The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-10-01
GEN. FRENCH TELLS HOW BRTONS
HAVE FACED GIANT GERMAN GUNS

by this 1t is not implied that their
artillery fire is not good. 1t is more
than good-it is excellent. But the
British soldier is a difficult person to
impress or depress, even by immense
shells filled with q high explosive,
which detonate with terrific violence
and form craters large enough to act
as graves for five horses.
Scoff at German Shells.
The German howitzer shells are
from eight to nine inches in caliber,
and on impact they send up columns
of greasy black smoke. On account
of this they are irreverently dubbed
coal boxes black Marias.' or Jack
Johnsons' by the soldiers.
Men who take things in this spirit
are, it seems. likely to throw out the
calculations based on loss Of morale
SO carefully framed by the German
military philosophers.
"A considerable amount Of informa-
tion has been cleaned from prisoners,
1t has been gathered that our bonn
bardment on the fifteenth produced a
great impression. the opinion also is
reported that our infantry makes sGch
good use of the ground that the Ger
man companies are decimated by our
rifle fire before the soldier can be
seen.
From an official diary captured by
the First army corps it appears that
one of the German corps contains an
extraordinary mixture of units. If the
composition of the other corps is sin
liar it may be assumed that the preE-
ent efficiency Of the enemy's forces is
in no way comparable with what 1t
was when the war commenced.
Germans Lose Many Officers.
THE losses in officers are noted as
having been especially severe. A bri-
gade is stated to be commanded by
major; some companies of foot guards
by one-year volunteers, while after the
battle of Montmirail one regiment lost
fifty-five out of sixty officers.
THE prisoners recently captured ap-
preciate the fact that the march on
Paris has failed, and that their forces
are retreating, but state that the OBJ
ject 0f this movement is explained
by the officers as being to withdraw
into closer touch with the supports
which have stayed too far in the rear.
THE officers are also endeavoring
to encourage the troops by telling
them that they will be at home by
Christmas. A large number Of the
men believe that they are beaten.
Among the items of news are the
following: Recently pilot and OBJ
server OF the Royal Flying corps were
forced by a breakage in their aero
plane to descend in the enemy's lines.
The pilot managed to pancake his ma
chine down to earth and the two es-
capped into some thick underground in
the woods.
THE enemy came up and seized and
smashed the machine, but did not
search for our men with much zeal.
The latter lay hid till dark and then
found their way to the Aisne, across
which they swan. reaching camp in
safety but barefooted.
Numerous floating bridges have by
now been thrown across the Aisne and
some of the permanent bridges have
been repaired under fire. On the
twentieth Lieutenant (name deleted)
of Third signal corps, Royal Engineers,
was unfortunately drowned while at
tempting to swim across the river
with a cable in order to open up fresh
Telephone Aid to Spies.
Espionage is still carried on by the
enemy to a considerable extent. Re-
Gently the suspicious of some of the
French troops were aroused by COM
ing across a farm from which the
horses had been removed. After some
search they discovered telephone
which was connected by an under
ground cable with the German lines,
and the owner of the farm paid the
penalty In the usual way in war for
his treachery.
after some cases CT village fight
ing, which occurred earlier in the war,
1t was reported bS some of our off,
GERS that the Germans had attempted
to approach to close quarters by fore
ing prisoners to march in front of
them. The Germans have recently re-
peated the same trick on a larger
scale against the French. as is shown
by the copy of an order issued by the
French officials. 1t is therein referred
to as a ruse, but If that term can be
accepted it is distinctly illegal ruse.
Charges Tricks to Germans.
During a recent night attack, the
order reads. the Germans drove a col
umn of French prisoners in front of
them. This action is to be brought to
the notice of all our troops, ~ in
order to put them on their guard
against such dastardly ruse, (2) in
order that every soldier may know
how the Germans treat their prison
ers. Our troops must not forget that
If they allow themselves to be taken
prisoners the Germans will not fail
to expose them to French bullets"
Further evidence has now been col.
lected Of the misuse of the white flag
and other signs Of surrender.
During recent fighting. also. Ger
man ambulance wagons advanced in
order to collect the wounded. An or
der to cease fire was consequently Civ,
en- to our guns, which were firing on
this particular section of ground. The
German battery commanders at once
took advantage Of the lull in the &C
ton to climb up their observation lad