The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-10-17
BY JOHN ASHTON.
Special Correspondent Of the Chicago

Tribune.
Paris.-I have just returned "
Paris to rest up a day or two ana eee
a few necessaries after week at tne
front Of the left wing OF the aiieo
armies who are facing General Won
Kluck's army.
Farther to the east In ms
tending from Reims to near Veruu.
the French are holding their srounu
against a fierce onslaught of the Ter
mans under the prince OF Wcr.e"
burg. -.
will recount what have VIII
messed during the last few days:
Leaving Meaux, we made our way
through Varennes and Lizy, the scene
of fierce fighting during the battie y,
the Marine, some details of whlcn !
gave in nv first letter All the dead
have now been inferred ana INC
wounded removed from the se'efaA
deserted villages through which VIC
pissed.
Find Wrecked German Plane.
efore arriving at Leerte Milon we
came across German aeroplane
which had been brought down py 'he
British. The English flying squao
have been doing grand work IN the
cir not only as scouts but in attacking
h ,stile air craft. 1t is reported thal
no less than seventeen German aVia
tors have fallen victims to the Eng
lish flying men. !,
On approaching Villers-C -Cotterets, IN
the riddle of the forest of that name'
we came across several military auto
mobiles, lying by the side OF the route
which the Germans had abandoned III
their hurried flight to the north. 1"o
of these were marked Field 'fost
(field or military posD. A little 1ar-
ther on we encountered six large Ger
man motor trucks which hao eVF
IDENTIFY been destroyed by the Ter
mans; everything was burnt up e@-
cept the iron work. These wagons
had been left in the road to delay
pursuit, but the French had over
turned them into the ditch on eacn
side OF the road.
Meet German Prisoners.
1t was dark when we arrived AZ
villers-C Cotterets. Before we had time
to get out of our auto l heard a cry:
Wolfe les Allemands!" (here come
the Germ4nsD and, indeed, moving
gray mass soon came into slght, sur
rounded by a cavalry escort. There
were about 100 Of them, prisoners,
marching in the cold rain. Many OF
them wore Red Cross arm bands, and
noticed a few officers among the
bunch. Their expressionn was sour
and sullen, but considering their prl-
vations, they looked fit enough phys
ically.
These were men that had got lost
in the forest and failed to catch up
with their columns Many prisoners
are taken In similar way on both
sides. Sometimes they come strag-
Cling in half starved to death,
Pass Night In a 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
ber maid left in charge of the house
(the owner and his wife having fed
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 many
pieces OF considerable value.
We slept on the floor in the II
brary, in separate building, one of
the finest private Libraries l have ever
seen, containing several thousand vol
umes. A very elegant secretaire in
the library had been forced up, the
contents ransacked, and the top
wrenched off and thrown on the floor.
had nothing to cover me with, and
as it 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 Soissons, 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 Sew
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 hedge 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 at the
guns began to surround US, begging
toh ohan ~A nf0 To