The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-09-14
AMERICAN LADY.
CAUGHT IN BATTLE.
Two Children Die as Result
Of Experience.
BUR|Es HER SON IN YARD

Fleeing to Safety She Was Caught
Between Russian and German Firing
Lines.
New York, Sept. 14.-An American
woman who spent night behind the
trenches with her three children dur
ing the battle on the Russian German
frontier, and who, with her own
hands, buried two Of her children who
died from exposure, returned on the
Cunard liner Campania with her one
remaining child.
Her husband, Curtis Gibbs, who Is
at their home in Berkeley, CAL, does
not yet know Of his wife's terrible ex
periences.
81 was in Wirbellen, in Russia, neal
the German frontier, visiting my
brother-in-law, when the war broke
out" Mrs. Gibbs began in telling hel
story. MY three children were with
me-Curtis, Jr., aged seven; Orleans
Anna, aged four, and Martha, aged two
years. Little Martha is the only one
who came through the terrible expert
ence alive, and she is here with me.
"On the second day of August there
was a battle just outside W1rbeller
between the Germans and Russians
The sounds of the battle kept coming
nearer and nearer and the people be
gan to flee from the town. | first
thought it would be safer to remain ir
the house, but finally the firing got sc
close that | decided to take my chill
dren and flee.
81 was so frightened that / do moi
know which way l went, but f~Walkef
right into the center of the
right between the firing.
Several kssiA soldiers
out and dragged my children an
self down in the trenches with
stay there. There was hail of shot
falling all around us. We sat crampec
I'D in the trenches all night, with sol
diers firing on each side of us.
"My little boy had been ill. He had 6
fever. The night in the trench was
luOTG lIldu he COulu StdHu. IlC uiOu O
dawn on Aug. g."
Mrs. Gibbs then decided that t
save the lives of her two little girls
she must get them out of the damp
trenches. They had nothing to eat
With the two girls clinging to hei
skirts, she carried the dead boy IL
her arms and made hey way back into
the town during lull in the firing
The town was deserted. The men were
fighting and the women had fed.
81 went to my brother-in-law's home
and found no one about" Mrs. Gibbs
continued 81 wanted my boy to have
a decent burial, so l carried him t.
the undertakers. There, as every
where else, no one was about, but the
shop was open. | went in and picked
out a little coffin. Then l laid the boy
in it."
Mrs. Gibbs then managed to dra.
the coffin to her brother-in-law' {
house. She had neither the time mol
the strength left to dig grave, but
she scooped out little hole in the
yard, set the coffin in it and heape6
some dirt over it. Then she took the
two girls and started again on foot to
fee from the battle.
Her memory was not clear on man!
points after this. She walked toward
the west, she said, and she and the
children slept under the stars, without
food. She arrived at Wilma, Russia
on Aug 7, and there her four-year-old
daughter, Orleana, died from the ex
posture.
"The people were kind to me-" she
said. 1.-TWO men helped me to bury the
child in little cemetery in Wilma.
went away and left her there"
From Wilma Mrs. Gibbs went to
Landwarawo, and then to Orborg, il
Finland. She does not remember ex
actly how she travelled after leaving
Wilma. She walked some and rode parl
of the way, she says.
At Orborg she CHANGED to meet Mrs
Maria Louisa Bruce, of Hoboken, who
heard her story and aided her after
that, coming with her all the way from
Orborg to New York.
When Mrs. Gibbs came up the gang.
plank tall, gray-haired man, hel
cousin, welcomed her. He kissed little
Martha and then asked:
"Where are the rest of them?"
"They are in haven" Mrs. Gibbs
said, and then she broke down. A pas
senger told him the story.
The mayors relief committee will
send Mrs. Gibbs and Martha to their
homo in Rarkalav