Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-10-24
WRECKAGE- STRE|NN BATTLEFIELDS
LOOK AS IF SWEPT BY CYCLONE


head, and the dishes ratified constant
ly on the table
When the meal was over the propri-
etor called us to witness what had
happened to the far wing of the ho-
tel 1t was demolished
Alert had just been sounded and
the soldiers were running through the
streets We ran out in time TO see a
building fall half block away, COM
pletely filling the street by which we
entered the town an hour earlier.
In few minutes we heard the sharp
crackle of infantry about half mile
away and had a sudden desire to get
away before the automobile retreat
was cut OF Just then we heard the
sound of an aero engine overhead. 1t
was flying SO low that through a
glass we could easily see the whir-
ring propeller
Germans Fire at Aviator.
The machine was mounted with q
rapid-fre gun, which was trying to To-
cate the German gunners, who i'm
mediately abandoned the destruction
of the town in an attempt to bring it
down
For ten minutes we saw shells
bursting all about it. At times it was
lost in smoke, but when the smoke
cleared away there was the monio-
plane still blazing away, always
mounting to higher level and finally
disappearing toward the French
lines.
There was another lun in the can
nonade and We were permitted to
pass down the street near a river.
where, by peering around a building
we could see where the German bat
teries were secreted IN the hills. We
were warned not to get into the street
which led to the bridge, as the Ger
mans raked that street with their
fire If person appeared. We then
took advantage of a lull in the fir
ing and departed to the south at 10
miles an hour, to beat the Shells If
any were aimed our way as we
crossed the rise in the hill
Shells Strike 100 Years Apart.
We passed the night at a village
where considerable execution had
been done by German shells We saw
one curious effect of them. In a
historic building near the city hall
there was a shell imbedded in the
wall with plate fixed beneath it
showing 1t struck there in the year
ploded shell of 100 years after stick
ing in the wall.
We again struck out toward the
battle line, but when we were with
in sound of the firing the authorities
decided we had seen enough of war
and detained us for two days as
guests of a regimental staff, which
was quartered in a courtyard There
we were privileged to see how the
French soldiers lived and became such
hardened fighters as they were prov
ing themselves to be. We ate with
them and slept with them in the straw
until orders came to send US to Paris.
AS we were leaving our coward the
authorities grabbed another group of
correspondents, four in number, head
ed by Richard Harding Davis. They
were ordered to accompany US to
Paris instead of passing several days
in the straw sampling bareback and
army fare.
Tells of Horrors of War.
London.-The Standard correspond
ent, F. St Beaman, writing from a
town in France, says:
THE fearful horrors of war can
never be grasped by seeing the care
fully tended wounded who come back
to England and hearing their tales.
however gruesome, while there is
scarcely a day in any of the French
towns near the armies that does not
bring with it some live terror from
the front. One example will suffice
to point out this truth. Four days
ago the hospital corps and volun-
teers were notified that a convoy was
expected Towards midnight it ar
rived, bringing French and German
wounded Fhe latter were abandoned
by the Germans in Senlis when they
retreated after setting fire to the
town.
I'VE had had many trains of wound
ed before, and all necessary arrange
ments were made as usual, but when
this convoy arrived even the most
hardened had to summon all fortitude
to the task of emptying the carriages.
When a man had a broken leg or
arm or a bullet through his lungs the
skilled ambulance staff soon had him
comfortably backed, but here were
human yestiges SO mangled that it
was difficult to find place to touch
them without causing screams and
means An insufferable charnal house
stencil pervades the whole night air.
Laid Out Four Days.
Most of the wounded had lain for
four days and nights where they had
fallen before being picked up, and
had not yet had their wounds exam
ined, much less dressed. Under the
burning sun and myriad of flies and
,rAor fbov had honn left