Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1914-10-07

VY t0tltt me TtHtN HlurA udNf bffh
using to cause n regiment OF German
infantry TO die in their trenches,
standing bolt upright and still holding
their rifles In firing attitude. re-
marked n London paper the other day.
and another correspondent quotes an
American member OF the Crois Rouge
rs having seen the German trenches
o. the French guns had left them, but
with dead In such a posture as the
world had never seen since the de
stroying angel passed over the Philis-
tine camp IN that avenging might OF
Scripture. a silent company OF ghosts.
But there is no secrecy about what
IL now an open secret. 'Turplnite. the
latest French "hell-producer." is the
invention OF NJ Turpin, the parent
inventor OF melinite and lyddite. which
latter Is merely so named because the
first experiments were made by Lydd
IN Kent. In presence OF the French
inventor. How far this turpinite has
been or Is being used by the French
artillery Is not known, and may not
be exactly known till after the war
but one OF the salient features OF this
novel terror is that it cannot be fired
from an ordinary field gun. and for
its use guns OF particular and difi.
cult construction are required. The
handling OF these guns is at present
confined to specialists. Had the sue.
cessful experiments carried out at
Chalons-sur.M Marne taken place ear
lier. the result OF this war. in so far
as its primary stages were concerned
might well have been different
So lethal in its effect is the new
shell on explosion that. should its use
become widespread, whole armies. in.
deed. entire nations. would be com.
pletely exterminated In the course OF
q few weeks.
offered to France.
NJ. Turpin is not only remarkable
man. he Is also a man who for many
years nursed a serious grievance. and
who considered that he had been
deeply wronged in connection with
the discovery OF his previous inven-
tions, melinite and lyddite. He be
came resentful and suspicious, and de-
termined to discover some new ex.
plosive that would completely throw
into the shade his previous discover
les. which had been improved" by Of
ficial French technicians.
For years he worked in his quiet
country home some twenty miles from
Paris. and It is not long ago since the
French government mad. him the
''amende honorable" This mollified
him considerably. and he offered his
new discovery to his country; but
France, At the imperious demand OF
her democrats. had for many years
been cutting down her military ex.
penditure. while Germany had been
steadily increasing hers. In such cir
cumstances there was little money TO
spend on experiments with explosives
and the outbreak o! war found France
not nearly so prepared with artillery
in munitions. In reserve forces, as was
Germany.
NJ Turpin, however. used as he was
TO war ONCE procrastination, had had
. special gun and shells made ION
his own" and conducted experiments
on the Atlantic coast before carefully
selected and invited officers.
A man who Witnessed one OF these
early demonstrations OF the possibili.
ties OF "turpinite" sends 10 the Daily
Express q description OF its terrific ef.
fects:
ON . stretch OF sand 500 yards
from high, water level a temporary
sheepfold had been erected, about four
hundred yards square, and rallied of
with wooden hurdles In this space
were some dozen shtep and couple
OF aged and worn-out horses
zone OF the horses was contentedly
munching away at some hay In a
trough. the other was rubbing himself
against one OF the hurdles, while the
sheep were huddled together in one
corner.
AS ~ petrifed.
This was what / saw through my
glasses when. from behind ridge
some twenty-five hundred yards away,
there came q sharp, loud thud and the
shrieking sound OF a small she'll. just
ss II somebody had taken piece Of
silk aIsi rapidly torn ii In two It
was the same tearing sound, only
louder.
There was an explosion In the
open space IN the middle OF the impro-
vised sheer ren. The sheep were stin
all huddled In a corner some distance
OF, one OF the old horses was appar
emily leaning w against the railing,
while the other. the one that had been
munehing hay at the trough, lay on
his side
When, ten minutes later. reached
the pen, the sheep looked for all the
world as IL they had been suddenly
petrihed. They were mostly standing
up one against the other
Three or four were lying down, but
all we're dead, with their eyes open
and lower lips hanging
1T was absolutely CHASTITY Yet OF