Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1914-09-24

/ Described as Akin to Fever Attack, but
That Feeling Soon Passes-"l Aim at
/ Living Targets, Shoot and Watch Et.
4 feet of My Bullet Like Spectator at
| a Rifle Competition"
| II am in the field hospital now with
1 nice little hole in my left shoulder.
/ My shoulder feels much as If some
! playful joker had touched 1t with
/ lighted cigar"
Thus writes a wounded French sol
dier in remarkably interesting letter
to Il friend In London. Describing the
fight in which he was wounded, the
/ Frenchman says:
since some time the rafting OF vol.
! eyS is audible. Then ut Il distance a
heavy detonation of gun is heard
/ Arrived at the crest we drop ourselves
and there right in front of us. on the
/ opposite hills and making for the plain
between. are the enemy engaged in 81
| fight with n division of the allied troops
Il can distinctly see the German ar
! tillerymen moving about the guns on
the hiltops and slopes. ! see Il mighty
flash from one of the guns; the heavy
report Is re-echoed by the surrounding
| hills 1t is strange, but in the face or
death and destruction catch myself
trying to make out where the shell has
fallen, as if | am an interested specta-
tor ut a rifle competition. | am not the
only one. | see many curious faces
around me bearing expressions full OF
interest. just as If the owners of the
respective faces formed the audience
at highly entertaining theatrical per
Torrance without having anything to
do with the play itself
Fun While Bullets Fly.
THE human mind is n curious and
complicated thing Now that we were
shooting at the enemy and often after
ward in the midst of fierce battle
heard some remark made or some fun
ny expression used, which proved that
the speakers thoughts were far from
realizing the terrible facts around him
1t has nothing to do with heartlessness
or anything like that | don't know
what it is. Perhaps l shall have an
opportunity to philosophize on it later
"Volley after volley was sent in the
direction of the enemy. A rain of hos
| tile bullets passed over our heads. In
stinctively we stopped. although when
one hears the bullet it has passed al
ready. 1t is a queer sensation which
comes over us the first time we are met
with a hail of bullets. We suddenly
feel as if attacked by fever. but this
feeling soon leaves us.
The earth was shaken by the inccs.
SAINT cannonading, and the air was torn
by continuous rafting rife fire. A com.
rade on my right stumbled. dropped
forward without uttering a sound. kill.
ed by a shot in the breast. A man I'm
front of me threw his arms up, fell.
struggled to his feet and fell again.
Shot Man to Put Him Out of Agony.
"a shell exploded near us, followed
by terrible cry. Five of us were ly
ing dead in little square. One man
had both legs blown away and was
still alive, conscious and imploring us
to kill him. An officer ran past, stop.
ped, and after short look Mt the man,
shot him through the heart Ca vaux
mleuX, he said. pauVre diable.
THE officer opened his mOuth to ut
ter a command and at the same mo
ment got bullet in the mouth. He
turned around twice and fell heavily
on the dixie close by me.
AT Il good distance behind us Red
Cross soldiers and Red Cross friars car
rying the Red Cross flag were stoop-
ing over the wounded and removing
them to an ambulance van. A shell eX-
ploded over their heads, and only
couple of the Red Cross men were left
More hostile troops have been ad
vancing. We are retreating. NOtwith.
standing the appalling scenes around
me. | feel perfectly calca now. Terri
bic though 1t may seem. confess that
without a moments trouble | aim at
my living targets, shoot and watch the