The Hayti herald. (Hayti, Mo.) 1908-1922, 1914-10-15
BATTLE OF S0ISSONS AS Seen
BY WRITER ON firing line
BY JOHN ASHTON.
Special Correspondent Of the Chicago

a few necessaries after II week mt tho
! front of the left wing OF the allied
armies who are facing General Won
Kluck's army.
Farther to the east in line OK
tending from Reims to near Verdun
the French are holding their ground
against a fierce onslaught of the Ger
mans under the prince of WcrtemF
burg.
I will recount what I have Wit
messed during the last few days:
Leaving Meaux, we made our way
through varennes and Lily. the scene
of fierce fighting during the battle Oh
the Marne, some details of which l
gave in my first letter. All the dead
have now been inferred and the
wounded removed from the seVerai
deserted villages through which we
passed.
Find Wrecked German Plane.
Before arriving at l.certe Milon we
came across Il German aeropiane
which had been brought down by the
British. The English flying squad
have been doing grand work in the
air not only as scouts but in attacking
hostile air craft. II is reported that
no less than seventeen German ava
tors have fallen victims TO the Ems
lish flying men.
On approaching Nillers-Cotterets, IN
the middle 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 fight to the north. Two
of these were marked Field Post
field or military posD. A little 1ar-
ther on we encountered six large GeF-
| man motor trucks which had evi-
dently been destroyed by the Ger
mans; everything was burnt up eX'
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 each
side of the road.
Meet German Prisoners.
1t was dark when we arrived at
| Villers- Cotterets. Before we had time
to get out of our auto | heard cry:
"Voile les Allemands!" (here come
the GermansD and, indeed, moving
| gray mass soon came into sight, sur
rounded by a cavalry escort. There
were about 100 of them, prisoners,
marching in the cold rain. Many or
them wore Red Cross arm bands, and
I noticed a few officers among the
bunch. Their eXpressionn was sour
and sullen, but considering their pri-
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 Chateau.
We passed the night in an old chat
eau. The town was full of troops
and the hotels packed with officers
so we We're 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 tled)
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 a separate building, one Of
the finest private libraries have evel
seen, containing several thousand vol
: umes A very elegant secretaire II
the library had been forced up, the
, contents ransacked, and the tol
, wrenched off and thrown on the floor
| had nothing to cover me with, ant
; as it was cold I 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
2 We could hardly believe we were s.
j, close to the firing line, but there the
) were, twelve guns (known as the SeE
4 enty-five), pounding away across tn
r valley to where the Germans were II
{ trenched.
We stopped our auto at respect
: able distance and approached the baj
!, teries on foot. The ammunition wal
v ons and extra horses and men wer
h all drawn up silent and motionles
h behind a hedge a short distance froI
n the guns. There was no danger theI
g as the Germans were replying only t
l. other French batteries lower down tn
; valley.
Very soon the men not busy at tn
l. guns began to surround US, begin
z tobacco and cigarettes. 1t is an aH
l. full thing for these poor soldiers to t
g. deprived of the comforting weed,
saw a great deal of this later, on II
l. field and at hospitals.
n We had intended to go directly I'M
e Soissons by the main road, but IL
x French officers dissuaded US, sayir