Omaha daily bee., 1914-09-16

| TO the right In a heavily wooded park
was a large stone chateau.
Cloud of Rifle Smoke.
The only sign the town was occupied
was a pail OF blue-gray vapor which huns
over 1t and a constant craoSle of mus.
kerry issuing from 1t. Occasionally
through my glasses l could catch a
glimpse of a machine gun in the upper
windows of the chateau.
Late In the afternoon word was passed
down the line that the Germans had beer
put out of action. that tho enemy was
evacuatlng the town In disorder and that
/ at $40 sharp the whole Belgian line woulc
/ advance.
| Under cover of artillery fire so heavy
! that il sounded like thunder In the noun
tains, the Belgian infantry climbed out of
the trenches and threw aside their KNAPP
sacks and formed up behind the road
preparatory 10 making grand assault.
A moment later a dozen dog batteries
came trotting up and took position on
the left OF the infantry. At $3.50 to the
minute whistles of tho officers sounded
the rally and in a nile-long line the
chasseurs in. blue the carabineers In bot
tie green. swept forward cheering.
They crossed the roadway. they scram-
bled over bitches, they pushed through
hedges until they were within 100 yards
of the line of buildings on thO outskirts
Of the town.
Then hell itself broke bose.
The whole German front. which for an
hour had replied but feebiy to the Bel
CLAN fire. spat continuous stream OF
lead and flame. The rolling crash OF
musketry and the ripping snarl' of ma.
chine guns was stabbed>by vicious pom.
pom-pom OF quick fires. From every
window of the Unrestricted chateau OPP
poslte us the lean muzzles OF mitralieuses
poured out their hail of death.
/ have seen fighting on four continents
but have never witnessed so deadly 9
fire as this that wiped out the head OF
the Belgian columns es sponge wipes
out figures on a slate,
The Germans had prepared trap and
the Belgians had stumbled into It. Three
minutes later the dog batteries came
tearing hack on dead run. That should
have been a signal that II was high time
for us to 60 but in spite OF the fact that
a storm was brewing we waited to see
the ninth inning, ~
Then thinss began to happen with be-
wildering rapidity. Back through hedges
and across bitches over the roadway
came the Belgian infantry, crouchins
STOPPING. running for their lives. Bullets
began TO smash the tiles above us.
This IL no place for two innocent little
American boys" remarked Thompson
shoalderlng his camera.
BY the time we reached the ground We
found the Belgian infantry was more
than mile In our rear and that TO reach
our car we had to cross nearly mile OF
open field. Bullets were whisking across
II and kicking up little spurts OF brown
earth where they struck.
We had not gotten quarter way across
the field when the German artillery
which the Beigians had Neonfidently as,
serted was silenced, opened on the Bel
gian infantry. with shrapnel.
AS we came In sight OF our auto shell
burst within thirty feet OF It. demohshins
the entire facade OF the house In front OF
which Il wac standing,
Darkness had now fallen. A torrenua
| rain had set In,
II was long after midnight when We
! called the password to the sentry al th'
entrance 10 the inner lines Of Antwerp.
The Belgians bumped their. heads vera
hard indeed. for the Germans had u
action upward of 5000 men. The casual
| ties have not yet been announced.
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