Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-12-16

big German shell alight under the
gnarled roots OF an enormous tree.
When the smoke cleared away this
tree was lodged in the top branches OF
some other trees close by. II had
been torn up by the roots and shot
upward hundreds OF feet with terrific
velocity.
The curious effect OF these mon
strous shells passing close TO ones
head is that they produce nervous col
lapse. deafness, numbncss and fire.
quent insanity. l personally helped TO
the rear dozen soldiers thus af.
iicted. More dreadful sights never
saw. Now there are two hospitals In
Petrograd and Moscow for such sol.
diers with more than one thousand pa
tents in each.
This frightful bombardment drove
me into the cellar OF factory. where
I found two men and several wom-
IN and children. who had been there
three days. not daring to emerge even
10 set drink OF water from the
pump only few yards from the open.
ing OF the cellar. They told me that
hAN uuu COHNluuGu Jay
and night. and in proof OF their wis
dom I'm not venturing out they pointed
TO the bodies OF three men and a child
lying In the factory yard.
Germans In Solid Mass.
When darkness fell | bolted out
again and soon took refuge again in
the house OF a Polish gentleman, who
invited me to sleep in his house for
the night. slept on a sofa. but In
the small hours of the morning I was
awakened by shell which shook
every window frame In the house My
host and his family soon appeared say
ing that the servants had all fed.
decided 10 depart also. but was pre-
vented by the sounds OF firing and
Smelling in the adjacent village. and so
l remained all day in the house. The
next day the German troops rushed
past the house. solid wall OF men
30 close together that they obliter-
ated the flower garden and the adjoin-
ing young shrubbery AS completely as
II steam roller had passed over
both.
NoNN IN haoNg kAdHCc III tue Opposite
direction. specializing !: even yet |
could escape that way but at a cross
roads near the house saw four Hun
garian hussars who sat motionless in
their saddles. They formed a square.
each man looking down a road. with
rifle unslung. the butt resting loose
ly against his bright red riding
breaches. and with finger on trigger.
realized that II would be a mad
race down any of these roads and that
wild scamper through the adjacent
fields would be bad for my health.
Finds Himself at the Front.
Turning again TO look at the Ger
mans, | reflected with secret exulta-
ton that my most sanguine hopes as
war correspondent had been real
lied. For a long time the wisest
heads In the Russian foreign and war
Offices prevented me from getting to
the front. Now with a rush, like q
Niagara, the front had come to me.
The Germans were no beauties as
they advanced in their "pickelhau ben"
(helmets) and grayish uniforms. look
ing as II they had not shaved or
washed for weeks. II was with no or.
binary curiosity that ! gazed at that
formidable host which had wrought
devastation from Antwerp to Warsaw,
before whose cannon firstclass for.
tresses had gone down like houses OF
cards. whose monstrous armies were
measured not by miles but by de-
grees OF latitude.
Meanwhile the tide OF battle rose
ia. her and higher around US II was
impossible TO leave the house. whose
walls were dashed by spray OF shrap-
mel and rife bullets. II was cracked
in several places from the foundation
to the roof by the conclusion OF gi-
gantic shells.
Sees Battle Approach Warsaw.
mounted TO the roof and observed
the distant lights OF Warsaw. which
were not lowered despite the terror
of aeroplanes and Zeppelins. South
Of Warsaw saw a great irregular
line OF foam tipped shrapnel explo-
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