Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-10-28
WRECkAGE- STREWN BATTLEF|ELDS
LOOK AS IF SWEPT BY CYCLONE

ly on the table
When the meal was over the propri-
etor called us to witness what had
happened to the far wing OF the ho-
tel. 1t was demolished.
Alert had just been sounded and
The soldiers were running through the
streets. We ran out in time 10 see a
building fall half a block away. COM
pletely filling the street by which we
entered the town an hour earlier.
In few minutes we heard the sharp
crackle OF infantry about half a mile
away and had sudden desire to get
away before the automobile retreat
was cut of. Just then we heard tho
sound OF an aero engine overhead II
was flying so low that through a
glass we could easily see the wiiir-
ring propeller.
Germans Fire at Aviator.
The machine was mounted with d
rspid-fre gun, which was trying to To-
cate the German gunners, who i'm
mediately abandoned the destruction
or the town in an attempt to bring II
down
For ten minutes We saw shells
bursting all about it. At times il was
lost in smoke. but when the smoke
cleared away there was the mono
plane still blazing away, always
mounting TO higher level and finally
disappearing toward the French
lines.
There was another lull in the can
nonade and we were permitted to
a.
where. by peering around a building
We could see where the German bat
teries were secreted in the hills. We
were warned not to get into the street
which led to the bridge, as the Ger
mans raked that street with their
fire II a person appeared We then
took advantage of a lull III the fir
ing and departed to the south at 10
miles an hour, to beat the shells If
any were aimed our way as We
crossed the rise in the hill
Shells Strike 100 Years Apart.
We passed the night at a village
where considerable execution had
been done by German shells We saw
one curious effect of them In
historic building near the city hall
there was a shell imbedded In the
wall with a plate fixed beneath it
showing it struck there in the year
1914. Just next to it was an unex-
ploded shell OF 100 years after stick
ing in the wall
We again struck out toward the
battle line. but when we were with
in sound OF the firing the authorities
decided we had seen enough of war
and detained us for two days as
guests OF a regimental staff. which
was quartered in q courtyard. There
we were privileged to see how the
French soldiers lived and became such
hardened fighters as they were prov
ing themselves TO be. We ate with
them and slept with them in the straw
until orders came to send us TO Paris.
AS we were leaving our coward the
authorities grabbed another group of
correspondents. four in number, head
ed by Richard Harding Davis. They
were ordered to accompany us to
Paris instead of passing several days
in the straw sampling bareback and
army fare.
Tells Of Horrors Of War.
ent. F. ST Beaman. writing from
town in France, says:
The fearful horrors OF war can
never be grasped bS seeing the care
fully tended wounded who come back
TO England and hearing their tales,
however gruesome, while there is
scarcely a day In any Of the French
towns near the armies that does not
bring with IL some live terror from
the front. One example wiki suffice
to point out this truth Four days
ago the hospital corps ana volun-
teers were notified that convoy was
expected Towards midnight 1t ar.
rived bringing French and German
wounded The latter were abandoned
by the Germans in Senlis when they
retreated after setting fire 10 the
town.
We had had many trains OF wound
cd before. and all necessary arrange
ments were made az usual but when
this convoy arrived even the most
hardened had to summon all fortitude
to the task Of emptying the carriages
When man had a broken leg or
al ~ VI q bNlAtI Nlllbhbli Iio lungs tAo
/ skilled ambulance STAFF soon had him
comfortably backed, but here we're
/ human vestiges so mangled that It
was difficult to find n place to touch
them without causing screams and
means An insunerable charnal house
/ stencil pervades the whole night air.
Laid Out Four Days.
Most OF the wounded had lain for
four days and nights where they had
/ fallen before being picked up. and
| had not yet had their wounds exam
| ined. much less dressed Under tho
| burning sun and myriad OF flies and
under later rains they had been left
! 20 suffer the torture OF pain. hunger
| and thirst until it was a marvel they
/ still breathcd.
The state of their wounds cannot