Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1918 — PERSHING SENDS U. S. TROOPS TO ITALIAN FRONT [ARTICLE]

PERSHING SENDS U. S. TROOPS TO ITALIAN FRONT

Baker Says Regiment Will Be Sent at Once—Mure Will Follow. HUN CAPTIVES TOTAL 311 Americans Also Seized Eleven Mainline Guns a|>il Other Material at BelltMiu Wood—Yank Who Ca|>lured Eighty-Three Germans Tells How He Did it. Washington, June 23.—General Pershing under instructions from Washington, has selected a regiment Of infantry to be sent immediately to Italy, Secretary Baker announced. The Secretary would not disclose the identity of the troops. The regiment is in training in France and will be replaced there by one from this side. Mr. Baker indicated that the sending of this regiment was not to be taken as representing the full extent of American military .participation on the Italian front which may be carried out later. Take More Huns on Marne. Will the American Forces or the Marne, June 28.—The number of prisoners captured by the Americans in tjheir drive on the German ppsitions in the Belleau Wood sector was officially increased to 311. The Americans also . captured eleven big machine guns, ten automatic rifles, a quantity of small arms and ammunition and other material.

Tells How He Captured 83. Henry P. Lenert. Jr., the oddest hero Chicago ever produced, told how he was forced to capture S 3 Germans in the midst of Tuesday night’s fierce battie at Belle au Wood. He had just arrived with his prisoners, breathless with pride. "You see, I. got caught between the lines,’’ he said. "I discovered a machine gun staring straight at me, and dived into a shell hole. "The gunner did not shoot, so 1 waited awhile and then put up my hands, gingerly hiding my head. Still he didn't shoot,' so I slowly raised my head, and there stood the gunner with his hands up. He motioned for me to come up and took me to the captain, who conveyed me to his dugout. He gavo me something to drink and some cigarettes and asked if be wasn’t surrounded. I assured him he was. “He said, ‘Wait a minute’ —you know I vertsrhe the German—and <vent out. When he returned he said the others wanted to surrender before they were killed and asked me to take them to the American lines. "We started off with all hands, including mine, held up. We got lost in the woods, and it took a long time to find an American sentry, who was surprised to see me with the Germans. Then, some more Americans came up and wanted to escort my prisoners to headquarters. . “I said, ‘Nothing doing. They’re mine.' They let me have 'em, and I brought ’em here.”