Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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L? W ? " M"Over the Top" By An American Soldier ,v Who Went ARTHUR CUY EMPEY [' * Machine Gunner Serving In France | 1 I - j| I (Copyright, 1?17, by Arthur Guy Hmpey) 1 V j SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I?Fired by the news of th? ] inking: of the Lusltanla by a German , submarine, Arthur Guy Empey, an Ameri- J can, leaves his office In Jersey City and ] foes to England where he enlists in the British army. CHAPTER n?After a period of train- J In*, Empey volunteers for Immediate service and soon finds himself In rest billets "somewhere In France," where he first < makes the acquaintance of the ever-pres- < ent "cootl?a." ^ CHAPTER III?Empey attends his first 1 church services at the front while a German Fokker circles over the congregation. CHAPTER IV?Empey's command goes 1 ?ntn the front-line trenches and is under 1 fir* for the first time. . . j XHAPTER ^V-^Empsy learns to adopt the motto of the Brtish Tommy, "If you I are going to set It, you'll get It, so neverworry.*' CHAPTER VI?Back In rest billets, Em- < pej^eta hla first experience as a mess 1 learns how the u.it VTO?Backin tne irom^nu? s trench, Empey sees his first friend of the " trenches "go West." t CHAPTER XX?Empey makes his first ] vlalt to a dugout In "Suicide Ditch-" [ lourna wuat constitutes a "day's work" la the front-Una I ^ "CHAPTER XI?Empey goes "over u?? * top" for the first time in a charge on the / <~Lm-man trenches and is wounded by a ^ ^^BrkH-Empey Joins the 'sul- ^ CHAPTER XIII?Each Tommy geta an i official batb> _ CHAPTER XV. '"; ; j Listening Post. j * It was six in the morning when we g arrived at our rest billets, and we were ; allowed to sleep until noon; that Is, ! If we wanted to go without our break- j fast. For sixteen days we remained } | Entrance to a Dugout. In rest billets, digging roads, drilling, p and other fatigues, and then back Into b the front-line trench. 'd Nothing happened that night, but the next afternoon I found out that a !bomber Is general utility man in a sec- ' tion. About five o'clock in the afternoon | onr lieutenant came down the trench ' g and stopping in front of a bunch of us 1 n on the fire step, with a broad grin on !tl his face, asked: \ p "Who Is going to volunteer for listen- j >d lng post tonight? I need two men." j 1 It is needless to say no one volun- !*Ii teered, because it is anything but a i tl cushy Job. I began to feel uncomfort-| a able as I knew it was getting around n for my turn. Sure enough, with another p grin, be said: c "Empey, you and Wheeler are due, so come down into my dugout for in- c structions at six o'clock." 'u Just as he left and was going around <a traverse, Fritz turned loose with a ti ,machine gun and the bullets ripped the p sandbags right over his head. It gave 'si me great pleasure to see him duck ' against the parapet. He was getting a jsi taste of wha^ we would get later out j ;t< In front. |jt< Then, of course, it began to rain. 111 knew it was the forerunner of a mis- lid Ierable night for us. Every time I had j t< 'to go out in front, it just naturally I p rained. Old Jupiter Pluvius must have h .had It In for me^ ? I LVi % j X v , jV' ,:V?V?V Ill II1 <C worn sousm 0 WENT * ? IllMJYMY i <& 1917 BY AflTHUKCUYEflPEY AF six we reported for instructions. They were simple and easy. All we had to do was to crawl out into No Man's Land, lie on our bellies with our ears to the ground and listen for the tap, tap' of the German engineers or sappers who might be tunneling under No Man's Land to establish a minehead beneath our trench. Of course, in our orders we were told not to be captured by German patrols or recor.noitering parties. Lots of breath is wasted on the western front giving silly cautions. As soon as It was dark, Wheeler and [ crawled to our post which was about halfway between" the lines. It was raining bucketfuls, the ground was a sea of sticky mud and clung tons like ;lue. We took turns in listening with our jars to the ground. I would listen for twenty minutes while Wheeler would 3e on the qui vive for German patrols. We each wore a wristwatch, and be neve me, neitner one or us uiu over twenty minutes. The rain soaked us :o the skin and our ears were full of j mid. Every few minutes a bullet would ;rack overhead or a machine gun would j traverse back and forth. Then all firing suddenly ceased. 11 ivhispered to Wheeler, "Kpep your eye j jklnned, mate; most likely Fritz has i patrol out?that's why the Boches j lave stopped firing." f We were each armed with a rifle and j jayonet and three Mills bombs to be j lsed for defense only. I had my ear to the ground. All of t sudden I heard faint, dull thuds, j !n a low but excited voice I whispered J :o Wheeler, "I think they are mining, Isten." He put his ear to the ground and n an unsteady voice spoke into my i ;ar: "Yank, that's a patrol and it's headng our way. For God's sake keep ! itilL" I was as still as a mouse and was cared stiff. Hardly breathing and with eyes '<try-! ng to pierce the Inky blackness, we | raited. I would have given a thou-1 land pounds to have been safely in ; ay dugout. Then we plainly heard footsteps and >ur hearts stood still. A dark form suddenly loomed up in ront of me; It looked as big as the Voolworth building. I could hear he blood rushing through my ve(ns md it sounded as loud as Niagara alls. TiY?rms sppmprl trt pmptr&a frnm thf? larkness. There were seven of them q all. I tried to wish tftem away. I i tever wished harder in n*y life. They ' auttered a few words in German and j aelted into the blackness. I didn't i top wishing either. All of a sudden we heard a stumble, j muddy splash, and a muttered "Don- j ier und Blitzen." One of the Boches ; ad tumbled Into a shell hole. Neither j fvus laughed.. At that time?It didn't j trike us as funny. About twenty minutes after the Ger- ! lans had disappeared something from i he rear grabbed me by the foot. I'j early fainted with fright. Then a j welcome whisper in a cockntey accent/1 "I s'y, myte, we've come to relieve ou." Wheeler and I crawled baick to our rench; we looked like wet hens and elt worse. After a swig of rum we' rere soon fast asleep on the fire step j 1 our wet clothes. The next morning I was rts stiff as a, oker and every joint acl'jied like a! ad tooth, but I was still ;ilive, so It; Id not matter. _ CHAPTER XVI. t \ ! \ Batterv D 238. The day after this I received the j lad tidings that I would occupy the > lachine gunners' dugout Tight near i tie advanced artillery observation 'I ost. This dugout was a r uomy affair, j ry as tinder, and real cots in it. \ 'hese cots had been ra fule by the j I. E.'s who had previously occuplcd j tie dugout. I was the fiTsit to enter j nd promptly made a sig'nboard with ly name and number ou i< and sus- j ended it from the foot of the most omfortable cot therein. In the trenches it is always "first ome, first served," and thfcj is lived p to by all. Two R. P. A. men ('Royal Field arillery) from the neairby observation osi were auoweu uie pov.uege uj. topping in this dugoui; when off duty. One of these men, I iopbard ler Wilon by name, who b olonged to Bat?ry D 238, seemed to take a. liking > me, and I returned, this feeling. In two days' time we were pretty hummy, and he tol<i me how his bat?ry in the early da ys of the war had ut over a stunt o n Old Pepper, and ad gotten away w Lth It. I will endeavor tx> give the-istory as lr as memory will, permit infills own Qrfl.q; . -- ? ? "I come out with the first expedi tionnry force, nnd, like all the rest, thought we would have the enemy .licked in jig time, nnd be able to eat Christmas dinner at home. Well, so far, I have eaten irwo Christmas dinners in the trenches, and am liable to eat two more, thij way things are pointing. That Is, if Fritz don't drop i a 'whizz-bnng' on me, and send me to Blighty. Sometimes I wish I would ;get hit, because it's no great picnic out here, and twenty-two months of it 'makes you fed up. "It's fairly cushy now compared to 'what it used to be, although I admit this trench is a trifle rough. Now, jwe send over five shells to their one. We are getting our own back, but in the early days it was different. Then I you had to take everything without | reply. In fact, we would get twenty shells In return for every one we sent ; over. Fritz seemed to enjoy it, but i! we British didn't; we were the suf' ferers. Just one casualty after an-j Mother. Sometimes whole platoons would disappear, especially when a 'Jack Johnson' plunked, into their middle. It got so bad that a fellow, when writing home, wouldn't ask for any .cigarettes? to be sent out, because : he was af f aid he wouldn't be there to I .roppivp them. | "After the drive to Paris was turned back, trcnch warfare started. Our ' general grabbed a map, drew a pencil .'across It, and said, 'Dig here.' Then he went back to hla tea, and Tommy armed himself with a pick and shovel and started digging. He's been digging ever since. "Of course we dug those trenches at night, but It was hot work, what with j the rifle and machine-gun fire. The | stretcher bearers worked harder than j the diggers. ' "ThnRP trpnrhps hlnrtmin' riltrhes. I call them, were nightmares. They were only about five feet deep, and you used :to get the backache from bending idown. It wasn't exactly safe to stand upright, either, because as soon as | -your napper showed over the top a bullet would bounce off It, or else come | .so close it would make your hair stand. "We used to fill sandbags and stick them on top of the parapet to make It higher, but no use; they would be :there about an hour and then Fritz htvould turn loose and blow them to bits. My neck used to be sore from ducking shells and bullets. (TO BE CONTINUED.) USE LESS FLOUR. The National Fcod Administration is anxious to inpress the message of conservation to the utmost. The people of the country at large do not appreciate the demand for wheat. The Food Administration at Washington has stressed the situation in this nation wide proclamation:, "If we are to furnish the allies with the necessary proportion of wheat to maintain their war bread . it J. 1 ^4. from now until ane nexi Harvest, and this is a military necessity, we must reduce our monthly consumption of about forty-two million bushels or fifty per cent, of our normal consumption, reserving a margin for distribution to the army and for spccial cases, leaves for general consumption approximately one and one-half pounds of wheat products weekly per person. Many of our customers are dependent upon bakers bread, such bread- must be durable, and therefore requires, a larger proportion of wheat, products than cereal breads baked in the household. Our army and navy requires a full allowance. The well to do in our population can make irreater sacrifices in the consumption of wheat products than can the poor. In addition our population in the agricultural districts where the other cereals are abundant are morej skilled in the preparation of breads) from these other cereals then the crowded city and industrial population with improved transportations. We now have available surplus of potatoes. We also have in the! spring months a surplus of milk andj we have ample corn and oats fori human consumption. 1 The drain on j rye and barley as substitutes has already greatly exhausted the supply of these grains. To effect the need| ed savings of wheat, we are wholly dependent upon the voluntary assistance of the American people, and i we do ask that the following rules be observed: "First, householders to use not to ! exceed a total of one and one-half pounds per week of wheat products ! per person. This means not more I than one and three-fourths pounds j of Victory Bread containing the required percentage of substitutes and about one-half pound of cooking flour, macaroni, crackers, pastry, pics, cakes, wheat breakfast cereals | all combined. | "Second, public eating houses j and clubs to observe two whcatless | days per week, Monday and Wed f.v ^ 1 "" ' " . ..y ^ ,r/ j M \ _ Store I SHOR | If y?u | weather I Price $8. . Abbeville I nesday, as at present. In addition thereto not to serve in the aggregate total of more bread-stuffs, ma caroni, crackers, pastry, pies, cakes, wheat breakfast cereals, containing a total of more than two ounces of wheat flour to any one guest at any one meal. No wheat products to be served unless especially ordered. Public eating establishments not to buy more than six pounds df wheat products per month per guest thus conforming with1 limitations requested of the householders. ? "Third, retailers to sell not more than one eighth of a barrel of flour to any town customer at any one time and not more tnan one quarter of a'barrel to any country customer at any one time, and in no case to sell wheat products without sale of an equal weight of other cereals. "Fourth, we ask the bakers and grocers to reduce the volume of Victory bread sold, by delive^ of the three quarter pound loaf where one pound was sold heretofore, and corresponding proportions in other 4-r. wcigiiia. yy c axou aon. uaivciia hvk tu increase the amount of their wheat flour purchased beyond seventy per cent, of the average monthly amount purchased in the four months prior to March first. "Fifth, manufacturers using wheat products for non:food purposes should cease such use entirely. i "Sixth, there is no limit upon the < use of other cereals, flours and me&ls, corn, barley, buckwheat, potato flour, etc. Many thousand families throughout the land are now using no wheat products whatever, except a very small amount for i cooking purposes and are doing so ; in perfect health and satisfaction. \ There is no reason why all of the American people who are able to cook in their own households cannot subsist perfectly well with the i use of less wheat products than one and one-half pounds a week, and we i especially ask the well-to-do households in the country to follow this additional program in order that we may provide the necessary marginal : supply for those parts of the community less able to adapt them' .. / ) . . eo ontevaU COAL / 1 I For Winte J ? TAGE IN wait until comes 00, Cash oe ' i \ / -V * ; f ' M ce Laundry an / j. selves to so large a proportion of substitutes. In order that we shall be. able to make the wheat exports that are absolutely demanded , of ua to maintain the civil population and soldiers of the allies and our own army, we propose to supplement the voluntary co-operation of the public by a further limitations of distributions, and we shall place at once restrictions on distributions which will be adjusted from time to time to secure as nearly equitahle distribution as possible. With the arrival of harvest we should be able to relax such restrictions. Until ^4 then we ask for the necessary patience, sacrifice and co-operation of the distributing trades." STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA County of Abbeville. Probate Court. Citation for Letters of AdminUtraISah By J. F. MILLER, Esq., Judge of Probate: Whereas, Dr. J. R. Power hath made suit to me, to grant him Letters of Administration of the Estate and effects of A. S. J. Cassidy, late of Abbeville County, deceased. These are therefore, to cite and admonish all and singular the kindred and creditors of the said A. S. J. Cassidy, deceased, that they be and appear before me, in the Court of Probate, to be held at Abbeville Court House, on April 8th, 1918, after publication hereof, at * 11 o'clock in the forenoon, to ihow cause, if any they have, why the said Administration should not be granted. Given under my hand and seal of the Court, this 25th day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and eighteen and in the 142nd year of American Independence. Published on the 26th day of March, 1918, in The Press and Banner, and on the Court House door for the time required by law. J. F. MILLER, _-26-3t. Judge of Probate. ' - . . . . .. , V/....' V-.: r Now OI/^T IT oion 1 ~ ; m the cold i Delivery I i 1 Fuel Co. *lbo R?WARD, $100 The readers of this paper will be pleased to learn. that there is at ^ least one dreaded disease that scp- -J ence has been able to care in ail its '..SB stages and that is catarrh. Catarrh . .&g being greatly influenced by consti- <JS tutional conditions requires constitutional treatment. Hall's Catarrh fwjj Medicine is taken internally ? and Jjg acts thru the Blood on the Mucous Surfaces of. the System thereby de- -/J stroying the foundation of the dis- M ease, giving the patient strength by ^ building up the constitution and assisting nature in doing its work. The ->^3 proprietors have ,so much faith in s the curative powers of Hall's Ca- ':vj tarrh Medicine that they, offer One Hundred Dollars for any case that it fails to cure. Send for list of tes- 'if timonials.- Address F. J. CHENEY 'Jfcj & CO., Toledo, Ohio. Sold by all Druggists, 75c.?Adv. 4-lmo. VINOL MAKES I GOOD BLOOD Positive?-Convincing Proof ;| Matty so-called remedies lor auw> mia are only so in name. Their mak? " ??? ?' ?"! thai* Mum< tw CIO CU1CUU IV Uiwil VWIH1P w/ telling what their medicines contain.' The only way to be honest with the people is to let them know what they are paying for. Here is the Vinol formula. When the doctor know* what a medicine contains, it ceases ; to be a "patent" medicine. r? Cod Liver and Beef Peptoaea, Iron aad " Manganese Peptonatet, Iron and Ammanlum Citrate, Lime and Soda Qlycero* phosphates, Caacarin. Any doctor will tell you that the ingredients of Vinol, as named above, will #?nrirVi the hlnnd and haniah ana*. mia and create strength. When the \ blood is pure and rich and red, the body is strong and robust. You can prove this at our expense / because your money will be returned if Vinol does not improve your health. P. B. SPEED, Abbeville, S. C. ':~xi Texas cattlemen hurried to the big Bend District to protect ranchers from the frequent raids made by the Mexicans. ^gSj -II v.-**'. . f-vrv','. *