The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-13
OLYMPIC GAMES
 HERO DESCRIBES
 PARIS CAMP AICN

Correspondence of Associated Press. )
 Berlin, Sept. 22.-Car1 Diem, Gen eral Secretary for the Olympic Games, who, as earlier cab1ed, was wounded in the fighting before Paris, has sent to the Lokal Aneiger from the hos pita1 the following letter describing 8 night attack by troops of the Guard Corps:
 After the battle near the village of Vou1paix August 29 and 80. our regi- ment had a rest day, then marched it's 30 miles September 1 and the same distance September 2, The third day we seemed to have caught the enemy and were necessarily on the move un- til late at night depIoying and taking up various positions. We failed to match him, however, and made camp disappointed and utterly exhausted. The long desired field kitchens. our 'gouIash cannon" as the soldiers name them, had just appeared, steam ing de1icious1y, when we got word that the enemy had occupied the village Of Marsaux, g. few miles away, and en- trenched. Several companies of our regiment were told off for the assault, some against the villages the others for a f1ankdng attack. Daylight had long vanished when we marched out NUnIoad rif1esI' was the first com mand. Not Q pleasant command. Not a, pleasant command for the in
 
 from his beloved rifle, now of no more use to him than a feather until he gets breast to breast with the enemy. But what is the use-orders are or ders and in night fighting this order is particularly called for if comrade is ridges rattle from his magazine.
 we march out through the still September night, the moon lighting our way but lighting us as we'll.
 We leap Q couple of ditches, burst through the hedges and fences and ploughed field, the companies moving forward in complete silence. Sud- denly when we are about @ hundred yards from the brow of the hill. it rains bullets, most of them luckily go- ing high. The field fairly seems to spew rifle bullets. The tension is slack ened. No command is needed; there. is the enemy. Bayonets are fixed and the platoons deployed in an instant and with a 'hurrah' the men charge forward against the enemy. These disappear, however. falling back on the real position, the village itself. It is 400 yards away, the charge takes from our overtaxed lungs every last atom of breath.
 e"The silhouette of the village stands out dark before us and it's walls spray out lead and fire. The church spire splits out sparks like a fireworks dis play piece Long streams of fire playing from every aperture. and around our ears whistles and wilkes Sthe hail of steel. We trip over an unsuspected wire, splash head1ong i'm to a ditch full of water, climb the churchyard wall. House after house is taken with the bayonet, house after house bursts into flames, then pusuit continues through. the village and for several miles beyond. It Is almost dawn before the exhausted troops come to rest and fling themselves down to sleep, rifle in hand and vita out troubling themselves to unsling their heavy packs from their backs Such a. charge with empty rifle, such l a German Hurrah the enemy cannot stand against, cannot themselves re- produce.
 How often have laughted to my self at the youngest of our officers l when he delivered his naive lectures I to the men and wondered what re- spect his platoon of reservists, grown men five to seven years his senior, would have in real battle for his twen- l ty Irresponsible years. In the battle on the Marne, the b1oodiest of the war to date, lay wounded among comrades whose voices were already still and watched his platoon go into action on the left flank. A line of French trenches spit fire from machine guns, rifles and artillery, and 1 against it our men charged forward 1 to certain death At their head our youngster lieutenant, laughing as us- ua1, led the way in a wf1irlwind ad- l vance by rushes, his dwindling squad ] following him devoted1y until the bull lets took him.
 Our next youngest lieutenant was | unpopular, owing to his biting, sensfbi1ities of the men. And yet we | scathing tongue, always rasping the all came to love him. Once when we seemed to be sitting in gigantic cornpopper of artillery hail against which umbrella could protest, this tongue of his usually so scathing. kept us in roars of laughter while old Brother Break-Bones swung his iron fail over our heads. saw him too that day on the Marne lying still and white beneath the pines.
 The third officer-a reserve off, i had a word to say and silent as usual, on that day at VouIpaix when we couldn't make out whence the enc nly's fire was coming, he stood erec+ i upon a wall in the full fire. We pulled him down with a broken leg but not before he had pointed out to | us the enemy.
 1 The eldest of our lieutenants was also a. reserve officer He knew ev- cry little kink of soldering. He was | equal to every emergency. Before we marched out he helped the mex perienced to make their wills. He 1 too was ready, am sure. when on 1 that bloody sixth of September his life went out like so many others.
 Apd our captain with the, golden, honest heart and the celebrated name; -(he knew every one of the 270 men entrusted to him, the circumstances and the duty for which every individ- uaI was fitted. Never during the en- tire campaign have we run out of bread and every day with few exceptions we had our two warm meals. For that we had to thank his unwearying care. And when we had our baptism of fire from the artillery-we lay unprotected in wood and could not stir,-he walk