The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1914-10-23
BATTLE OF sOIssONs AS SEEN
BY WRITER oN FIRING Line

" had We arrived h front % ths
rates when German skeIin hegan
srreeching over evr Beads. We
scarcely knsw where d. " tor safety.
4 faarfai crash On cur right Just BE-
hina the hospital showed tkaa the Ger.
EssH ranka vas EetfinE nearer. Same
OF our party naturally became
alarmed Thsn We al erouched down
behind our autos a. smother shell
whistied close to us and dropped In q
garden. Txe Of the spent pieces &c.
tuaily Cell at our fsss and fsw 500.
end Afterwards snethar spcnt piece Of
shell. stlll hot struck one Of our
party On the leg
II was evident that we were in
great danger. Some one said. stand
BY the cara"
II was . good Job We did no, take
this advice; but We might have done
II II at that moment q woman at the
door OF the village wine shop across
tne street bad not shouted: Come
made, for Gods sake,"
Flee Into q Cellar.
We did not need twice asking.
Hardly had we got across tho thresh-
old when q tremendous noise like .
million rawhide whips cracking at the
same moment. followed by the noise
OF falling masonry, showed that we
wero in for a regular bomhardment
Everybody rushed for the cellar,
As soon rs the dust and smoke had
cleared away someone crept up the
steps TO look out and returned say
Ing one OF the turrets on each side OF
the entrance gates TO the castle had
been completely demolished by the
last shell. And still they came, and
there We huddled looking into each
others eyes. ~ well IN the dim Hight
would admit. In that little wine cellar
with Its solid vaulted roof that vie
prayed might not give way should
the house be struck. shall never
forget the time spent In that cellar.
There were twenty. three OF US. In
Guiding about seven women OF the
village and LITTLE boy. We were
there from 1880 a. m, until a little
after noon. with shells dropping all
around Us. One dropped ave yards
from the door. the shock breaking
every pans OF glass In the house and
making an enormous hole In the road
Another shell struck the ground about
twelve feet In front OF our cars, just
grazing and masking portion Of
the village cross,
Everything has an end, and we
could hear the shells bursting farther
and farther away, Still II was deemed
prudent to lie low for . bit
Eat ~ Shells Scream.
After q time one OF the villagers
went out at 4 rear door and brought
back . big dish OF fried clipped po
tatoes and bread. 30 that with the
wine In the cellar We made q hearty
lunch under the circumstances. We
were very hungry. M we had eaten
nothing since the previous evening.
When II was safe To get out We
found that the shell that dropped near
the cars had burst two tires on the
car I rode In, had smaAhed all three
OF the wind shields. and nlled tho car
bodies and covers full OF holes. The
cars looked as II they had been pep.
pered with machine guns. Luckily
the engines were not damaged In the
least.
The Germans. being deeply In.
trenched In old chalk Quarries. a sort
OF natural fortress In the hiilsides
overlooking Scissors. continued to
reply to the numerous French guns
with impunity and occasionally to
bomhard scissors and vauxbuin. Up
to the time Of my leaving this same
thing had been going on for over a
week. -..,...
scissors 10 In q pltiable stata. Ths
Germans have not spared its old ca
thedral with It's two Gothic spires.
From the rear Of the hospital at
vauxhuin We had n fine view OF this
grand old landmark One OF the
steepies h broken on about half way.
and tho other has a big hole In the
side. plainiy seen three miles on.
passed about four days here.
The artillery firing was terrific from
morning to night. The battle rAnges
over an enormously extended treat
saw some shockingly wounded
men while at vaaxbuin. The night
before left ave men were brought In
with fearful injuries In different parts
OF the body, A German shell had
among eight artillerymeu
serving one of the French guns. The
other three men were killed on the
spot. This Ia Just an incident among
hundreds that are happening every day,
At one village passed through.
where the Germans had left iso
wounded. most OF whom were brought
In under cover two days AFTER the
battle by the French. the doctors
asked me, inplored me, to try and get
some milk for the wounded. Nearly
al! the cattle have been driven out
OF the country to safer places or have
been reQuisiticned either By the Ger
man or the French forces. Many
lives are LOST on both Rides through