The sun., 1914-09-12
SAVE POWDER FROM
ARAIN OF SHELLS
British Soldiers Perform Gallant
Feat in the Wood
at Crecy.
GERMANS CUT TO PIECES
Several Prisoners Make Dash
for Freedom and Are
Slain TO a Man.
GERMANS CUT TO PIECES
Special Cable Despatch to Tur suN.

Special cable Despatck to TuE SuN.
BoSDoS. Sept. II.
despatch from Lagny, Selne-et-
Marne. dated Thursday. describes
the devastation of the forest of
Crecy. Blasted trees are standing
stark and decapitated. Others, amaz-
ingly shattered by shells lie on the
ground. The roads are covered with the
deep marks of the wheels of the heavy
gun wagons, aud the ground shows hun
dreds of thousands of hoof marks where
the cavalry and artillery thundered by.
Tho correspondent relates an Incident
which occurred In one OF the smaller
woods to the southeast Of Crecy. IIo
says:
1T was held by the enemy. but al
though the wood gave good cover for n
time. our patrols during the night. by
great daring. smelt them out and carried
the news OF their whereabouts to the
cavalry on one side and the infantry
on the other
''Incautlously enough the Gcrman ms
moved about with stable lanterns to guide
them, unaware that trouble was 30 near
worms mark for the foe OF whose prox.
unity they had been blissfully unaware
They were smittcn wofully at midnight.
\ storm OF bullets from our Maxims
screamed through the sleeping trees like
"A tornado.
Deadly Cavalry Charge.
"The next morning scores OF lanterns
were picked up In the wood with their
glasses shattered. \ cavalry charge finally
cleared the tragic little wood. our losses
were slight, but the Germans suffered
severely.
Twenty prsoners taken In the melee
were herdcd together in a clearing. Their
rifles had not been taken from them. but
were stacked near by. In "A rash momen,
they got the Idea that they were but
loosely guarded and made n combined
rush for the rifles. They will never mako
another"
In telling OF another incident In the
forest Of Crocy the correspondent says
The French and British alike swarmed
| about the wood with axes. knives. saws
and even sabres. They had a wide area
down IN next to 10 time Line after
line OF infantry, each man carrying a
thickly folaged branch. moved forward
In close order toward the enemy. whilst
behind. amid Topped tree trunks our ar
| tillery got into position with machine
guns and thirteen Founders to cover the
wood. AS IL moved forward all was
a-rustle. The attack which followed We
AS rapid, as fierce and AZ bold as any.
thing that has been done In this huge
campaign and won all the success which
It merlted.
storm OF bullets From wood
THE mysterious. SLOW moving wood soor
showed that there were more than mubrags
In lts texture. II suarled flame and
spat bullets while overhead the shells OF
the French and British artillery sped
screaming to their mark. But one Incl.
dent nearly upset the show. Just under
the ridge OF a hill. right or the forest
large quantities OF our ammunition were
piled ready FOR sudden service and ap.
parcntly woll screened out Of harms way
The oncoming French cavalry making d
detour for purposes OF their own struck
the hill and rode along II for somc dis.
tancc. For row minutes they showed
| themselves on tho sky l!ne in the bright
sunshine. There was no mlstaking tn,
vivid scarlet OF their brcechcs, and they
were spotted nt once by tho German
ARTILLERY. The Kaiser's atillcrymen her,
were crack shots aud they lost no time II
| finding the range.
"Presently the shells hogan to droI
thick and fast over the ridge. falling =,
near our precious ammunition as to make
| the situation remarkably unpleasant
small parties Of our boys swarmed NJ
the hill stripped TO the waist and luggcd
tho heavy boxes out or the way Of dis
| astCr. The men tell me II WAS th'
hottest and most flaming corner that they
have ever been in. hut they came through
and so did the ammunition.
"Ry evening the enemy had been rc
/ pulsed, the Marnc was clear Of thcm am
the night was rolling further and furthel
| away east of the capital
a rITT nIfE