The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-17
Fight Along a Canal

:. &.
LONDON. October 9.-Priyata G. A.
Turner. now lying wounded In the Lon
don Hospital, sends the following ac-
count home OF one days lighting in
France.
II am still living. though bit
Knocked about. got a birthday pres-
ent from the Kaiser. On Sunday, 23d
we had rifle inspection at IL a. NJ.
and were ordered TO fall In for bathing
parade at 80. While we were walt
Ing for another company TO return from
the river, tho Germans commenced 10
shell the town. We fell In about r.
NJ, an hour and half afterwards to
go to the scene of the attack. Shells
were bursting in the streets as we
went. We crossed n bridge over tho
canal under artillery Are. and stood
doing nothing behind mill on the
bank for some time.
Then some one cried out that the
Germans were advancing along tho
canal bank. and our company were
ordered TO go along. Then the Germans
opened fire with their guns at about 500
yards with shrapnel and the scene
that followed beggars description Sew
eral of us were laid full length behind
wooden fence about half an .nch
THICK The German shells burst about
three yards In front OF It. It was
blown to spIinters in about ten min
utes, None OF us expected to get out
alive.
They kept us there about an hour
oetore they gave us word to retire I
had just turned round to go back when
! stopped one. 1t hits you with an aw-
iui hump and i though it had caught
me at the bottom of the spine, as il
numbed my legs for about half an hour.
When L found could not walk I
gave IT up. Just after | got my frst
ing out OF wood about 400 yards
away all In heap together. SO !
thought as l was done for would get
DIT or my own back. and so started
pumping bit Of lead into them.
Il stuck there for about three quar-
.ers OF an hour, and fired all my own
ammunition and lot belonging to two
more wounded men who were. close to
me.about 300 rounds altogether, and
rs IL was such good target I guess I.
accounted for good lot of them.
~ linen ! suddenly discovered could
had to walk about $50 yards in the nnen
the way. o"'' mo al
Magersfontein, In South Africa said id
sn e we're one n1th III to what we got that
Mrs o 3. L. wis Wilson were af HqninjuTsd
letter received from her hush.nd %
seaman or the Bacchante He saws,
fou VIII have read OF our Victorv
III the North Sea. 1t was fine on.
snip brought the dead and wounded
ana the prisoners back A grim iob
II was. too. I only wish the whnIe
German fleet would come out. We mav
get a chance of coming home soon
Their firing Is rotten, while our men
behind the guns are perfect. They eet
a hit every time. eS'
The Founders won't como out. That
was the reason our ships had to try ami
drive them out You see. the niaca
Is all mined, and IL ship runs rinto
one OF these mines it means destrucs
The commander of the Liberty a
torpedo boat destroyer, asked his s,ln's
company Any 4 they wouldN,voiunteer to 20
man said Yes although 1t looked cer.
under the forts of Helgoiand and 1et
rip at the German cruisers~in the harl
Dor One. of the wounded sailors Of
the Liberty told ms that the shells
feot. - ~ e'Hh
Our ship had only one torpedo and
one round OF ammunition left. So they hey
shrapnel she'll struck the Libertys
mast, killing. the gallant commander
ana three others, The coxswain. al
though wounded. brought the ahin
safely to our feet" :, ssAtD