PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE

Evening Star, Issue 16993, 15 March 1919, Page 11

PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE

A Yonkee truck driver and a Prussian officer clashed back of the Chateau-Thierry front as runs the authentic report of a returned American officer, and when the clash was over the Yankee truck driver had found a way to remove from the Prussian officer the arrogance for which all Prussian officers are justly famous, the tale was relayed from the front to Camp Dix, N.J., and thence to the Ne\v York ' Sun,' which repeats it thus : After depositing supplies and ammunition at the front, the big army tracks were filled with German prisoners who were to be taken to the rear. A German captain, member of a famous Prussian regiment, was among the detail of prisoner's assigned to ride in the truck of which this particular driver had charge. The Bodies had filled the body of the car when the drived noticed that the captain had not joined them. "Climb in there!" he ordered. "Look at my uniform! Don't you recognise that I'm a captain? You don't expect me to ride with them?" he said in perfect English, indicating ' his erstwhile soldiers, as if they were so many caged dogs. Then he demanded a place on the driver's sent, where there were already two slightly-wounded American soldiers waiting to get back to dressing stations. "Nothing doing! I'm particular about my company! Get in with your gang, and be quick about it!" said the Yankee. "Throw off those American swine and make room for me on that front seat!" ordered the Prussian- "I'm a captain and——" He got no further. The driver slid a grimy fist into his pocket and whipped out a big penknife, while the other hand pho't down, gripped the Prussian by the collar, and a powerful arm jerked him from the ground as if he had been a child. "Captain, eh? Well, we won't let that worry you long! See here!" And as he spoke, the hand with the knife deftly clipped the insignia from the Officer's shoulders. "You're busted!" he said. "You're a private now! Get back in the ranks with the rest of them!" And he dropped the sputtering Prussian, into the back of the truck among the other prisoners.