bis shrill child's
V0lc? sounding above the "thud, thud.
bli(1r0r the picks wielded by the con
imiftion gang. "oh. dad. kin 1 stty
^ school today? Company H Is
pip' to have u drill, snd 1 want to see
' Jhew."
John Pershing. coustructlou fore
bjiu. wiped the perspiration from his
brow and climbed down from the em
bankwent where the new side track
wis being laid. He approached the
boy, IiiId Itfs hand on his shoulder and
Atfked. "What does mother say?"
? "Sin' told me to run over and ask
.... -.T * ' v
jou."
?'Well. If mother don't aay no. go
ahead." irr^r
With h whoop of delight and evl.
dently anticipating his m^er's con
sent, little Johnny ran for home as
fast as his little bare brown feet would
carry him. tils mother stood in the
doorway of the neat little white cot
iage/' She smiled, knowing that father
had followed the usual plan of "leav
ing It to mother."
"Father says I kin stay If you don't
care, mother. Please let me see the
soldiers drill!" . ~j. 1
"Well. I guess one aftern,ooh Worn
school won't make much difference,
and you do love to watch the soldiers,
dou't yon. Joining?" %
"I sure do.-mother." . f -' ? *??
"Well, get your face ?nd hands
washed find come In to lunch."
After luuch Johnny hied to the vil
lage square of the little towh of La
clede. Mo., and took up his point of
vantage on the band stand, where he
could hop all operations. a
The drill over, Captain Johnson, at
tracted by the keen interest with
which the barefooted little urchin had
followed every movement, said, "Well,
sonny, what do yon think of my Sol
diers?"
"They're pretty good drillers, cap
tain, but they don't step out smart
enough."
"By Jove! Iligbt you are. boy!
That's just what I was a-tellln' them.
Are you going to be a soldier when
you grow up?"
'That's what I want to be. but dad
says ho has other plans."
"Maybe he'll change bis mind when
you get big. sonny. Plans don't alius
work ou{ as expected."
Hut even little Johnny Pershing's
plans, way back there in Missouri in
the sixties, were not formed with posl
Uttle joiinny sees the soluiehs dkitj..
tivcjioss, ns is the case with the plans
of so many youngsters. QJrue,
ed to be a soldier. What live lad In ;
tlio years Just after the civil war did \
not have bis thoughts fired by the j
stories of flghfing in the grealt strug-j
CleV In his dreams he saw himself J
lendlnj: desperate charges against the .
enemyv But he also had dreams of]
belnj; h lawyer and standing, like
Dnniol Webster or} Henry Clay, with
one hand thrust intp his coat, moving !
Judpcs and Juries with his eloquence !
He and his mother and father Just i
ktietv. of course, that Johnny would i
mnke a lhie lawyer, because be always (
stood well in his studies in the town !
school. j . .
"Mother." said the elder I'ershing
one day, "I feel I'm gettihg a bit too ;
old to work on the road much longer. ?
Old Brainard parsed me oh tlio street ;
today and stopped .to chat with me. j
He n-ants me to buy OOt hi^^general
"tore and thinks Leonid SEE
Wfirt do you say?**
^After much planning between Mr.
Possibilities the step was decided upon.
*nd Johnny Pershing's father became
f,* merchant. Johnny's part 1n the mat
ter was that of -active partner?very
active, Indeed, for to him fell the woffc
of assisting in the store after school
^d running on suyh errands nt* were
n<^ yon^ ^ etreagth.
"Johnny's a jrood boy find belpfnl to
father autl me." said Mrs. Pershing,
"but sometimes It is a little hard to
get him awpy from his books. Seems
like be wants to spend most of his
time studying. But 1 reckon he'll grow
up well, for'he can ruu and Jump as
well as any of the lads ?horeabout.
Fights sometimes, too. Why, 'twas
only last week that he pitched Into
that Simmons boy for making fun of
father. You know, father kept the Un*
ion flag flying here when some of our
neighbors favored the south, and It
seems Mr. Simmons spoke about It and
Bob Simmons laughed at Johnny on
account of It. But Johnny says Bob
won't laugh any mote. They do say
Johnny made htm boiler 'quit' In Just
a few minutes. I reckon I don't want
Johnny to tight, but if he must tight
he might as well do it defending his
?Wft father." - - - ? r
CHAPTER II.
"Soldier, Lawytr or SchoolttioherT"
SO, studying and working?and
fighting sometimes?until bo, waa
"little Johnny" no more, Johnny
Pershing grew and grew until he out
grew the little village school in La
clede. The little store paid well
enough to warrant the expenditure of
mdney on John's education, and a fam
ily conference resulted In the sending
of him to the normal school at Klrks
vllle, one of the^ noted schools In that
part of Missouri. Throughout the
years ?whlch he spent there?years of
happiness, with plenty of hard work
at his books and plenty of outdoor rec
reation?tbe Idea of becoming a law
yer persisted in the lad's mind. Many
a time he spoke of it to boyhood
friends, and it seemed that he would
surelv become an attorney after pass
ing through the stage through which
so many of our American country bred
lawyers have passed, that of school
teacher.
* "Mother," said he one day on one of
. his visits home from Kirksvllle, "I've
been appointed teacbCr at Prairie
Mound. I feci as though I ought to do
something now to help dad and you.
So I'm going to teach school and try to
earn enough so that I can study law.
I did want to be a soldier, but I don't
believe there'll ever be another big
war, and I don't want to be a soldier
all my life unless I can dee active
service."
Soldier or not, John was to see a
lively bit of fighting before be had been
a schoolmaster very long.
"Billy." said ho one day to one of his
bljrcer pupils, "did you study your
spelling lesson?" "No. and I a|n t a-KO
In' to," was the sullen reply of the big
bov The entire class looked up with
sudden, keen Interest. Billy Had ?'al
lowed" before them all at recess that
day that he was tired of "Johnny
Pershing's bullyln'" and he was go
In' to show him that a teacher isn t
the whole school anyway." *
"Why not?" asked the_ teacher
I didn't feel like It." was
Billy's Impudent reply.
"You'll stay after school and stud>
It"' The words of Judgment came with
a'snap from John Pershing's^ square
J'-won't, neither!" said Billy. And in
a moment, as the teacher reached for
his collar (this was ? ' a
days of "moral suasion ), there was a
lively mixup in the country ??bwi. but,
of course, tbe teacher won, andI tt e
thoroughly thrashed and cowed
Next day the school had a visitor.
He was Billy's father, and eyery hair
In his red side whiskers^ brlstled ^ith
anger as te drove up to tho school.
From his mouth came a stream of
curses, on Johnny Per? ?
show him whether he could lick his
boy or not In his hand was a big
army revolver. It looked pretty se
Hous for Johnny Persb^ The yoyng
fellow did not scare. Ih a quiet, eve
tone he said to the angry farmer,
"Get off your horse, put >|P ^ q
take off your coat and fight like a
?""with all his bluster, tbe man was not
a coward. accepted Johns imita
tion and there was the finest scrap
ive; seen in that part of Missouri
John was then only a lad of ?ven?eo
or eighteen, b^ he whipped tbe grown
mon to A frazzle.
"John," said Mr.
one day not long after this fight, M
Burghs .s going to
man from this congressional district to
I Point. You'v. always had a
sort of Idea"that you wanted to be
soldier. Why ^don't you try for the
appointment*'" *J> .
"HI do it, father," said John I am
Zur* I can pass the examinations if
/Mr. Burroughs wflUW ?
to try. I'll go ai^seo him '?'**?
BO -r?wb?d" Johnny PersWng wsrt
the
r?? as*
Military academy at West Polut which
hud turned out ao many'Vainoua sol
OW Tl wm ft narrow sqwak #t*t
John, alnce ho won the appointment
Ly only out point. 0A difference almost
foo Kinull to.bo measured. would t>^9
s.'Mt another iiu>m to "the Point." and
i(?;.ii would in all IJkelUiood bavt b?
t"uu? a city lawyer luatoad of a gen
eral.
chapter hi.
I An Offioar In the Army. ''
WllKTllKU a man remalna In the
4 army long enough to win his
, general's stura or whether he
leaves the Hervlco before hi' even tin
Uhos the course at the Military aeude
piy. ho never forgets the day that so?>s
him enrolled ac "the Point." It is one
of the "days of days" In hla life. U U
all ho new and >:t range and there are
so many rules to be observed ami -cus
toms to l?e learniMl and things to l?e
seen that It Is like beginning a new
life. Many a country lad enters'the
academy raw, green and untrnined.
and If he has tue pluck and stamina,
meuial aud physical, to fiulab the course
he emerges a tlnlshed product?'-ian of
ficer and a gentleman"?lit to cothlpood
man.
So it was with John Pershing, But
he did more than finish the course; he
went throng^ It with honor, lie Was
graduated aa. senior cadet captain,
which means that in military affairs
he ranked above all hla classmntea.
Others topped him in some of the
studies which make up the curriculum
at the United States. Military academy,
but it was his voice that rang out the
commands for tils classmates on
HE BECOMES ONE OF WEST POINT'8 MOST
DAItINU HOKHEMEN. r
(lie widespread ami beautiful purndc
ground the proml- day when the
cadets were reviewed by the secretary
of war. This was In June. 18&6, and
John became Lieutenant Pershing.
United States army.' He Was tlion
twenty-six years old.
He liijd been home tb visit the
"folks" Uuring his furlough after he
had been at the academy two years.
His friends turned out to greet him.
of course, aiul the rest of the town
flocked to see him arrive. It isn't ev
ery day that a man from West Point
arrives at a little place in Missouri,
and every one wanted to see as soon
as possible what two years of Uncle
Sam's training had done for Johnny
Pershing. They were not disappoint
ed. He had left Laclede a tall, wiry,
young fellow,,_wIthout any especial dis
tinction; he returned a well set up,
strong chap, showing in his bearing the
results of the rigid training of the
gymnasium and fields. He had already
the assured bearing of a military man.
He had become a wonderful equestri
an, riding anything that the academy
held In the line of horseflesh. He was
always first to get away when the
bugles rang out the notes of the
"CMrge!" '
Of course John's first day home was
given to his folks. Xo one else could
take the first happy hours of the young
man on furlough. But the sccond day
found him wandering in the fields and
woods with his boyhood chum, Charley
-Spurgeofl.
There was so much to tell about the
life at the academy! "Tell me," said
Charley, . "what dp you think about
life in the army?"
"I don't think I'll stick to it/'.Said
John, "although f'll try to finish the
course at the academy, I think I'll
have to go back to my original idea of
Studying law. Tills country is at peace
now, and ifc's go|ng to stay at pence.
There won't be a gun fired in the next
hundred years. The prmy Is no place
for me in peace time. I'd start in 09
.a second lleuteiiant and I'd get to be
a first lieutenant only when the first
lieutenant died, and so on through all
the grades. I'm older now than most
of the men at the aAdemy, and per
haps I'd be no higher than a colonel
when the time came for<me to retire.
I believe the world Is goingto be too
peaceful in the future to make the
army look very promising to me as a
' career."
But Lieutenant Pershing found pjen
| ty of work to do as p soldier and that,
too, soon after his graduation. The
Apach^8 nnd other wild western tribes
were often on the rampage, and the
soldier ordered to the western, plains
and mountains and mesas had his
work cut out for him. Pershing in the
cavalry, the branch of the service most
often used against the redskins, got
his share of the hard work. It did not
always mean fighting, however. Often
there were palavers with the chiefs
and matters could be settled without
bloodshed. ^ ~ ;
Even In those early days Pershing
showed the quick thought that distin
guished him In fields far removed from
the western state*. Army men tell
with delight how one day Pershing
was sent fcrjbis commanding officer to
attend a council of Navaho braves. It
was a holiday, and the redskins were
?munlug ttwiuselva* with game* %DtI
athietu ocrtteata,
Oit? of tlto bravaa jailed the tall, atb
lot it1 tiguro "f Lieutenant Pershing.
He % alked u.? to the soldier.
?tmr u? iMU!, foiiowiuu it with h
Ion* wiring of Indian gutturals.
"Ho aays hi? \v;uiU to wrestle wltb
tlic Uig white man." Halt! the Inter
preter. ,
wlVll him,'.' aald Pershing. "uotldng
doim: lie's too dirty."
"All rl^ht." Wtt? the Indian's retort.
"If I'm too dirty to wrestle with I'll
rtan him u foot rave, All he'll have to
do Ih keep ahead of me."
"Itaoe him, Jack." sail Lieutenant
(Jrayson. "It's up tH?.you to uphold
the lienor of the white rave."
"Can't be done. Vou know luy uuule
lit Ht ill weak from that sprain."
' "They won't believe It. You can
beat the big buok anyway."
? So the race wan run and was nearly
lost by Pershing. About ten feet from
the tlnhih line hla ankle gave way and
he rolled over In a heap. But hi* proa*
en re of mind remained upright, aud
with a mighty effort he withered him.
Helf up Into a ball, turned a somersault
and landed across. the line a winner.
(Continued on La*t Page)
Kditor Tells The Truth.
(From the Dallas lUtchford.)
\ west Texas editor got tired of ,
being called a "Uair" because of a?
occasional typographical error or
slight disarrangement of the facts lu
publish I n>: a commonplace news Item.
In his wrath, he announced In bom-|
faee black type as^ollows:
"A lot of IKHiplO hi tills town fall
out with the editor and hrainl him
a liar when the ordinary Uniman
mlotake* of life show up in a news
imper. You have a little charity and
follow feettng- for evwy ?mh? *?- town.
l.ut vour editor. Yon claim that you
\vnnt the facta, and d?d If 1 d?n t
ulvo 'em to you. Head the next Issue
of this sheet and you'll .see soiue facts
with the hark off. I'll admit chat
have been a. liar, an editorial liar, ever
since I have l?cen editing this sheet
but 1 have never printed a He in these
columns except to save somebody's feel
ings from being hurt. I'm not afraid
?f any of you and I'll be dad blamed
if I don't print the plain truth from
now On. or until yon get out of the
luibtt of calling me a liar every time)
I make some little unavoidable typo
graphical error. Watch my smoke.'
HerV are some paragraphs, eulled
from the next Issue:
John Bennln. the laalest merchant
In town, made n trip to Belleville
yesterday.
John Oo.vie. our grocery man. wiio
voted with the Republicans in 1800.
and consumes more mall-order whis
key t?hniv any other member of-the
Baptist church in this .country. Is do
ing a poor business. ? Ills store Is
dirty and dusty. It is n woiule* he
has any business at alb
Rev. Sty preached last Sunday night
at the Christian church. His sermon
was punk and uninteresting, except
some stuff he quoted from Bob Inger-.
soil, for Which he failed to give Bob
any credit. He also recited a few pas-,
sages from one of Wflliams Rgl?ert
Munsey's sermon*.. ami had the gall
to palm It off as bis* own.
Dave Char tier died at hl*t home
two miles north of this place, last
Thursday night. Dock Holderness who
in an old friend (tt the family, at
tended him a few minute* before he
expired. He gave it out that Dave
died of heart failure. That is a lie.
Dave died from drinking too inutw
licker.' This paper prints the truth.
Tom SpradUn married Miss Cordlc
Meador last trades' day at the coun
ty seat. It aint generally known hut
the marriage was brought about main
ly by a Remington shotgun manipulate)
ed t\v the bride's father; Tom conclud
in' that marryln' was the healthiest
thing he could do until other arrange?
ments could he made.
Roger Lloyd, cashier of tlhe State,
bank at Willow Grove, died Wednes
day*, evening and was burled Friday
bv the Odd Fellows in Pleasant Mound
cemetary. He had been taking this
paper seven years and so far hasn t?
paid us a cent ; we thinking that he,
being a banker, would pay some twtte. j
We will sell the account for two l>lts
worth of fresh greens. '
Married: MRs S\W Scruggs and
Horace Guffln, last Saturday, at the|
Methodist' parsonage, Rev. James C.
Williams officiating. The bride is a|
very ordinary town girl who flirts with
all the traveling men rfhe meets and
never helped her mother three days
all put together in her whole life. She]
is .anything but a beauty, resembling
a gravel pit in the face, and walks,
like a duck. The groom Is a natur-]
al born loafer a?d .bum. He never
did a lick of work until his stepdaddy |
run him off from ln#me lant fall. He
went io the county seaty and Just he-,"
fore starving to death, accepted a Job
(is Chamber maid in a livery stable.
An soon as his ma foundybut where]
he was. "be went and got him and
brought him home. He now resides]
m Tjhe home of his wife S"#father and
says that he has no deflnlte plans for)
the future." Susie will have a foard
row to hoe.
Card of Tbanks.
. We wish to use this method of thank
ing the many friends for words "of con-j
solation. floral tribute* and their Sev-|
eral ways in helping in the alckness
rand death of our mother, 8eren Rob-]
inson, who departed this life August j
5th, > : - . ?
Henrietta and Rebecca no wnson.
The city conncil of Florence has
passed an ordinance forbidding the sale
of Jamaica, ginger in that city except
upon Ube prescription of a ^physician.
Grocers of Florence have !?een selling I
Jamaica ginger mixed with cider. It ls|
Mid.
SAVE YOUR
0
' i ?? *
HAY
Mules, Horses, Cows and Hogs have to be fed and
it is very important that we save every blade of grass
for winter supply of rough food. Now is the time to
give this your attention.
When you rthink of farm implements remember we
are agents for Emerson Standard Mowers, Horse Hakes,
fJrain Drills, etc.
More small grain will be planted than ever before
in this county. It is absolutely necessary to cast aside
the old methods and adopt new methods and labok* sav
ing devices in order to make two Uu&hela of grain grow
where only one grew before.
? ? ?>*? _ ? . ; - ... ? s, - v. '?
The Government is calling on the Farmers to make
foodstuffs. You cannot make crops with obselete to^ls.
Come in andi We will show you our up^to-date line of
farm implements.
Springs & Shannon
* The Slor? Thai Carries The Stock.
THE UNIVERSAL CAk
In the- scale of advancing business costs Ford trayel
v Continues the saiue positive economy. City andcountry
salesmen. manufacturers, .'merchants, professional men?
every demand for motor car transportation Is satis*
ileil in the Ford car at about two cents a mile to operate
ami maintain. Over t.750,(M>0 Fowl cars are making >
performances and profits every day. Itnnabout
Touring Car $300, Coupelot. $505, Town Car $51X1, Sedan
-all f. o. b. Detroit. Place your order now.
KERSHAW MOTOR CO.
Phone No. 140 East XhriCalb St.
I
" our
National Bank
MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE
SYSTEM OF BANKS
IftlMMf ' Xi?&9?
When you ilo your bMking with us you do It' with a Mem
ber^ Bank of t?W> Federal Reserve system of hank!*. Our bank had
to show it was a strong bank before it eould bMome, a member.
We are one of a vast army of banks which stand togetlttr for
the protection of our depositors.
: Our bank can take its securities to our Central Reserve Bank
at,any. time and get money. When your money is In otir
yeu on tM tt wb*n ^4 J.
Pl?T VOIR MONEY IN OUR BANK
OF CAMDEN, S. C