Las Vegas optic., 1914-09-12
TERRIBLE STORY OF
BATTLE At LIEGE
GERMAN SOLDIER, SEVERELY
WOUNDED, TELLS HIS Ex-
PERlENcES

New York, Sept. IA vivid de-
scription of the fighting before Liege,
attributed to a German officer who
was seriously wounded in the battle,
is published by the Weiser Zeitung of
Bremen, copies of which reached here
today. Under the caption From the
Border to Liege' the officer described
his experiences and feelings in let
ter which reads in part as fellows:
Our trip to the Belgian border
was triumphal procession 1t was
pouring rain as we marched through
the Ardennes. The towns seemed de-
serted. We had no rest and during
the night was fired upon.
"At a. mi, August 6, we marched
through the Ourthe valley. meeting
obstacles everywhere. It was an aw-
full march; the roads were blocked
by felled trees and boulders; Of
bridges there were only remnants, In
the afternoon we took up quarters in
village south of Liege.
''At z o'clock an alarm was sound
ed, the captain shouts Storm Liege.
1t is impossible. We cannot go far
ther; the forts are 35 l0ilometers
away, but we press on. Thirty min
utes pass and we are fired on from
the heights. Now shots are fired di-
rectly at us from nearer points. We
draw our revelvers and rush forward
"The field is alive with troopers OF
all arms. 1t is raining in torrents;
thunderstorm is roaring and the
night is pitch dark. We press on.
We see soldiers fall. Now they fall
in masses and do not rise. The sky
clears; the moon shines; we hear
cannonading.
Suddenly we hear that our bag
gage has been attacked. One COM
pany turns back The village probab-
ly burned down. All the people shot.
Such are the atrocities of the Franco
Tiereurs. Meanwhile we keep on,
close to Liege and turn off behind
the wood Four regiments lay down
their knapsacks and iron rations' are
taken on. The last exhortation is
given; we form in ranks for the
charge.
"'Shells whiz past, but without aim
We gallop by our artillery, stuck
helplessly in the mud up to the stom-
ach A wild hail of bullets bursts on
us from a point directly opposite Our
own men are firing upon us, but just
in time we are recognized. Now we
are directly in front of the firing line
of the forts. There is wild clamor-
ing, Friend and enemy look alike.
81 am lying before a barricade of
trees and barbed wire, with my COM
rade, Lieutenant G on my left and the
captain on my right. Shells exploded
all around; everywhere is the internal
noise of musketry fire. The air is hot
few yards ahead we may get better
cover. / and Lieutenant G ask Shall
we go forward? No answer. He is
dead. The captain jumps to his feet
and falls back. He is shot through the
breast. l raise my arm; the company
responds to my word of command.
81 rush forward. A terrible blow
throws me back three feet. l have re-
ceived shell in the left thigh. The
pain is terrible. Before me an officer
Icalls out his name, holds out his hands
to me and then falls back dead. In
front of me there is a flag and Tstry
to crawl up to it. The bearer is dead.
A second shot strikes me in the left
arm: third in the right arm; I bite
the earth with pain. A few steps in
front are the Belgian rifle pits. Our
men advance. live IN one place near
ly IL hours, yet despite the hail OF
bullets nothing happens to me. A doc
tor comes with bandages. At neon
am carried away, shivering with few
er; I meet our regiment. It's losse.
are terrible; three captains and siz
lieutenants dead. nearly all from my
battalion.
Il am taken to a field hospital. Dur
ing the first few days have fever ant
suffer terribly, but now I am mucl
better There are others who have t,
suffer greater pains than 1; TIA
makes one keep quiet. I have to SUI
fer everything. The clothes | worl
we're so soaked with blood that the
were burned. A Russian brought nj
some underwear. A sympathetic Iii
tie woman is washing and mending
uniform for me"