Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, April 02, 1918, Image 1
YO RMS LIE ENQUIRER.
ISSUED ggMl'WKKKLT.
l. a orist'S sobs. Pobii.heri ; S -Jiamilj Jlrirspapcr: J;or the promotion of the political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial ^Interests of th( Jlrojlt. j TERM,^J^C*
ESTABLISHED 185.1 YORK~C.. TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1918. 1^0.27
"OVER 1
By ARTHU]
An American Boy Wh
Years Befoi
Copyright, l'jJ7. by Arthur 'It
< "IIAI*TKIl .X X V ? < 'out iiiucii.
As dawn bcKun to break, he cou
ili.siirn littb- dark objects protrudii
11<*iii th> ground all about liiui. Cur
mastered bis fear and he crauvh
In on** ol I la- objects, and there, in tl
inn lain liahl, lie read uii a 1 itt
?ooili'ii i toss:
' I ; . II. S. Wheat on. No. 107'), 1:
i.oinioii I test. It. I'. Killed in iulio
April J'.. 1?1?. It. I- I'." < It' Nt i
I van-.)
When it ||;|UIU'|| oil hill! that III' Ilil
l.? n :t-11nvr nil night ill a ccmctei
his i a sou seemed to leave him, tinil
mail ili sin- to he free from It all mat
Iiiiii i n il iii.hII> away, falling uvi r lil
Hi- wooden i t osses, smashing some an
trampling oihers iiiiilei his !' -?t.
Ill Ills Might lie eallie to till ol
I i< neh dugout, hall raved m ami |?ai
tially lillol with slimy ami filthy wal
er.
lake a fox heillK eiiasetl hy tl
hoiuuls, lie ||||I keil into this hole all
Ihiew hiiieell on a pile ol oh! cuipl
samllmgs. wet ami mildewed. Then
iimoiiseioiismss.
(ill the next !: >, la- eaim* to; la
distant \oiees soumleil ill his ear
I'|i* iiimt his ryes in the entrance <
the dugout lie saw a corporal and tw
men with lixed bayonets.
The corporal was addressing him:
"tot up, you white-livered Idightci
Curse you and tin- day you ever Joint
;i company, spoiling their line rev
ord' It'll he you up against the wal
and a good joh too. (Set hold of hiu
tti< a. ami if lie makes a hreak, giv
Iiiiii (lie ( ayom l, and send it home, tli
cowardly Minik. Come on. you, movi
we've heeii looking lor you lou
cnoug It."
I.loyd, trciiihling and weakened h
his long last, lotion d out, assisted l>
a soldier on each side of him.
They took Iiiiii lie lore the eaptaii
hut lould get nothing out of him hut
"r'or (Sort's sake, sir, don't luive m
* --* ? ' ? > <luil
mum. mm i i... >,
Tho captain, utterly disgusted wit
Iiiiii. sent hint under escort to divisio
)ic,ul<|iUtrtcrs lor lii.il by courtniai tia
charged with desertion under tire.
TIloy .-.Pool deserters ill Kraiico.
During his tnul, Lloyd sat as on
da/.ed, and could put nothing lorwar
in his defense, only an occasion!
"Don't have me shot!"
His sentence was passed: "To b
>lay 18, 1916." This ? aieunt that 1
had only one more day to live.
lie did not realize the awfulncss <
his sentence; his brain seemed par;
1>zed. lie knew nothing of iiis tri
under guard, in a motor lorry to tl
sandbagged guardroom in the villug
Where lie Was dumped on the lloor ill
left, while a sentry with a lixed bayi
net paced ii|> and down in front of tl
cut ranee.
Itully beef, water and biscuits wei
left beside him for his supper.
The sentry, seeing that he ate noil
mg, came iusi le and shook him by tl
shoulder, saying in a kind voice:
"t'heero, laddie, better eat somi
tiling. You'll li el belter. l>o||'| g|l
lip llO|H*. You'll lie |inrdolled bel'oi
morning. I know the way they rn
these things. They're only trying 1
scan- you, that's all. Conic now, thai
a good lad. eat something. It'll mat
the woild look different to you."
The good hearted sentry knew I
was lying about the ixirdon. lie kmnothing
shoit of a miracle could sa\
tin- itoor lad.
I.loyd listi-m <1 rly to Ills si lin y
words, and lii'lii'Vfil tlicin. A look i
hope i aim- into liis ryi'i', and lit* ravel
ously ato tin- meal beside tiini.
In about an liom'.s tittti' I hi* vital
lam came to sot* liitn. 1'iit Lloyd won
liavi none ot hint. Ilo wanted no i>ai
son. In* was to In- |iar<lonotl.
'I'lu- artillery behind tho linos sin
ili nl\ opened ii|' w itli everything tin
liail. An intense bombardment of tl
enemy's lines lufil commenced. Tl
roar ot tlio guns was den fen in
Lloyd's fonts canto hack with a ins
ami lie cowtied on the earthen tloi
with his hands over his face.
t The sentry, seeing his position, can
in and tried to cheer him by talking 1
him.
"Xovi-r mind them guns. hoy. thi
won't hurt you. They are ours. \\
are giving the Bodies a dose of the
ow n niodloine. Our hoys arc going ovi
the top at dawn id' the morning to tat
their trenches. We'll give 'em a tast
of cold steel with their sausages an
hcor. Von hist sit tight now until tin
relieve you. I'll have to go now. la
as it's nearly time for my relief, and
don't want them to see me n-talki
with you. So long, laddied, cheero!"
With this, the sentry resumed tl
imeing of his |H?st. In nhout ten mil
utes" time he was relieved and a
company man took his place.
1 .(Hiking into the guardhouse, tl
sentry noticed the cowering attitude i
l.loyd. and. with a sneer, satd to hln
"Instead of whimpering in that coi
nei. you ought to lie saytiig your pra?
ers. It's bally conscripts like yt
what's spotlin' our record. We've be?
out here nigh onto eighteen month
* tko flfot mnh tn dPStM't . Jl
nuu ji?u in* mo. ? ?
post. The whoie t>attalion Is laughi
and |H)kin" fun nt D company. br
luck to you. But you won't pet anoth<
chance to disgrace us. They'll pi
your lights out in the morninV*
After listening to this tirade. Lloj
* in a faltering voice, asked: "They ai
not going to shoot me. are they? Wh
the other sentry said they'd pard<
me. For God's sake?don't tell mo !'
to Ik* shot!" and his voice died away
a sol>.
"Of course, they're going to sho
you. The other sentry was just a-kl?
din' >ou. Just like old Smith. Aiwa;
a-try in' to cheer some one. You air
got no more chance o' beln' pnrdom
than 1 have of gettin' to be colonel <
my 'batt.'"
When the *act that all hope wi
gone Anally entered Lloyd's brain,
calm seemed to settle over him. at
Hllfi
rca I
rHE TOP" s.
run
;in,}
El GUY EMPEY aJ
him
lo Got Into the War Two I witl
and
re His Country. *r
sai<
ly Empy.
UK.
rising to his knees, with his arms
sti t? .u <i out to h?*aven. h< praye.l, and 'ra'
all of his soul entered into the praver. ''a'V
. .. . ... _ tiav
? "< I, tC<K/d ;uiu iniTrilui ' ??hi, VIM* iim*
sticrigth t<? ?li?- like a man! Deliver 11 s
'' mi' from this coward's death, (live me <ve
'' a chance to <!! like my mutes in the rmM
'' lighting line, to <lio lighting for my K'v<
country. I ask this of thee."
s' A peace, hitherto unknown, came to w'"
" him. und he crouched and cowered no Wl''
1,1 more, I.at calmly waited the dawn. "'a*
ready to go to his death. The shells 1,1
were liursting all around the guard- vVl''
-x room, luit lie hardly noticed them. '
a While waiting there, the voice of the
sentry, singing in a low tone, came to
him. Me was singing tin chorus of tin- '
popular trench ditty: '*,v
ctiii
I want to go home. I want to go home.
I don't want to go to tin- trenches no x'1"
'* more. "M'1
Where ti.?' "whizzbangs" and "sale
sages" roar galore. r,,s'
Take me over the se-i. where tl.e Ml -- ' '
in-iud can't get me.
??h. my, 1 don't want to die! i want to
go home. a "
u arri
l.loyd listened to the words with a **"
strange interest, and wondered what
? kind of a home lie would go to across
the Iirent llivide. It would lie the only
home he had ever known.
.suihli nly I here cairn- a great rushing l,lsd
thioiigh tin- air. a Minding, n deafen- '
ing report, and tin- sandbag walls of
' the guardroom toppled over, and then tain
' ?blackness. ,d *
'* When l.iow! recovered conscious- ""
" iii-ss. la- was lying on Ids right side,
lacing \v"iat usi-d to lie the entrance of '
o tlie guardroom. Now. it was only a J"1"
jumble of rent and torn windbags. Mis '
v head seemed busting. He slowly rose s'~ |
-v on his ellsiw, and there in the east the ''
lawn A?as breaking, liin what was "
?-! \ fcl
I ill.II Iiiiiumcu i>iuh u>i-i mvit
ainoiiK the sandbags? Slowly draKKiiiK "'Kr
I hiniM'li to it. ho saw tho body of tho '' '
Scot
hj i " ? ??; ! sltrh
He Betrayed Hie Country. \\h;
Kur
si-ntry. Oik- look was enough to know
was dead. Tho soldier's head *
was missing. Tho sentry had had his S','T
' wish gratified. He had ";;one hiaii"." a'^r
lie was safe at last front the "whizz- Kl"
lianas" and the'Allcntand. XXo1
' v Like a Hash it came to Lloyd that he
was free. Free to go "over the top" xxt"
u' with his oont|iany. Free to die like a 1""
" true Itrlton lighting for his king and
country. A great gladness and warmth n,ui
*' en me over him. Carefully stepping 1,1 '
over the hotly of the sentry, he started nn''
" on a mad race down the ruined street 0x01
10 of the village, amid the bursting shells. Xx
minding them not. dodging through or ''' '
|-x around hurrying platoons on their way !"s
' to also go "over the top." Coming to ' 1,1
" a communleation trench he "could not n
1 get through. It was blocked, with ',is
laughing, cheering and cursing sol- ?
l'" diets. Climbing out of the trench, he (
run wldly along the top, never heed- ','0,f1
x ing the rain of machine-gun bullets n,?'
and shells, not even hearing the shouts
| of the officers, telling him to get hack
n into the trench. He was going to join vu'v
his company who were in the front nuu
ti.w n?k *^,*0 to tlcrhf with thorn. solii
Ho the ilcspisiM coward. had come into
his own. Hon
While ho was racing along, jumping
1,1 over trenches crowded with soldiers, a ' " '
1)1 ringing cheer broke out all along the ^
front line, and his heart sank. He
r* knew he was too late. His company s
l* hnd gone over. Hut still he ran madly. *
M> Ho would catch them. He would die
with them. L
"* Meanwhile his company hnd gone if y
"over." They, with the other com- are
n p;inies had taken the first and second thai
Herman trenches, and hnd pushed A
steadily on to the third line. D com- sold
ut pany. led by their crptaln. the one who vole
had sent Lloyd to division headquar- bloc
ters for trial, charged with desertion, fror
re had pushed steadily forward until they or.
>' found themselves far In advance of now
)n the rest of the attacking force. "Bomb- safe
111 ing out" trench after trench, and using Hun
their bayonets, they came to a German tain
communication trench, which ended in B
a tdindsap. and then the captain, and wilt
1- what was left of his men. knew they fror
rs were in a trap. They would not re- ing
i't tire. D company never retired, and dyii
"d they were D company. Right in front prej
of of them they could see hundreds of fire
Germans preparing to rush them *ith was
ts bomb and bajonet. They would have Ti
a some chance if ammunition and bombs ed
id could reach them from the rear. Their dow
ply ^.<s exhausted. and the men 1
lizcd it would he a case of dying alo
bravely as possible, or making a the
for it. Hut D company would not of i
It was against their traditions woi
principles. con
he Crnn.'ins would have to advance "do
oss an open space of three or four pie
id red yards before they could >: ! wrl
bin bombing distance of the trem h.
then it would lie-all their own way. air
inning to liis company, the captain gut
I: his
Mrn. it's a case of going West for in
Wo ;ito out of ammunition and
it's, : n>I tin- HochfH hnvi- us in a "
p. They will bomb us out. Our "di
onets art- useless here. We will 1
e to go over ami meet them. and for
a ease of thirty to one. so send ing
ry thrust home, .and die like the ogr
? of I) company should. When 1 con
the word, follow ine, and up, and wit
them, 'live thein h....l! I.oril. if "n?.
only had ii machine gun. we could em
e them out! Here they cone, get '
ly, men!" has
ist as In- finished s[leaking, the 0f
i-onie "pup-pup" of a iiiai iop. gun |jvc
heir rear rang out. and the front i
of the onrushing Germans seem- Wet
to melt away. They waved, but jn \
i? again eaine rushing onward. (Wt
,n w? nl their second line. The ma- j|,(,
ie gun was taking an awful toll of
s. Then again the) tried to ad- in,|
re. hut the machine gun mowed j
ii down. Dropping tlnir rifles and ty
ibs, the> broke and fled in u wild tMj
i back to their trench, amid the
is of "L>" <-oiiip.iiiy. They were j
uiug again for another attempt. y
ii in the rear of I) company came (jes
light) cheer. 'I lie aiiuniuiition had j
vial and with it a battalion of
teli to re -enforce til-Ill. Tile) WCle j.
d. The unknown niaeliin.- gunner
eoine to the rescue in the nick of _
'itli ili<- rc-cniorccments it was an
' tusk to take the third Herman "
Jac
Itci tin- attack was over, tlic- capami
three of his non-commission tliccra
wcinlctl their way back to
position where the machine gun ^ '
lone its ticailly work lie wanteil
hank tin- gunner in the mime of 1> |~'fl
l?any for his miigniliccnt deed.
y arrived at the gun, and tin awful "
i met their eyes.
loyd had reached the front line
ch. after his com|intiy had left it.
. . . noli
I range company was nimbly craw lup
the trench ladders. They were ''"s'
nioivetn- ntf going over. They were 1"
tties, and they made a magnificent
t in their brightly colored kilts and "
; knees. ,]ivl
imping over the trench, I .loyd raced
iss No Man's (.and. unheeding the s'''1
if bullets, leaping over dark forms
lie ground some of wbicli lay still. '
le others called out to him as he ' IIH
T
ded past.
e came to the (Jcrinan front line. Hl ''
it was deserted, except for heaps 'n '
wad wild wounded?n grim tribute I H,'e<
!he work of his company, good old Kl"
mtipany. heaping trenches, and
ping for hivath, Lloyd could see lus
d ahead of him his company in .1
d-ciiili-d sap of a commtinica'ion
ich. and across the open, away in 1
it of tin m, a mass of Hermans pre- '",x
ing for a charge. Why didn't l> 'j"
ipany tire on them? Why were tle-y '"
strangely silent? What were tlmv
ting for? Then he knew ?their am- '
nit ion was exhausted,
lit what was that on his right? A ,."l!
liine gun. Why didn't it open lire "Nl
' save them? lie would make tliit
i's crew do their duty. Hushing ,w<
r to tin- gun In- saw why it had not '''^
nc-l tire. Scattered around its base ^
six still forms. They had hroognl ,,'l's
Ir gun to consolidate the enptmed 'oV
it ion, but a Herman machine gim
I decreed they would never lire
in. :,m'
loyd rushed to the gun and. grasothe
traversing handles, trained it
Ho (icimars. He pressed the thumb
ie. .hut only a sharp click was the mi*
" M
nit. The gun was unloaded. Then
realized his helplessness. He did u
know how to load the gun. Oh. 1 f
v hadn't he attended the machinei
course in Kngland '.' He'd been ^
red the chance. l>ut with a blush of
urn
me he remembered that lie had been
line
aid. The nickname of the machine
WO I
inert* hail frightened him. They ^
0 called the "Suicide club." Now,
t.mi
iuse oi this tear, his company
ild be destroyed, the men of I> ' ^
i|?any would have to die. because
Albert 1 Jovd. had been afraid of a J"' 1
IS i
ic. In his shame he cried like a ,
fast
y. Anyway he could**lie with them ^
rising to his feet, he stumbled
r the body of one of the gunners. j
emitted a faint moan. A gleam ^ ^
lope flashed through him. Perhaps ^
man could tell him how to load
gun. Stooping over the body he
lly shook it and the soldier opened .
eves. Seeing Lloyd, he closed
C'S
n again, and in a faint voice said: j
Set away, you Idighter. leave ine '
ic. I don't want any coward arouml
the
he words cut Lloyd like a knife. ,hr|
he was desperate. Taking the re- ,,a?
er out of the holster ef the dying niK|
t he pressed the cold muzzle to the t|
ier's head and replied: nmj
*es. it is Lloyd, the coward ot am|
i|iany 1>. but so help nie God. if uas
don't tell me how to load that gun |,
put a bullet through your brain." sjor
sunny smile came over the conn- ^ r
mce of the dying man and he said (jm.
1 faint whisper: (--j
iood old boy I I knew yon wonfdn't Iirai
race our coinimny " I(jn,
loyd Interposed: "For God's sake ttve
ou want to save that company you had
so proud of. tell me how to load coir
d?d gun!" was
s if reciting n lesson In school, the ed
tor replied in n weak, singsong use
e: "Insert tag end of belt in feed N
k. with left hand pull belt left to I
it. Pull erank handle bark on roll- pea
let go. and repeat motion. Gun is the
loaded. To fire, raise automatic gle
>ty latch, and press thumbplece. no
i is now firing. If gun stops, ascer- line
position of crank hnndle?" b.*oi
ut Lloyd waited for no more. With in I
1 joy in his heart, he took a belt brei
n one of the ammunition boxes ly- of l
beside the gun, and followed the T
ig man's instructions. Then he and
isod the thumbplece and a burst of the
rewarded his efforts. The gun T
worktng. to t
raining it on the Germans he shout- for
for joy as their front rank went any
n. * T
'reversing the gun back and forth
ng the mass of Hermans. he saw
m break and run back to the c-ov?-r
their trench, leaving their dead and
unded behind. He had saved his
ij?any. he. I.loyd. the coward, had i
ne his bit." Releasing the thumb- i
ee, he looked at the watch on his
1st. He was still ulive at "3.3$." |
'Ping!"?a bullet sans through the
, and Lloyd fell forward across the
i. A thin trickle of blood ran down <
face from a little, black round hole 1
his forehead.
? t
'The sentence of the court had be< n
ily carried out." 1
rhe captain slowly raised the lind- 1
in <lrooping over the gun and, wip- '
the blood from the white face, rec-l
lizcd it as Lloyd, the coward
npany. Reverently covering the brt
h his handkerchief he turned to his
ncoms" and. in a voice husky with
otion, addressed thvm:
Boys, it's Lloyd, the deserter. He
i redeemed himself, died the death
a hero?died thut his mates might
'hat afternoon a solemn procession
ided its way toward the cemetery,
the front a stretcl er was carried by
i sergeants. Across the stretcher
Union Jack was carefully spread
lind the stretcher came a captain
forty-three men, all that were left
3 company.
irriving at the cemetery, they haltIn
front of an open grave. All about
m wooden crosses were broken and
mpled into the ground.
l grizzled old sergeant, noting this
truetion, muttered under his
nth: "Curse the cowardly blighter
a wrecked those crosses! If I could
y get these two hands around his
k his trip West would be short."
'lie corpse on the stretcher seemed
move, or it might have been the
<1 blowing the folds of the l'ni?>n
k.
CHARTER XXV.
Preparing for the Big Push.
ejoining Atwell. after the execution
id a hard time trying to ki op tn>
et from him. I think I must have
at least ten pounds worrying over
n (fair.
eginnitig at seven in the evening it
i our duty to patrol all cornmunica
i and front line trenches, making 1
of unusual occurrences, and siring
anyone who should, to us, ap- 1
r to he acting in a suspicious man- 1
Wo slept during the day.
chind the lines there was great no- *
ty, supplies and ammunition pour- '
in, nnd long columns of troops con- *
illy passing. We were preparing
the hig offensive, the forerunner }
I he liattle of the Somnic or "Hig 1
h." 1
he never-ending stream of men, (
plies, ammunition nnd guns pour*
into the front lines made a mlghtr*1
stacle, one that cannot be doJif
Iheii. 'it nas to ne WiinTlisrtr^jpwi'
ir ov. yea to appreciate its vast-1
H.
>t our part of the line the influx of
iplies never ended. It looked like
uge snake slowly crawling forward,
or a hitch or break, a wonderful
tile to the system ami elllcionoy of
sit Itritaln's "contemptible little
t\" of five millions of men.
luge lilteen-inch guns snaked along,
i runt, by powerful steam tracti.
Then a long line of "four point
" batteries, each gun drawn by six
ses, then a couple of "nine jioinl
i" howitzers pulled by immense
erpillar engines.
t hen one of these caterpillars would
s me with its mighty monster In
\ a ilush of pride would mount to
face, because 1 could plainly read
the name plate, "Made in L'. S. A." 1
I I would remember that if I wore a
lie plate it would also read, "From
F. S. A." Then 1 would stop to
ik how thin and straggly thai
:!>ty stream would he if all trie
ide in lT. S. A." imrts of It were
hdrawn.
hen would eonio hundreds of llms
and "G. S." wagons drawn by 1
well-fed mules, ridden by sleek. (
1-fed men, ever smiling, although 1
m.v with sweat an 1 covered with the 1
1 white dust of the marvelously
I-made French roads.
That a discouraging report the Ger- 1
n airmen must have taken back to
ir division commanders, and this
sam is slowly but surely getting bigand
bigger every day, and the pace
always the same. N'o slower, no ,
ter, but ever onward, ever forward, i
i"hree weeks before the big push of
y 1?as I he battle of the Somme has ,
n willed?started, exact duplicates (
the German trenches were dug (
ut thirty kilos behind our lines. (
' layout of the trenches was taken
n airplane photographs submitted ,
the Royal Hying corps. The trench- .
were correct to the foot; they ]
we<i dugouts, saps, barbed wire dc- |
res and danger spots. I
attalions that were to go over in (
first waves were sent back for
e days to study these trenches, en- (
e in practice attacks and have ,
fit maneuvers. Each man was rered
to make a map of the trenches ,
* uimn/vir n'Uh thn nnrnpf
Ill mil li< i l/if iiiiiicm i i nun %n?
location of the parts his battalion
i to attack.
i the'American army non-commlsictl
ollicers arc put through a course
nap making or road sketching, and
Ing my six years' service In the
ted States cavalry I had plenty of
etlce in this work, therefore mapf
these trenches was a com paraly
ensy task for me. Each man
to submit his map to the company
imander to be passed upon, and I
i lucky enough to have mine selectas
being sufficiently authentic to
in the attack. (
o photographs or maps are allowed
cave France, but in this case It apled
to me as a valuable souvenir of
great war and I managed to smugIt
through. At this time It carries
military importance as the British
s. I am happy to say have since
n advanced beyond this point, so
laving It in my possession I am not
iking any regulation or cautlonfc
the British army.
he whole attack was rehearsed
rehearsed until we heartily cursed <
one who had conceived the idea. i
he trenches were named according I
i system which made it very simple >
Tommy to^lind. even In the dark. <
point In .the German lines. I
hese imitation trenches, or trench i
x *~\ V _ (
-. i
models, wei;e well guarded from observation
by numerous allied plants
' "hieb constantly circled above them. '
No German airplane could approach
within observation distance. A restricted
area was maintained and no
civilian was allowed within three
miles, so we felt sure that we had a
great surprise in store for Fritz.
When we took over the front line
we received an awful shock. The
Germans displayed signboards over
the top of their trench showing the '
names that we had called their
trenches. The signs read "Fair,"
"Fact." "Fate" and "Fancy," and so
on. according to the code names on
our map. Then to rub it In. they
hoisted some more signs which read,
"Come on, we are ready, stupid English."
it is still a mystery to me how they
obtained this knowledge. There had
seen no raids or prisoners taken, so
it must have been the work of soles n
in our lines.
Three or four days before the big ''
nush we tried to shatter Fritz's nerves 0
l>y feint attacks. and partially sue- 0
ceeded as the olficial reports of July 1 ''
jhow.
Although we were constantly bom- h
warding their lines day and night, still v
ive fooled the Ciermans several times. "
rhls was accomplished by throwing 1
in intense barrage into his lines? s
then using smoke shells we would put "
i curtain of white smoke across No 11
Man's Land, completely obstructing
lis view of our trenches, and would ''
"aise our curtain of lire as if in an 1
ictual attack. All down our trenches l'
.he men would shout and cheer, and v
b'ritz would turn loose with machine- ''
run, rifle and shrapnel tire, thinking 1
ive were coming over.
After throe or four of these dummj
ittacks his nerves must have been ll
tear the breaking point.
On June 24, 1D16. at 9.40 in the 0
Homing our guns opened up. and hell 0
nas let loose. The din was terrific, a ''
constant boom-boom-boom in your ear.
At night the sky was a red glare. '
Dur bombardment had lasted about '
[wo hours when l'ritz started reply- 1
ng. Although wc were sending over s
ten shells to his one, our casualties
.cere heavy. There was a constant 8
stream of stretchers coming out of the 0
communication trenches and burial
parties were a common sight.
In the dugouts the noise of the guns '
ilmost hurt. You had the same sensa- 1
ion as when riding on the subway yot< *
mter the tube under the river going 1
? .... r
O IirOOKl.YU?U sun UL |>ll'S3Uir Oil lliv
Bar drums, and the ground constantly
rembling.
The roads behind the trenches were
ery dangerous la-cause Ltochc shraplel
was constantly bursting over them
iVe avoided these dangerous spots by
.-rossing through open Ileitis.
fhe destruction in the German lines ?
vas awful and I really felt sorry for
hgptl because I realized how they must v
'/? -
From our front-line trench, every
now and again, we could hear sharp
whistle blasts in the German trenches.
These blasts were the signals for
stretcher bearers, and meant the
wounding or killing of some German in
the service of his fatherland.
Atwell and I had a tough time of it.
patrolling the different trenches at
night, but nfter awhile got used to it.
My old outfit, the machine gun company,
was stationed in huge elephant
dugouts about four hundred yards behind
the front line trench?they wen
In reserve. Occasionally I would stop
in their dugout and have a conl'ah with
my former mates. Although we tried
to be Jolly, still, there was a lurking
feeling of impending disaster. Each
man was wondering if. after the
slogan, "Over the top with the best of
luck," had been sounded, would he still '
be alive or would he lie lying "some(
where in Finnic." In an old dilapidated ,
house, the walls of which were scarred
with machine-gun bullets, No. 3 section
of the machine gun company had
its quarters. The company's cooks prepared
the meals In this billet. On the
fifth evening of the bombardment a
German eight-Inch shell registered n
direct hit on the billet and wiped out
ten men who were asleep in the supposedly
bomb-proof cellar. They were
buried the next day and I attended the
funeral.
(To Bo Continued.)
First American Advance.?American '
troops in the Luncville sector have t
occupied nnd are holding enemy
trenches northeast of ffcidonvilliei-s,
which they forced the Germans to ,
abandon through recent raids and I
concentrated artillery lire. The
trenches have bacn consolidated with
ours. t
This, though a small forward move- (
ment, marks the first permanent ad- 1
ranee by the American army in t
France. The consolidation of the t
trenches enables the Americans and 1
French to operate from higher t
ground than heretofore. t
The Germans mnde only feeble at- t
tempts to retake the position but each t
time were repulsed. f
Repeated American raldH on this t
?ector and the effective work of the t
American gunners forced the Gor- t
nans to give up the trenches. Gcr- c
nan efforts to regain the lost j>osl- f
lions were repulsed by Gen. I'ersh- I
ng's Men. a
Iladonvllllers Is eight miles west of
Hie German frontier and Is almost 1
ilrectly west of Strassburg, capital
5f Alsace. The American position
here is about 18 miles southwest of i
the Rhine Marne canal where the 1
Americans first entered the trenches i
last November. f
On both the Lunevllle and Toul sec- t
tors the American artillery has been '
filing many shells into the German I
positions. Northwest of Toul Ger- t
nan plans for a gas attack again '
were frustrated when the American
Sunners destroyed four groups of gas 8
projectors which had been placed in 1
position. German batteries, trenches, 1
wire entanglements and other mill- 8
tary targets are being harassed by 8
the Americans.
I
Three personi were burned to death, r
?ne was killed by a fall and two se- (
rionsly Injured In a Are In a theatrical f
boarding house in New York last FYi- t
lay. It is supposed that the Are was t
yf Incendiary origin, as there have t
been six Ares in the house since Janu- t
UT L -v
WHEATLESS HOTEL FARE
Many Landlords Respond to Hoover'i
Appeal.
Wheat and wheat products won
viped off the menus of several hundret
>r the country's leading hotels last
'riday in response to a request of tht
cod administration that "every independent.
every well-to-do person in
he United States" should pledge complete
abstinence from wheat until the
lext harvest.
Hotel managers who assembled in
Washington from every state in the
'nton to hear new conservation regu
ntions expiainea, were lom uj rw?
Administrator Hoover that a census of
applies revealed that the harvest had
ieen less than estimated, that shipping
illiculties made it imperative to feed
he Allies from here instead of from
he Argentine and that It is impossible
o ship corn, owing to loss from germination.
Mr. Hoover said the renunciation of
jxurious food must begin at the top
f the social scale, not only to set an
xainple, but because the industrial
lopulation is dependent to u large cxi.-nt
on bakers' bread, which must
ave a considerable proportion of
heat to be durable. Therefore, he
sked the hotels, which have as pa
rons people of wealth, to refuse to
erve any wheat whatever until the
vw crop comes in, using other cereuls
ml potatoes instead.
"We stand at the most critical
eriod of our national history since
he buttle of Gettysburg." Mr. Hoover
eclared. "We may have to cut our
>heat consumption more than oncinlf,
but the sacrifice must come from
hose who have the most, not from
hose who have the least.
"Our wheat acreage this year will
e greater than ever before and if
he Ix>rd is good to us in the matter
f weather, our dililculties will be at
nd by September 1. That is not a
>ng period of sacrifice."
The reply was an outburst of apilause
which died away as John McK.
lowinan of New York, head of the
c>od administration's hotel division,
tood up.
"How many will rise with me to
ignify they will comply with the
hlofs request?" Mr. Bowman asked.
It seemed as if everyone in the hall
ose simultaneously, waving flags
aken from the luncheon tables and
heering. "We have pledged ourelves
to save wheat for victory." Mr.
lowman announced when quiet was
estored.
Dr. Alonzo Taylor, the food admlnst
rat ion's representative on the war
rude hoard, told the hotel men wheat
him not a necessary element of diet,
lit a luxury.
"Wheat has no advantage in nutrlion
or taste over corn, barley, rice or
ther cereals," Doctor Taylor declared,
and the patron who comes to you
rlth the demand that he must have
rheat and_
dther a slacker or a crank?and1^!
mist not humor either.
"The breakdown in the Gel-mar
ood distribution system wns due tc
he fact that the system was adminstered
for the upper classes who could
ret delicacies at the best hotels if the>
lad the money to pay. The poor peoile
could not pay and were forced
o suffer. There was a great contrast
n Knglnnd where the leading hoteh
vere the flrst to cut off their menu?
he food needed for soldiers and work>rs."
Mr. Hoover made It clear thnt sue ess
in rationing the Allies could not
ie achieved other than by sacrifice ir
he United States.
"Our wheat situation is today thf
riost serious situation in the food supply
of the whole allied world," he hefan,
speaking with evident feeling
'We have had a stock-taking in th<
arly days of March," ho continued
'and we find that our harvest was less
t I. l?
IIUU II wua VOIIIIIUIVU. taiviv to uiwv
mother .and more bitter difficulty ir
he delays of shipping, in the growing
scarcity of ships, that has thrown s
arger burden upon the American people
in feeding the Allies than we had
mtlcipated. We had all expected thai
he Argentine supply would be available
in Europe before this time. Those
supplies will not arrive for anothei
wo months, and even then will he lest
han we had expected. The consonance
is that the supply of breadstuffs
in Europe is at its lowest ebb
There is but one source of supply and
hat Is the United States."
FIGHTERS MUST BE FED
Necessary for Americana to Curtai
Use of Wheat.
Information that the bread ration ol
he Kreneh soldiers who are facing tie
mslnught of Germany's armies ha>
seen cut because of the shortage ol
vheat, has led the food administrator
o plan drastic measures to curl
soarding in this country. Wherevei
here is cvldeqge that the withholding
sf food is due to disloyalty or profleerlng,
prompt action will be taken
State administrators have been reninded
that the food law authorize;
he requisitioning of grain in the naional
emergency and have been asked
o he diligent In their Investiiratlon o!
uses of alleged hoarding. They will
orward the evidence obtained tc
sVashlngton, where steps will be taker
ss the individual case warrants.
Wheat for the Allies becomes more
mperative as the season progresses,
? .1? .1 nf Uoo In ?hln.
)LT?USI* VI III*; uaii^vi V* ?...K
>ing corn or potatoes after April 1,
rtaen the period of germination sot*
n. Up to March 15, the United State*
vas 800,000 tons behind in Its prorramme
of cereal export. Much o(
he programme was to have been corn
>ut the breakdown In railroad transjort&tion
delayed shipment so thai
vheat had to be sent abroad to averi
amine.
As only wheat and barley can b<
(hipped after April 1, the public it
K-lng asked to cut its consumption
>f wheat to 50 per cent of normal
ind even that sacrifice barely wli'
itretch supplies to meet demand, uness
every bushel held on farms sad
u warehouses Is put on the market.
The March 1 report of the departnent
of agriculture showed 111,000, 00
bushels of wheat on farms and
19.000,000 bushels In elevators. 8lnc?
he agitation in congress to increase
he prlcf of wheat to 12.50 receipts at
nllls have dwindled from 8,000,000
xishels to 8,000,000 bushels a. week.
The only requisitioning ordered sc
fitr hai boon in the case of two brothers
of German ancestry, living in New
1 Mexico, who refused all offers.
I'se of potatoes as a subsltute for
* wheat, which has been urged by the
' food administration, will not l>e pos!
sible in some sections because of
' traffic congestion.
1 GEN. FOCH IN COMMAND
All Allied Armies Now Under One
Direction.
Great Britain, the I'nited States and
Italy have ugreed to place all their
armies under General Foch, of the
French army, during the present operations
in France, axtd Gen. Foch Is
now acting as commander-in-chief.
Gen. Ferdinand Foch is of liasque
origin. He was born at Tarbee in
1S51, but was reared at Metz. Rather
than become a German after the annexation
of Alsace-Lorraine, Foch prefitfcml
tn return fn nml hftln
to prelum1 France for the present (lermun
invasion.
Fooh began mastering the strategy
of the war of 1870 in its minutest details.
Knowing the mentality of the
Herman he counted upon their repeating
in future conflicts the maneuvers
that had succeeded. He also expected
them to make some of the old mistakes.
In his teachings at the Superior Watschool
and in his writings he held
always to the idea of an Inevitable
aggression by Germany, sprung with
lightning like rapidity, after long and
most minute preparation?the swift
thunderbolt of the opening to develop'
into a struggle of colossal pro|>ortions.
To parry the blow, Foch said repeatedly,
France must have a staff working
in the same direction, practicing
the same doctrines under a vigorous
and audacious chief.
Foch foresaw Joffre as clearly as he
roresaw inc war or isn, arising irom
the same motives as the war of 1870
anil developing with the same objective
?Paris. He thousht he saw quite as
clearly a different issue, and it would
be difficult to estimate the value of
the service he rendered to France by
<ommunieating his conlldence to the
young officers. His work at the Sul*>rior
War school contributed largely
to the perfection of the French army
which, if less "disciplined" than the
German army, was held by him to be
far better "educated."
The war found Foeh at Nancy, the
headquarters of the Twentieth corps.
His corps was attached to General
t'astelnau's army nnd he was selected
to command a new army concentrating
behind the center of the forces marching
to the Helgian frontier to meet
the Germans. This army was not
ready In time to take part in the battle
of Charleroi, but It contributed
singularly to the victory of the Marne.
Foch's 120,000 men, holding the center
nearly 200,000 Germans.
"They are so frantic In their attacks,"
said Foch. "it must be that
things are going badly with them
elsewhere, so let's hold on."
At another stage of the struggle
aides came up with the disquieting
news that both the right and left
wings had been obliged to give ground.
"In that case," said Foch. "there's
nothing to do but smash them in the
center. Order up the Moors."
General DuHols, with the Moors on
his left, smashed the Germans so hard
in the center that the Hessian Guard
was thrown back upon and Into the
Saint Godad marshes. Von Haun's
right wing was obliged to retire in
unison and Foch was able to re-establish
his line.
After the battle of the Marne Foch
was given command of a group of
armies operating in the north of
France and promoted to grand officer
In the Legion of Honor. King George
conferred upon him the Order of the
Hath, first class. .*
Tall, thin, elegant?with a fine head
and features?General Foch is simple
of bearing but authoritative. From
his gray eyes shine the intelligence
a ...til ? Hnn1 AklAf fn
*
Aluminum Production in tho United
States.?The recent action of the president
in fixing the price of aluminum
at 32 cents calls attention to the rapid
growth of this Industry in the United
States, which has now become the
leading world producer of aluminum.
A compilation by The National City
Bank of New York shows that the
production of aluminum in the United
States has grown from 40,000 lbs.
in 1890 to 7,000,000 in 1900, 48,000,000
in 1910. 100,000,000 In 1918, 140,000,000
in 1914, and approximately
180,000,000 in 1917, these figures being
In round terms. The value of the
product, which amounted to a couple
of million In 1900, was If mlllons In
1915, and approximately 44 millions
In 1917. Exports of aluminum from
the United States have crown from
<1,047,000 in 1914 to <20,800,000 In
1917.?Commerce and Finance,-! N. Y.)
President Wilson has made a telegraphic
request to Governor Stephens
of California, in behalf of Thomas 1.
Mooney, now under death sentence for
participation In a bomb explosion
which occurred at San Francisco in
July, 1914, during the preparedness
parade, which caused the death of ten
persons and injury of forty others.
The president asks the governor to exercise
executive clemency.
i -v. . ; ;':
7 t i - . . v ' " ? > . . - .
it iki win |Asw*rr ui a irai viiivi. an
, conversation he shows his military
. training by directing the course of his
, talk like maneuver. When in May
of last year General Joffre was succeeded
in the command of the French
armies operating on the French front
I by General Petain, and General N'lville
was placed in command of a group of
j armies. Foch succeeded Petain as chief
of the general staff of the ministry of
war, a position he has held up to the
I present, all the while working diligently
upon the strategic moves in
f which the French have been so suc,
ccssful.
, For some time It has been hinted
f that General Foch might be appointed
, head of all the allied forces, owing to
, his known ability as a tactician and
. his skill as a leader of men. All along
, he has been impressed with the idea
that a German vietory was impossible
and frequently has expressed the
, optnlon that th^ enemy forces would
, never be able to pierce the allied line.
[ Sheer Weight of Numbers.?In the
' German tactics of pushing in by sheer
I weight of numbers, the non-commis>
stoned officers have proved themselves
i very valuable, according to a correspondent
of the Daily Mail.
. "They have led and rallied their
( men with energy and tact," he yrrites.
"We have been told sometimes by
, people who pretend to understand the
i German army that in these very
i <iuallties non-commissioned officers
. would be found lacking."
' "Another cause of the progress of
, the Germans has been the rapidity
. with which/ they have brought up
t their guns. Furthermore the German
> superiority In numbers made it possible
for the men to obtain rest. In
s no case have the same Germans
i fought on two consecutive days and
i there were sufficient forces to admit
I of relief being given to tired men on
1 crucial days of assault As for our
own men. each night I have seen some
1 of them who were so tirod when relieved
that they dropped down and
slept where they fell."
I The fabricated hull of an 8,800-ton
f steel vessel was launched at a Pacific
i shipyard last Wednesday, Just sixtyt
two days after the laying of the keeL
l This breaks the American record for
rapid construction of steel veasela
? The best previous record was C7 days.
f .'V.;, ... - . -
STORY OF THE FIGHTING
British Inflicted Heavy Lots and Suffered
Small Damage.
The great Herman effort, wrote an
Associated Press correspondent from
the French front last Friday, appears
to have exhausted Itself. At many
places along the front of attack the
enemy is being driven back and at
others the French and British are offering
firm resistance. Infantry fighting
has begun to give place to artillery
battles and in the next few days
the guns may be expected to speak
loudly. In this respect the British and
French have the advantage, inasmuch
as the Germans have been unable to
drag much artillery with them. They
are engaged in establishing themselves
in the positions to which they have
advanced, but have not had tlmo thoroughly
to orgunize their defenses.
The main portion of today's fighting
was around the northern Bector
of the battlefield, where both the
French and the British had a successful
day, counterattacking with great
vigor where the Germans threatened
to push most deeply into their lines.
At present the front is almost uneven.
During the first rush the Germans
Succeeded at some places in indenting
the lines so that here and there were
formed pockets which sooner or later
must be straightened out.
Further details concerning the first
part of the battle show that no fewer
than 38 German divisions wore thrown
simultaneously against a front held
by only eight British divisions, overwhelming
them and forcing them
back. Behind these British divisions
were only three others in reserve, but
the troops fought valiantly and delayed
the German advance for a considerable
time.
Since then about 49 other German
division* have been hurled into the
battle (a total of t?7 divisions or, ni
the present estimated strength of the
German division, ubout 1,000,000
men.) Not only the army of the
Itavarian crown prince, but also that
of the German crown prince, is now
engaged. The German generals immediately
commanding the troops,
front the north to the south, of the
front attucker, are von Below, von
Marwitz and von Hutier. The army of
Gon. von Hutier faces the French
ulong the Oise. It is very quiet today,
after the bloody defeat of its attempt
to cross the river. Most of the briges
have now been blown up.
The lighting has been much more
severe in the sectors of von Below
and von Marwitz. It Is evident the
allies are gaining the upper hand and
mastering the enemy with artillery.
Owing to the terrible casualties
among his aviators, the enemy is cornpulled
to feel almost blindly for weak
spots in the allied lines, which he has
been seeking constantly so us to throw
against them some of his dense masses,
BTheth .11. la _ remsmhfiiart . Out?ttW m
enemy had more than a division for
every thousand yards of the front on
which ho attacked, an Ideu may bo
gained of the difficulties with which
tho iiIIIau Imvn litmn liPHitf
At one point, on the Corzat Canal,
where the Germans eventually gained
a crossing, they made 16 different attacks
one day. Finally the Britlah
corps which was holding the position,
fell back, absolutely exhausted, and
the Germans crossed over a bridge of
pfled-up bodies of their own comrades.
The German advance has been more
rapid at some points and the allies
have scarcely had time to get away
their cannon, as no horses wen near.
One French battery of 7&s was dragged
five miles with ropes by the gunners.
who succeeded in saving it
One of the German prisoners expressed
surprise at the small number
of British dead found on the battleHeld.
Tljey had been told the British
In front of them had been annihilated.
It was evident small groups had
fought gamely to the last, giving the
Germans the lmpreosion that large
forces were facing them.
The same prisoner salil the Germans
hail formed a special corps,
whose duties were to advance behind
the fighting troops and strip all clothing
from the dead. The bodies, he
s- 'd were buried without any covering,
and the clothing thus obtained
was served out again.
Iteports from other parts of the
front seem to indicate that elsewhere
the line is being held by mediocre
divisions brought from the Russian
front, the best troops havLng been
withdrawn to participate in the battle.
Every one of the divisions which has
been Identified since the offensive began
had been already classified as effective.
Among them are three of the
famous guard divisions and some of
Bavarians.
Whether the Germans will hurl
more divisions into the furnace, is
of course, unknown. It is considered
possible that they still have approximately
40 divisions which may be
used to replace those that have suffered
most heavily in the recent offensive