The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-11-19
Neither Side Is Able TO Cross the
Narrow Strip Without Being
Crumpled by Terrific Fire.
WOUNDED ARE LEFT UNAIDED
crsonne, Smashed by the Artillery, =
City OF the oead-correspondent
peseribes What He Saw Of tho
Bloody Conflict.
py JAMES TuoHY.

arst newspaper correspondent TO he IN
a position to describe the details OF the
grotracted and momentous battle OF
the Aisne. II principally concerns the
bulldog.like resistance of the British
troops against the constant ferocious
attacks by tho Germans holding the
center OF the long battle line while the
French troops we're engaged In push.
ing back the right flank Of tho Ger.
mans.
Sir John French, the British com.
mandar, undertook to hold this vital
point yof strategic necessity where tho
Germans were gathered for a second
plunge toward Paris.
With an army OF less than Toe 900
undcr his command the British gen
sral succeeded In holding his position
OIL n fighting line Of 20 miles for five
weeks, until the French had swept
the fianking movement so far To the
north that the immediate danger OF
German success had passed.
With this accomplished both the
French and English assumed the az.
gressive.
Official Reports Not Complete.
No battle In modern times was more
Rercely fought han has been that OF
the AiIne day after day and referring
20 which official communications gave
but the barest information that opera
lions were progressing satisfactorily.
The official statements conveyed an
Incomplete idea Of tho tremendous un.
dertaking Of the British and French
troops. The statements did not give
the real picture OF how the British
neld against the onslaughts OF the Ger.
mans Il battle line 90 miles long and
for 30 miles on both ends OF II the
French held up their end.
They did not tell how the battle was
raging day and night. turned into "A
continuous nightmare to the men who
were oF.aged In 1t, every one OF whom
knew that upon the issue Of IL rested
one OF the great decidi' : factors OF
the war. The statements dealt only
with general issues. not with the men
IN the trenches. Yet these men count
I'd In the result. Every man knew
that II the allies could hold the Ger
mans In check along the Aisne they
would be able &c hold them in the fu-
ture. And every man acted accord.
lngly.
Neutral Valley Of Death.
Retween both lines of battle there Ia
\ narrow strip. varying from 10 yards
20 n quarter OF q mile, which IL a neu.
trail valley OF death. Neither side Is
able TO cross that strip without being
crumpled by fire against which no
army. no matter how great could
stanaNI
The Germans have attempted TO
break through the British and French
forces hundreds OF times. but have
been compelled TO withdraw. and al
ways with sever losses.
A number OF small towns are dis.
tributed IN this narrow strip. The Ger
mans and French have ~reoccupicd II
six Tires and each In turn has been
driven out. The streets Of Craonne
arc Uttered with the dead OF both
armies. The houses. nearly all OF
which have been demolished By explod'
ing shells, must also be full OF bodies
Of men who crawled into them 90 get
out OF the whitening fire and have
there died. Many OF these men died
Of sheer exhaustion and starvation
whils the battle ragged day after day.
craonne City Of Dead.
Both armies apparently abandoned
the struggle to hold Craonne pe-ma'
nently. and II Is now literally u city OF
the dead. ! had an opportunity To look
upon the horrors OF II from IA point OF
vantage on the outskirts.
II Is a typical French village OF an
Gent stone structure: the tiny houses
all have. or had. gables and tiled roofs.
These have mostly been broken by
shell fire. Under the shelter OF Its
buildings both the Germans and
French have been able at times to res
u their wounded.
This Is more than can be said OF the
strip OF death between the battle lines.
Th-re the wounded lie and the dead go
unburied, willis the opposing forces di.
rect their merciless fire n few feet
above ths field OF suffering and
carnage. DID not know until | looked
upon the horrors OF Craonne that such
conditions could exist In modern war.
fare.
thought OF course that frequent
truces would be negotiated to give the
opposing armies an opportunity to col.
lect their wounded and bury their
dead. ! had an idea that the Red Cross
had made war less terrible. TIE world
thinks so yet, perhaps, but the condi.
lions along the Aisno do not justify
that belief. II a man 10 wounded In
that striL between the lines he never
getty " ok alive unless he Is within a
short distance OF his own lines or Ia