New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-10
ARRAS PIVOT OF
FLANKINC BATTLE
Correspondent on Firing
Line Sees Shells Drop
Within 800 Yards.


London, Oct. "a correspondent Of
The Daily Chronicle" in France tele-
graphs the following, the first detailed
account of the fighting in the Arras re-
gion:
"Arra7 has been the pivot of a fierce
battle, which was still in progress when
| was forced TO leave the citadel on
Sunday. In the three days | was there
| was fortunate enough to penetrate
INTO the firing line. and the experience
is one that will never be dImmed in my
memory. Like the moves of so many
pawns on a mammoth chessboard wa'
the feintng with scattered outposts 10
test the strength Of the enemy. / saw
the action open with skirmishes at
Nitry-en .Artois. and the next morning
one Of the hardest battles which make
links in the chain flung right across
France was being prosecuted before my
eyes.
"The days that ensued were full Of
feveriSh, hectic motion. Arras tkrobbed
with the flow of an army and all the
tragedy tina. war brings in It's train.
There were moments when its cobbled
streets were threaded by streams OF
wounded from the country beyond.
Guns boon ed necessarily. a fitting req
uiem to the sad little professions
which occasionally revealed that some
poor fellow had sacrificed his life for
the flag which accompanied him 10 his
grave.
II reached Arras on September 29.
The Germans had occupied il a fort
night earlier. Now it was placid. sleepy
and deserted. and bore no outward
signs OF having suffered from the
cnemy's occupation. Eventually. !
learned. however. that the visit of the
Germans had been of a piece with their
record so far and that. although they
lad RETAINED from their favOrite rec
reation or demolishing buildings, there
has been scenes of debauchery, and
private houses had been ransacked and
ruined. # was declared that the only
German paying for anything during
the whole Of the fOrtnight's occupation
was member of the Hohenzollern
family. an important officer. who had
made the Hotel &c Univers his hoad-
quarter. As at Pcronnc, drunkenness
had been prevalent and in a single
lumber room as many as four tnou-
sand empty wine bottles had been
counted.
81 decided to pass on to Nitry-en-
Artois, twelve miles distant and less
than four miles from DOuai. where ]
had heard the Allies were in force
Here obtained "A room in hotel.
Within a short while | saw armed
cars. There came many warriors IN
many cars. cars filed with mitrail-
leuses, cars advancing backwards, cars
with two soldiers in the back Of each
with rifles rested on cushions and
fingers on triggers and with the muz-
zles of mitrailleuses pointing over
their heads. Several cavalry scouts,
too, we're in the streets. Once ! vent
ured my head a little outside the door
and was CURLY warned TO eliminate
myself or possibly get shot ! eliml-
mated myself for the moment.
"Now. with dramatic suddenness,
death touches Nitry with her chill
fingers. In the distance beyond a
bridge behind n bend in the road there
is clatter of hoofs. 1t stops, and
again it goes on. 1t stops once more
for a couple Of minutes, and then quite
distinctly can be heard the sound Of a
body Of horsemen proceeding az a
walk The cavalry scouts have van
ished into big barns on either side OF
the rad. and around the corner Of the
bridge comes a small body Of German
cavalry. They have passed the spot
where the French scouts are hidden,
and | have retreatet 10 my bedroom
window. from where / can count
twelve Of the Deaths Head riders as
they are riding to their fate. Right
slap up in front OF the cars they come.
4 rife shot rings out from where the
French scouts are hidden: then an
other, and that is the signal for in
ferno to be loosed.
4 Germans Meet Leaden Hail.
"C-r-r-r-r-r-ack. And the mitral-
4 ieuses spit. out a regular hail Of death
The vicious. whiplike. never ceasing
cracks continue. Two horses are down
and three men lie prone in the road
The Germans have not fired a shot. all
/ their energies being concentrated IN
wildly turning their horses to get back
again around the bend. II is too late
Another two are tOppled over by the
! scouts in the barns. and then the cars
are after the enemy. still splitting out
an amending hail Of lead.
at seems impossible that even q rs
could live in such a stream Of bullets
vet out o. dozen men three get
around the bend. and, galloping madly
make Tor the only spot Nnefe tneN can
leave the road and get across the
country. Even automobile mitraileuse
men cannot follow them there. These
fellows seem perfectly satisfied with
the bag Of nine obtained without a
scratch.
1.-TWO of toe Germans horses are
stone dead and three others have 20 be
nut out Of their misery. The other
four are contentedly standing at the
roadside. munching grass, one with &
hind leg lifted few inches of the
ground. The bodies of the Germans
are laid side by side in field to await
burial. The uniforms are stripped OF
everything that can be removed but.
tons and shoulder straps. The men in
the cars take water bottles, swords and
reyolvers as mementos.
II perfectly understand now the reaI
meaning of this scrap. | had thought
il was an encounter between stray
forces. A talk with a driver Of an
armed car. however, enlarged my per
spcctive. II was the meeting of out
po.,s Of two great opposing armies