Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-10-07
OFFICIAL BRITISH REPORT SAYS II
GERMANS FIRE ON own FORCES

London.-The oticial press bureau
issued a descriptive account OF a
operations in France iof the British
force and the French armies IN I'M
mediate touch with it, communicated
by an eye witness present at the head
quarters of Field Marshal Sir John
French.
Sept. Is, 1s14--For four days
there has been = comparative lull all
along our front. This has been &C
companied by q spell Of fine weather.
though, the nights are now much cold
or. One cannot have everything, how
ever. and one evil result Of the =
shine has been the release Of lies,
which were torpid during b wet
days.
advantage has been taken Of the
arrival Of re-enforcements to relieve
by fresh troops the men who have
been on the firing line for some time.
Several units therefore have received
their baptism OF fire during the week.
Germans Fire on Own Men.
""Since the last letter left general
headquarters evidence has been re-
ceived which points to the TACT that
during counter-attacks on the night
Of Sunday, the goth, the German infan-
try fired into each other as the result
Of an attempt to carry out the Dan
gerous expedient OF . 'convergtng ad'
vance In the dark, = ,}5'sIS t
Opposite one portion of our po,,
sition q considerable massing OF 8
tile forces was observed before DARK
and some hours later a furious fus1l-
lade was heard in front Of U line,
though no bullets came oyer Jul
trenches. Il = i
Many Dead in Trenehes.
This narrative begins with Sep
TENDER 81 and covers only two days.
On Monday, the 21st. there was iittle
rain and the weather took turn tor
the better. which has been maintained.
The action was practically confined 70
the artillery, u guns atone point
Smelling and driving away the enemy,
who were e~ndeavoring to construct
rodoubt. The Germans for their part
expended 4 large number OF heavy
shells in a long range b~ombardment OF
. village. $@ = E2sS$
"Reconnoitering parties sent U
during the night OF September -
~ discovered some deserted trenches
and in them, or near them, in the
woods, more than a hundred dead n
wounded were picked up. A number
or rifles, ammunition and equipment
also were found. There were other
signs that portions of the enemy's
forces had withdrawn for some as
lance.
Tuesday, the 22nd, also was a y
day, with less wind, and was q OF
the most uneyentful days that q
passed since we reached the Aisne-
.uneventful, that is, for the British.
There was less artillery work on
either side, the Germans nevertheless
giving another village q taste Of the
Jack Johnsons.' @
Bodies in mo Mans Land" 4
"The spot thus honored was not far
from the ridge where some OF the
most severe fighting in which we have
taken part has occurred. All over this
no mans land between the lines the
bodies OF German i~nfantrymen are
still lying in heaps where. they have
fallen at different times.
Espionage plays SO large q part IN
the conduct Of the war by the 9
mans that it Is difficult to avoid FUR
ther reference to the subject. They
have evidently never forgotten n
saying Of Frederick the Great: When
Marshal Soubise goes to wal be Is fol-
by a hundred cooks; when
take the field I am preceded BY .
hundred Spies
Indeed, until about twenty years
ago there was a paragraph in their
field service regulations directing that
the service Of protection IN the Held
and advanced guards
should always be supplemented by .
system OF espionage.
Many Spies Give Signals.
Though such instructions are no
longer made public, the Germans as 5is
we'll known, still carry them into ef.
feet. Apart from the more elaborate
arrangements which were made IN
peace time for obtaining information
BY paid agents, some of the methods
which are being employed for the col
lection OF, conveyance of Intelligence
are as follows:
"Men in plain clothes signal to the
German lines from points inSthe hands
of the enemy by means Of colored
lights at night and pufs OF smoke
from chimneys by day. Pseudo labor-
ers working in the fields between the
armies have been detected conveying
information and persons In plain
clothes have acted as advanced scouts
to the German cavalry when ad-
vancing.
Officers Remain Behind.
German officers and soldiers IN
plain clothes, or in French or British
uniforms, have remained in localities
evacuated by the Germans in order to
furnish them with intelligence.
"One spy Of this kind was found by
troops hidden In a church tower.
His presence was discovered only
through the cratic movements Of the
hands of the church clock, which ne
was using to signal to his friends by
means OF an improved semaphore
code.
Had this man not been seized 1t Is
probable he would have signaled to
the German artillery at the time OF
their arrival the exact location of the
headquarters and stan. A high, ex-
plosive' shell would then have mys-
teriously dropped on the building.
Women spies also have been
caught; secret agents have been found
WOUNDED GERMANS
woo uAAnc ne EnE =.