These are miscellaneous articles from the New York Times, October 23, 1918:
YOUNG SOPRANO ARRIVES FROM TIFLIS
Miss Marie NOMICOS, a dramatic soprano from Tiflis, Asia Minor, arrived at an Atlantic port yesterday via Moscow and Christiania to sing in opera until the war is over. Her father, who was a wealthy Greek merchant in Tiflis, died six months ago. She sang in Moscow at the Opera House during the Summer season. Miss NOMICOS is about 22 years old. She speaks and sings in French, Italian, and Russian, but does not know any English.
SELLS $1,000,000 BONDS BY SONG AT DINNER
GUESTS MEET MISS FARRAR’S TERMS—TOTAL OF MORE THAN $3,500,000 IN LOAN SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions of $3,500,000 to $4,000,000 for the Liberty Loan were made last night at a dinner arranged by Geraldine FARRAR at Sherry’s, Fifth Avenue and Forty-fourth Street. Thomas W. LAMONT of the firm of J. P. MORGAN & Co., presided, and the speakers were Boris BAKHMETIEFF, Russian Ambassador to the United States; Police Commissioner ENRIGHT, United States Marshal McCARTHY, and Sheriff David KNOTT.
The largest subscription was for $1,000,000 by William Boyce THOMPSON who gave it on the condition that a second million was obtained. When some on suggested that Miss FARRAR sing the "Marseillaise," she said she would comply—for a million dollars. The amount was raised in individual subscriptions and Miss FARRAR sang the anthem.
It was announced that half the subscription would be credited to the Police Department. Among the large subscriptions were the following: E. S. RITHSCHILD, $250,000; Henri BENDEL, $200,000; Hayden, Stone & Co., $100,000; J. P. Morgan & Co., $100,000, and the immediate family of Miss FARRAR, $100,000.
In opening his address Mr. LAMONT proposed a toast "Top Russia, Our Faithful Ally." He went on to say that the present situation in Russia did not really represent the true Russia; that down beneath the surface there was a Russia that the people of the other allied countries may have forgotten for the moment, but a Russia which Mr. LAMONT was certain stood for the same principles as those of the Allies.
Mr. LAMONT recalled the early days of the war, when the action of Russia in pressing on Germany’s flank was instrumental in keeping from the Belgian and French front millions of troops who might have turned the tide of battle in favor of the Germans, so that the march to Paris and the Channel ports would have been prosecuted without much interference by the unprepared French and British.
The unexpected tribute to Russia caused the Russian Ambassador to respond by thanking Mr. Lamont in the name of "the real Russia." Mr. BAKHMETIEFF paid a stirring tribute to the valor of the American troops, whom he called the soldiers of democracy.
MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA BOYS HEROES ON THE FIRING LINES
Corp. GLASS, Nephew of Carter GLASS, Carried Message After Others Are Killed—Senator Blair LEE’s Son Spends Day in No Man’s Land—Lieut. McLEOD, of Lynchburg, Va., Speeds Ammunition Through Burning Town—Baltimore Man Holds Huns
By Raymond G. Carroll
(Special Cable to The Washington Post and Philadelphia Public Ledger.)
(Copyright, 1918 by the Public Ledger Co.)
With the American Army in France.
Oct. 16—Like sharp teeth in a crosscut saw American units are to be found most anywhere along the west front from the Swiss border to the English Channel. Some of the following incidents of bravery are without geographic location, because the army censorship does not release the locality of any division’s activity until after it has been identified by the enemy definitely at certain places, usually by prisoners lost to the Germans.
After making an attack Capt. Edward JOHNSON, of Baltimore, found himself and his men cut off from their brigade. He sent two runners, one at a time, and the enemy machine gunners got both, whereupon Corpl. H. B. GLASS, a nephew of Representative Carter GLASS, of Lynchburg, Va., stepped forward and begged for a chance to carry word to the brigade commander.
"Go to it, lad," said Johnson, "but keep on your belly."
GLASS Gets Through Safely.
Although machine-gunned from both sides, GLASS reached the brigade headquarters with vital information which resulted in a substantial advance for the Americans.
Capt. Brooke LEE of Silver Spring, Md., son of Senator Blair LEE, is probably the best authority in his unit upon the topography of a certain No Man’s Land, having spent 48 hours there. He had conducted a raid with exceptional skill, sending in prisoners with some of his details. Later there came a detail which remained with him to cover the wounded.
LEE brought in two of the wounded men under fire and returned just at daybreak to get a third man. He was cut off by the rising sun and had to stay out until night, when he came in with the last wounded man of his command. Lieut. Chandler SPRAGUE of Maryland, formerly a reporter of the Baltimore Sun, also went out into the middle area between the armies and rescued a wounded private.
Men and Watches Switch.
Sergt. John R. DIXON, of Pittsburgh, and three other Americans took six German prisoners whom they relieved of their watches for souvenirs. Watches are recognized as decorous booty between soldiers. Shortly afterward, DIXON, his friends and the German prisoners were captured by the enemy and the Americans were made to give up the watches.
This story ought to end here, but it does not, for, like the house that Jack built, DIXON, his friends, his prisoners and his captors were in turn gathered in by another brigade of Americans. Again the watches switched and they have not since changed pockets.
Gets Ammunition to Front.
Harking back to the sector north of Chateau Thierry, there is the rather remarkable record written around Lieut. Eugene MERCER, of Lebanon, Pa. He was in the woodes near Dravegny when word came that ammunition was badly needed for our machine guns (the next few words illegible). He loaded two trucks with 50 boxes. Off they went with the ammunition to a place called Lone Tree, where they were told it would be impossible to get to Fismis as the Germans held half of it and the town was burning.
Lieut. MERCER only laughed and ordered his drivers to proceed, although it was after 11 o’clock at night. Upon the way one truck broke down and the load had to transferred to another. When they got to Fismis it was afire. MERCER had his trucks driven down a street of burning buildings and managed to get the needed cartridges to the part of Fismes we were holding. Going out Lieut. MERCER brought away twenty of our wounded.
Machine Gunner’s Heroism.
Of exceeding merit was the performance of a machine gun battalion on another part of the front, where it held two flanks of a triangle that had been driven like a thorn into the side of the supposedly impregnable enemy position. For hours it held on until French and American infantry had worked around the entire objective. The battalion was
Commanded by Maj. M. E. TYDINGS, of Baltimore.
Close Visits From Shells.
Lieut. Charles C. McLEOD of Lynchburg, Va., has made innumerable daring reconnoissances for his general, bearing what seems a charmed life. Asked if he had been shelled or machine-gunned upon his return from particularly hazardous undertakings, he replied: "No, but I got dirt on me five times."
Maj. Burnett M. CHIPERFIELD, of Canton, Ill., former representative-at-large, has been doing liaison work for his unit with other divisions, all dangerous missions to various front lines. He was standing on the bank of the canal when a shell dropped within 15 feet of him, landing, not on the ground, but in the water. On another occasion he stopped his automobile in the road to give a surgeon a lift toward the field hospital, and was thus delayed sufficiently to keep him from being exactly where a monster projectile tore a deep hole as wide as the road.
Just before making an attack when our troops were waiting near Argonne forest, a stone, with a piece of white paper attached to it, fell inside the American lines at the feet of Lieut. Arthur C. BURNETT, of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. Written in good English upon the paper was: "You Americans may win the war, but there will not be enough of you left to fill a rowboat going back."
Yankee Retort Made.
Immediately Lieut. BURNETT took another scrap of paper, and scribbled this: "There will not be enough Germans left in Argonne wood to satisfy a bird cage."
He tossed the message back with the same stone. Then our lads charged, and aside from prisoners taken, the last prediction was literally true.
Lieut. Walter A. DAVENPORT, of New York city, formerly a reporter on the Public Ledger led a detachment of Pennsylvanians which captured 25 machine guns in a single nest.