The Hayti herald. (Hayti, Mo.) 1908-1922, 1914-10-08
WRECKAGE- -STREWN BATTLEF|ELDS
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 u
building fall half block away, COM
pletely filling the street by which we
entered the town an hour earlier.
In a few minutes we heard the sharp
crackle Of infantry about half a mile
away and had a sudden desire to get
away before the automobile retreat
was cut off. 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
rapid-fire 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
fOT ten minutes We saw otSiio
!, bursting all about it, At times it was
lost in smoke, but when the smoke
| cleared away there was the mono
| plane still blazing away, always
mounting to higher level and finally
disappearing toward the French
| lines.
There was another lull in the can
| nonade and we were permitted to
pass down the street near river,
| where, by peering around 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 lull in the fir
ing and departed to the south at 10
miles an hour, to beat the shells IL
any were aimed our way as we
crossed the rise in the hill.
Shells Strike 100 Years Apart.
We passed the night at village
where considerable execution had
been done by German shells We saw
one curious effect of them. In
historic building near the city hall
there was a shell imbedded in the
wall with plate fixed beneath 1t
showing it struck there in the year
1914. Just next to it was an uneX-
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
hoI
and detained us for two days as
guests of a regimental staff. which
was quartered in 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 cowyard 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 hardtack and
r army fare.
t Tells of Horrors of War.
= London.-The Standard correspond
2 ent F.. st. Beaman, writing from
. town in France, says:
f THE fearful horrors OF war can
never be grasped by seeing the care
fully tended wounded who come back
e to England and hearing their tales.
h however gruesome, while there Is
g scarcely a day in any Of the French
q towns near the armies that does not
bring with it some live terror from
d the front One example will suffice
to point out this truth. Four days
a ago the hospital corps and volun'
q teers were notified that a convoy was
n expected Towards midnight 1t ar
rived, bringing French and German
Is wounded The latter were abandoned
d. by the Germans in Senlis when they
L. retreated after setting fire to the
of town.
m I'VE had had many trains of wound
ed before and all necessary arrange
at ments we're made as usual, but when
,s this convoy arrived even the most
% hardened had to summon all fortitude
,e to the task of emptying the carriages.
a When man had broken leg or
id arm or bullet through his lungs the
skilled ambulance staff soon mad MIN
s; comfortably backed, but here were
We human vestiges so mangled that II
,y was difficult to find place to touch
them without causing screams and
means. An insufferable charnal house
In stencil pervades the whole night air
|e- Laid Out Four Days.
IN Most OF the wounded had lain fol
en- four days and nights where they hac
re FALLEN before being picked up ant
st had not yet had their wounds exam
OIL ined, much less dressed. Under thu
us burning sun and myriad of flies ant
Id under later rains they had been lef
re to suffer the torture of pain, hunge
ac- and thirst until 1t was a marvel the.
we still breathed.