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I 1 GEORGE BENE! I WRITES FROM PARIS 4 LETTER FROM THE' FRONT j TELLS OF THE FIGHTING AND j THE GERMAN "DRIVE" Canadians Saved the Day But Were j "Wiped Out?Trains Coming Into J v Paris W?f? Overcrowded With I Wounded?Dr. Benet Writes His j I Brother About breat war. A (Columbia Record) v Paris, May 9, Sunday. For the past ten days the work here has been very heavy, following < the German drive on Ypres and Dunkerque, to the north of Paris. They made a desperate attempt to break through the line there, and but for the magnificent work af the Canadians and Scotch, would have succeeded. As it was, they gained one mile, due chiefly to use of asphyxiating bombs (chlorine and bromide gases) against which the Canadians were helpless. While unconscious the Germans rushed forward and brained them with the butts of guns, but were checked finally, so 'with no ultimate gain. The losses on each side were heavy, and the Canadians were practically aliped out. One of our blesses told me "they do not run, the Canadians." From all I can hear that sums them up. They do not run. But for that matter, the French can show any of them how to stick. The trains bringing wounded into fans were su cruwucu tuncuu middle of the week that our ambulances went direct to Dunkerque over the road, bringing the wounded back in relays. Young Laurence Hemenway, George Denny's brother-in-law, * was in the thick of It, with his big Pierce-Arrow ambulance. He told me the sight at Dunkerque was terrible. He is not a doctor, or even a medical student, but he had to give first aid to dozens he found in the streets. He said he was "scared stiff" of the shells at first, but after warming up to the work, sou 1 forgot about them, and hardly heard the banging and smashing. Dr Greenough and I commandeered one of the hospital roadster :, and with a driver went to La Chapelle t ward the middle of the week, to mee: one of the hospital trains. There we found our Fords. We were very courteously received by Capt. Durler, the artillery officer detailed that week to manage the station. He was on furlough following two months active service, and I noticed the Le, gion of Honor modestly pinned inside his breast pocket. This meant he had run right into hell somewhere, and got out. I later learned he * pulled his sergeant out of a hot spot, after the latter was down. The captain spoke excellent English, so I got quite a bit of information from him. (Meeting him cn the stret, you couldn't have told him from j Skipper Dan Crawford, so I constant- J ly expected him to call me "Georgie"). The station is composed of i ? a train shed, separated from the receiving rooms by a long black curtain, which adds a very dramatic element. Although handling 700 to 1,C0C men a day (at that time) there was absolutely no confusion?no ! shouting: and withal the entire behavior of the place was "dignified," if that describes what I mean. Capt. Durier and a French surgeon were in | charge, and that means everything. < What they said was done, with no : back talk, and no suggestions from J ? anyone. The result was, the entire , train of 600 badly wounded men j were "commissioned" in some four j or five hours. Such as were able to : I walk stepped from the train, passed i through the black curtain, and entered the receiving room. His knap- J -A- and fhpf>ked. ISaCK, etc., WCXC Larvcii 1*4.V. - A clerk then took his name, regi-! ment. home address, wife's name and ^ address, and he was passed to a little j French surgeon, who hastily examined him, and if his wound was serious, passed him to an excellently equipped dressing room, where a French surgeon and an American nurse (recognized the best in the world) dressed him. He has a card made out here, stating nature of wound and dressing, and he is then turned over to the ambulance drivers of the American hospital, the Japanese hospital or whatnot. With the wounded men, the stretchers are brought in to the receiving room, a hasty examination made, and the man sent at once to a hospital. This in brief is the rou> tine. Capt. Durier escorted us ovei the place, and as I passed one pool devil in a cot he noticed the "American ambulance" on my uniform sleeve. Raising himself, he said in English: "How's everything at home. Doc? I'm from Kansas, and got in four months before the Bosches got me. And say, Doc, for God's sake, have you got an American cigarette?" He was a Frenchman running a farm in Kansas, and enlisted last fall. His shout upon receiving a real Fatima that I brought over here did me good. He had a shell wound of the thigh with the bone sticking out, but knew the value of a Fatima in France. No one but the French would have thought to make such a place attractive. There were flowers everywhere, and in place of trying to partition off the big shed, they had simply erected portable houses, brightly painted and serving admirably. These were arranged around a little "square," in the center of which were braziers of coals, as the day was chilly, and the poor devils, in their tattered coats, and bloody faces, drinking hot soup, and smoking the eternal cigarettes, was a great sight. We came back with 12 Fords filled, each carrying three "blesses." It was a very inspir.ng sight to see the fortitude and placidity of these wonderful Frenchmen, putting up with anything suggested Mr tViA (>nmmanrfinp officers of the sta tion, and eternally saluting and smiling, and "Bon jour M'sieur-ing." They are a great people. By Rail to Meaux. The most interesting day I have spent outside the hospital was at Meaux, with Dr. Greenough and couple of us. We left Paris in the morning and went by rail to Meaux, where we were lucky enough to find an old Delahaye limousine, and an Englishspeaking chauffer. We covered in all 65 miles up and down the old lines of the battlefield of the Marne, the most sensational fight in all history. It was here the hastily mobilized and green French army demonstrated to the world that the splendid "machine" of V. AlucK was not oniy not invinciuie, but capable of doing the 2:20 in record time?back the way they came. The Germans fought desperately, and for three days the losses were frightful, but the little Frenchmen shoved them back 50 miles, and although the "contemptible little army" of General French did much to turn the tide for the allies, still the French deserve the major part of the credit. Keen for "The Tommies." Due to the English having practically saved Meaux, on the second day of the fight, the inhabitants of this pretty little place are naturally pret ty keen for the "Tommies." Unfortunately, our uniform, the regulation French Red Cross uniform, is almost identical with the English officers'? which, added to our talking English, produced considerable excitement. Small boys yelled after us, "V\vo L'Anglais," etc. I was somewhat embarrassed, as it seemed unfair somehow, but as Dr. Greenough said, "you can't be in the English arm / every day, and we didn't design the uniforms." Hence I tried to give what I supposed was a Lord Kitchener return to the salutes. All of the: e towns are garrisoned, so we were kept busy saluting. Dr. Greenough is a very striking looking man, nr.d *v-i o ! /if n flria in Vile "llil . form, so naturally the sold'ers thought he was a big gun out inspecting the lines with his stafF. (T wasn't such a bad figure of a subaltern myself.) Eut I could never get used to these splendid big cuirasseurs stiffening up and saluting; while I stalk by, wondering if I saluted with my off hand or not. They are the big chaps with the steel helmets. and horse hair tails hanging down. First Line of Trenches. Just out of Chambrey, we found the first line of French trenches, hastily built to check the German advance. These were not more than three feet in height, but seemed to have served their purpose . Just behind and across the road was a cemetery wall, pierced with holes for the muzzles of the French mitrailleuse, which did such terrific slaughter in the German lines. They each fire 8UU per minute, ana mey must xiuve 50 of them. I took some pictures here of a gutter pipe on the wall, showing the terrific fire this spot was subjected to. Each of the above mentioned towns presented the same pictures?houses tumbled into the street, churches slashed, and always swarms of polite and charming little i ! I ^rench children climbing about the ] uins. These particularly impressed ne. They were so friendly, and not * he least shy or self-conscious. They | i ;ried hard not to laugh at my French, $ i The most impressive sight of the day $ , .vas the hundreds, and I might say, i thousands, of graves that I passed for ij niles and miles. Each French grave g with its little tri-colcr and flowers, | xnd each German with its little wood- | ?n cross and stenciled "Allemande" md flowers?always the flowers. The fields were all under cultivation <!; md very green and fresh loking. One could hardly visualize the scene of a !; few months ago. About 15 miles ;! from Meaux we passed along the historic mile of poplar lined road (my j!;| idea of "France"!) so well described !(! by R. H. Davis in his "With the !jl Allies" Here the trees two and !;!; three feet in diameter at the base ;>!; were literally shot ofl', and still lie ; sprawled in the ditches. The limbs v: J2 hanging down looked very much like the blazes we made as kids in Cash- 1?! iers, to mark a trail, only these twigs were 18 inches in diameter. Many unexploded shells still appear high ;j' up, imbedded in the trunks, and others passed through two feet of ! live wood, leaving holes as smooth and roimd as if made with an auger. For a mile the trunks at the height of a man's head were "fuzzy" from the frightful rifle and machine gun fire that raged here for 48 hours. I saw dozens of the red French caps in the ditches and fields. Here and ;jj there a gray German overcoat, or ft what was left of it, showed as a reminder of that awful day. It is reported that 2,000 mer were killed in $ this mile of road those two days, and , !>; in one grave there lie over a thous- j ;>!; and Germans killed in a wheat field : \\\ 300 yards from the French machine guns (which were invented by' an.'!!: American and refused by our army.) Mi; Over this big grave a huge cross had ;i; been erected by bolting a 20-foot log ;j; blown from a poplar by a German shell, to the trunk it came from. At ,!; the foot were the inevitable flowers, hi' placed there by the people the Ger- ;i; mans came to wipe out. You can't I beat the French. While I stood there jjf an old priest came up the road, head uncovered, and passing the German 3 grave, he stopped and mumbled a. l? prayer. He then saluted us for = several seconds, and walked off. Over rr a single grave, someone had spread a d gray German overcoat, and there it ti has been since the fighr,. I wanted a si German button, but no t bad enough t\ to take it here. I wonder how many women and children that bie German si grave means everything to. They will h never know where those poor fellows lie, as the day was hot and unless a w menace to their own health, the Ger- f; mans ignore their dead. Hence the si French buried them, and helter skel- a ter, as hot weather was not over, and n they had no time to catalogue the f] little zinc numbers attached to each " man's wrist. But afte:: all, that's a ji small matter. They arc "missing," c; and that word serves to keep hope si going, and perhaps it h^lps?I don't r< A Word as to Trenches. S] I could go on and on, and tell much s< of inspecting the new tranches Joffre y is digging across France, but I must i? stop somewhere. However, a word as _ to the trenches. These are wonder- | fully constructed, and built for five years. Owing to our(uniforms we got down in them, and took pictures ad li lib. Standing in the trench as it is ? now built, my eyes were about 15 inches below the edge. By standing on a shelf, I could just see over?so how these Frenchmen expect to, I t can't say. The walls give my shoulders about 12 inches on either side, and are covered with willow osiers, ^ "wicker work," to prevent washing. The floors are paved with gravel and j with corduroy, beautifully made, so ^ there will be no more standing in water. They are well drained. At intervals of 20 feet the trench turns about a heavily logged abuttment, which was not present in the first 1 trenches built, and enabled the Ger mans to pour^i flanking fire down a trench, "enfilade" with terrific slaughter. This practically obviates that. Shelters are scattered here and 1 there and very "comfy." Underground passages connect with other trenches, and with the "75" ("75" is the name for the French field guns ?means 75 mm. diameter at muzzle) gun stands 200 yards in the rear. These pass under the roads where necessary. All in hope they never have to use them. But the Germans simply can't take them. In addition, there is a 50-yard wide barbed wire entanglement running down the entire length of the trenches, so how I): ;', fj ^|Wg?M I ; J I Kool Kra; Sjij: during this hot S CLOTHES lik jfjf tive to start witl njij: and keep their jjj| lies in the fact t I $6.50, : SI; We give you a S| style, fit, and la; SI ^4 | Pari ian or beast could get through on't see. Add to this the 75's, n ailleuse' and rifles, and you have :rong team. But enough. We r jrned to Paris about night. I dined with Dr. Du Bourchet, tl jrgeon-in-chief of the ambulan ospital, here. One thing that impressed me the as the ease with which the enti imily switched from their own Ri an to English. This included the 11 down to a 16-year-old boy. lakes me ashamed. Here we ai rom Harvard and supposed to ] educated," I supose, and not ma ick in the crowd, including Cushin an do more than ask "Do you si tamps here?" There's somethi: Dtten about it all. Dr. Greenouj peaks Canadian French like a stre; 3 eets about perfectly well, but liss DuBourchet confided in me, ? "ter'ble Franch." Comparison is the highest form uttery. All cigars sold in Abbevi re represented to be as ?ood, or bett lan Speed's Cinco's. There is nothi ke them. Stick to them. They ke good taste in your mouth and a ek ead. Old Gold and Silvej aken in exchange ? lew Jewelry Store tli anieas Cash. R. Kirk wood. sext to the Caiul Kitchen. MAXWELLS MARKET T. H. MAXWELL, Propriet ALL PORK SAUSAGE MALL HAMS, KOAST PI< FRESH FISH and OYSTER! iighest Cash Prices Paid 1 Cattle, -Hogs and Sheep, Salted Hides. PHONE 298 Maxwell's Market ^ PEOP) . THAT yk sho\\ 2| NewS is by far complete i ^ so t0?'|/^ ia wearing sh and Palm! weather, and there s real < e these. They're not on a, but they give service, t * good looks indefinitely ;hat they give so much mc AT $7.50, $8.50 a: .11 that is best in good ? stine satisfaction. u <er & F Ti Who Struck Billy Patterson? I n-l a New York Sun. e- To the Editor of The Sun?Sir The saying "Who struck Billy Patter he son?" originated many years ago ii ce Baltimore during a political cam paign. There was a ward boss wh< re re isI PALM R If ' i | Cleaned a: as '|J on , J? U\J ^ ?? We have bo tep h\ ~ " j Press for t '4 Tr* /jy AUUiV HJiW M V * riion ' ?> 3 Cigars or ??'??-??" Speed's E G' Phor 3 Always [Read} Stationery LE TELL US jjg| OUR jjjB ZING OF |2 ?Stjte:|| ; Ithing If flip Idfrorpcf o-nc\ mriGi :*???? n town. You'll find ;jsjp There's real pleasure i?aS| f these new Beach Splits ijjit economy in buying i 1g1 ly the most attrac- i 111 hey're made to lastr ijijg ? Their economy ijigr; >re lor your money |jg |; ad $10.00 II Summer Clothes? ?eese || . thought he was it. One dajrr ic: at crowd some one struck him. Nc*.?ac> knew who did it. The boss said:.; fl". : will give $10 to know who sttmrik:. - Billy Patterson." He never found.' * It was immediately taken, as - word all over the city. > Baltimore, Md. May 29* -V ? H SUITS I nd Pressed ? W$ ?priK # 'v"fcu w ughta$25? ? he purpose, g r 1 eamlaundry | e (>S-B W fc'X'X'X'X'X'X'X'VX'X*^ r~ Candy \ rug Store. le 18. r fn Qdi*vo Ynil. r vv/ uvi v v* a wm* Toilet Goods