The Washington times., 1914-09-25

soldier prevailed and the enemy would
be compelled to retreat in disorder
While the British were gaining
series of great successes, the French
were being defeated on our right. They
were unable to hold the Germans and
their rifle fire was almost as bad as
was that of the Germans And finally
the British were ordered to fall back.
in order that they might not be en-
veloped by the Germans and completely
cut off.
Almost In Rebellion.
When the orders came the men were
in almost open REBELLION. Stalwart men,
bers of the Scoth and Irish regiments
wept. At several points along the line
the British actually jumped from their
trenches and charged the Germans TO
emphasize the fact that the British
ought not to retreat. But finally the
officers went among the men and ex-
planned to them it had been arranged
beforehand for the British TO fall back
so that the Germans might be lured into
trap. This explanation repeated hun
dreds Of times finally suffiCed.
While the British have an advantage
in their wonderful rifle fire, something
the Germans seem unable to master, the
German shell fire is tremendous. 1t is
hard TO describe. There is small hill
with company of British soldiers en-
trenched on il. \ German aviator flies
over their heads. He signals the range.
A number of shells are dropped. They
explode. the hill has disappeared and
in its place is a great hole filled with
dead men. Their trenches have been
their graves
'One notable thing about this modern
war is the large proportion of wound
ed over the dead. The modern rifles
are humane. l have seen many men,
wounded in what have ordinarily been
considered vital spots, taken to hospi-
tails and noted back on the firing line
in a week
Unable To Bury Dead.
After we had reached the line of the
Marne we began to advance And we
moved so fast the Germans were unable
to cover their tracks. AS result We
were able to get a line on the terrible
slaughter. The ground was covered
with dead-British. French and Ger
man. There had not been time to bury
them.
And in all of the houses that had
escaped the wrecking shell fire We found
hundreds of wounded.
Now, | want emphatically to deny
the stories of German atrocities. They
took better care of our own wounded
than they did of their own. We found
the BRUSH wounded on cots, on great
piles of soft goods, and their wounds
carefully bandaged and cleanly cared
for. Yet at these same places many of
the German wounded were forced to
lie on straw arranged for them in the
stables and outbuildings. No wounded
were mutilated. as has been charged.
The peasants admitted the German COM
manders, while terribly strict. were
kindly. OF course where there was
suspicion that the peasants We're aiding
the enemy there was immediate execu-
ton, without trial. But you must re-
member this was war. not peace, and
many things must be expected in war.
There has been much night fighting.
and strange as II may seem. the aero
planes have been of almost as much use
at night as they have been in the day
time. They are the eyes of the army.
One night l saw thirty-five aero
planes in the air at the same time.
They carried cOlored lights. and when
they located a masked battery they