Gilpin observer., 1914-10-08
AISNE A BLAZING VALE OF DEATH
SAYS ENGLISH War correspondent

measure by the invaders, brave to-
bacconist declared to couple of the
Prussians: 81 serve men, not bullies."
He followed his words with blow de-
livered fercely from the shoulder.
The <infuriated soldiers dragged him
from his shop and hurled him on his
knees in front of the door. His wife
rushed out shrieking for mercy. A
shot rang out. . Another.
Man and wife lay dead.
Immediately the news of thin act
flew through the town. Outraged and
furious, the conquerors marched in
stantly to the house of the mayor
their hostage-and arrested him. They
conveyed him without a moments de-
lay to the military headquarters,
where he was imprisoned for the
night. On Wednesday morning a court
martial sat to decide his fate. A few
minutes later this brave man paid for
the indiscretion of his people with his
life, dying splendidly.
Relieved by Turcos.
And then guns were turned on this
town of living men and women and
houses, into the shops, into the sta
ton. At Chantilly. seven kilometers
away, the amazed inhabitants saw a
great column of black smoke curl up
into the air; they guessed the horrible
truth. Senls was burning
The work. however, was interrupt
ed. At midday the glad tidings were
heard, THE Turcos are here" WitA
in the hour broken. and blazing Sen
lis was relieved and rescued The
Turcos pursued and severely pun
ished the enemy.
Today these streets are terrible to
look upon. House after house has
been shattered to pieces-broken to a
pile OF stones.
One Big Heartache.
I.ondon.-The Westminster Gazette
publishes letter from a correspond
ent who obtained special permission
to visit the Aisne battlefields. The
letter does not deal with the mill
tary operations. The writer says:
THE whole district northeast of
Paris is one big heartache. nagine
driving in an automobile through the
lovely roads of France. with the
harvests ripe and trees laden heavily
with fruit and everywhere In the
fields, on the roadside. on hill and in
valley, sitting and lying, are not har-
vesters. nor holiday-makers, nor
happy idlers. but dead men. stiff and
stark, covering the fair fields.
Dead Stand in Trenches.
Men in uniform lay or sat or stood
as they were shot or had fallen from
mortal wounds. Until | saw with my
own eyes dead men standing or lean
ing stiff against their fellows in the
trenches and actually against the
earth of the trenches itself. had not
Paris OF this fact.
1t is impossible to conceive a night
mare more hideous.
AT a small village at no great dis
tance from Cotterets we came upon a
German surgeon. assisted by French
Red~Cross nurse. operating in an open
yard with several Prussian wounded,
but most of the cases were past saw
ing. although undoubtedly all that was
sfumanly possible with the limited
means at his disposal was being done
Two British officers near by also were
being attended to, but scant hope was
entertained of their recovery.
An undeniable fact Is that both
the English and French armies are
particularly scrupulous in their treat
ment of German wounded"
Suffer. Defyins Death.
London.-A picture of the suffer
ings OF the German troops, cramped
in miles of underground trenches and
galleries along the Aisne river, is Civ
en- by the Paris correspondent of the
Daily Mail.
He says that the autumnal weather,
with its warm sunshine in the day
time. damp nights. and bitterly cold
dawns. is extremely trying to the men.
minute in the same section OF the
damp depressing trenches.
Alarms Occur Often.
If the men step from their trenches
to the level ground. they do so at the
risk of their lives.
At night the chances of an unex.
pected attack from the allies infantry
are so great that every German SOL
dier must be at his post in the narrow
ditch which is his home and defense.
sleeping as best he may with his rife
at his side. ready to spring up at any
moment at the alarms which come
very frequently these dark. cloudy
nights.
The nerves Of the sentries are sore
ly tried. They mistake the most in.
nocent sounds for French infantry
creeping up. When n sentry. tricked
by his nerves. fires his rifle he brings
the whole advanced post up at double
quick, and II finds that there has
been false alarm.