The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-10-16
cy JOHN ASHTON.
Special Correspondent or the Chicago

Paris have Just returned TO
Paris 10 rest up a day or two and get
a few necessaries after a week at the
front of the left wing Of the allied
armies who are facing General Won
kluck's army.
Farther 10 the east i'll 4 line OK
tending from Reims 10 near Neruun
the French are holding the grouhu
against a fierce onslaught of the Ger
mans under the prince OF Ncrle"''
burg.
I will recount what ] have W.T.
messed during the last few days:
Leaving MeauX, We made Our way
through N~arennes and Lily, the scene
of fierce fighting during the Oaltie Oh
he Marine. some details of which !
gave in ny first letter, All the deaa
have now been Inferred and the
wounded removed from the SeNera'
deserted villages through Thich we
passed.
Find Wrecked German Plane
Before arriving at Leerte MlioA We
came across AZ NNAlLILh
which had been brought down by (he
British. The English flying sqnao
have boen doing grand WORK IN the
air not only as scouts but Ill ~aitacN'hS
hostile air craft. 1t is reported mat
no less than seventeen German AVA
tors have fallen victims to the LN6
fish flying men
On approaching Villers- Cottcrots, ~
the middle of the forest OF that haH'e'
We came across several military AUTO
mobiles. lying by the side Of the route
which the Germans had abandoned III
their hurried fight to the north. Two
Of these were marked "feid fCSl
field or military post). A ltt!e Ear
ther on we encountered six large yer
man motor trucks which had cyl
IDENTIFY been destroyed by the Ger
mans: everything was burnt UP eE
cept the iron work. These wagons
had been left in the road TO celaY
pursuit, but the French had over
turned them into the ditch ON each
side of the road.
Meet German P~TiSOheISr
It was dark when We arrived AZ
Villers-Cotterets. Before we had I'm
to get out of our auto ] heard a cry
Wolfe les Allemands!" there com
the Germans.D and, indeed, "A moving
gray mass soon came into sight. u T
rounded by a cavalry escort. There
we're about 100 Of them, prisoners.
marching in the cold rain. Mary OF
them wore Red Cross arm bands. ana
| noticed a few officers among tue
bunch. Their ~expressiOnn was sour
and sullen, but considering their pr'-
vations, they looked fit enough phys
ically.
These we're men that had got lost
in the forest and failed to catch ~
with their columns. Many prisoners
are taken in a similar way on Ooih
sides. Sometimes they come stray
Cling in half starved to death.
Pass Night in @ Chateau.
We passed the night in an old chat
eau. The town was full OF troops
and the hotels packed with officers,
so we were very lucky to get under
cover at all. A few days previously
the Germans had occupied the town,
the staff having made their headquar-
ters at this same chateau. The cham
Der maid left in charge Of the house
(the owner and his wife having hed)
told US that the Germans had taken
away some valuable Gobelin tapes
tries; the smaller tapestries had been
left. They had also taken away some
silver plate, but had left behind maaY
pieces OF considerable value.
We slept on the floor in tho IL
brary, in a separate building, II or
the finest private libraries ! have ever
seen, containing several thousand vol
INES. A very elegant secretaire n
the library had been forced w the
contents r~ansacked, and the top
wrenched off and thrown on the floor.
I had nothing to cover me with. and
as 1t was cold l slept very little.
We could hear the guns booming
the greater part OF the night.
Approach the Firing Line.
Starting out early in the direction
Of scissors. we came upon the Thir'
teenth regiment of French artillery,
at but five miles from the latter town.
We could hardly believe we were so
close to the firing line, but there they
were, twelve guns (known as the Sey-
enty-fve), pounding away across the
valley to where the Germans were IN
trenched.
We stopped our auto at a respect
able distance and approached the bat
teries on foot. The ammunition wag.
ons and extra horses and men were
all drawn up silent and motionless
behind a hedge q short distance from
the guns. There was no danger then,
as the Germans were replying only to
other French batteries lower down the
valley.
Very soon the men not busy 81 the
guns began TO surround us. begging
tobacco and cigarettes. 1t is an aw-
full thing for these poor soldiers 10 BE-
deprived OF the comforting weed 1
say a great deal of this later. on he
field and at hospitals.
We had intended to go directly into
! SoiSSOnS nv tho main road but the