The Red Cloud chief., 1914-10-15
BATTLE Of SCISSORS AS seen
BY WRITER ON FIRING LINE
& BY JOHN ASHTON.
Special Correspondent Of the Chicago
Tribune.

~ EhEis.-l nave just TetuTneu W
Paris to rest up a day or two and get
a. few necessaries after a week at the
front OF the left wing OF the allied
Armies who are facing General o
4AKluck's army.
M Farther to the east in a line ex-
Mtendins from Reims to near Verdun
the French are holding their ground
against a fierce onslaught Of the Ger
mans under the prince of Wurtem-
burg.
I will recount what I have wit
messed during the last few days:
Leaving Meaux. we made our way
through Varennes and Lily. the scene
Of fierce fighting during the battle OF
the Marine, some details OF which l
gave In my first letter. All the dead
have now been inferred and the
wounded removed from the several
deserted villages through which we
passed.
Find Wrecked German Plane.
Before arriving al Leerte Million We
came across Q German ~aeroplane
which had been brought down by the
British. The English flying squad
have been doing grand work In the
air not only as scouts but in attacking
hostile air craft. 1t is reported that
NO less than seventeen German ava
n tors have fallen victims to the Eng
lish flying e
On approaching villers-C otterets. In
the middle Of the forest of that name
We came across several military auto
mobiles. lying by the side Of the route,
which the Germans had abandoned In
their hurried flight to the north. Two
Of these were marked FIELD Post
field or military post. A little TAR
Their on we encountered six large Ger
man motor trucks which had EVIL
IDENTIFY been destroyed by the Ger
mans; everything was burnt up ex.
cept the iron work. These wagons
had been left In the road to delay
pursuit, but the French had over
turned them into the ditch on each
side Of the road.
Meet German Prisoner.
Il was dark when we arrived at
Villers-C otterets. Before we had time
to get out Of our auto l heard q cry:
wolfe les Allemands!" (here come
the Germans!) and, indeed. q moving
gray mass soon came into sight, sur
rounded by O cavalry escort. There
we're about 100 of them. prisoners.
marching in the cold rain. Many OF
them wore Red Cross arm bands. Inc
I noticed . few oficers among the
bunch. Their expressionn was sour
and sullen, but considering their pri-
vations. they looked At enough phys
ically.
These were men that had got lost
In the forest and failed to catch up
with their columns. Many prisoners
are taken in q similar way on both
sides. Sometimes they come strag-
Cling In half starved to death.
Pass Night In . Chateau.
We passed the night In an old chat
eau. The town was full Of troops.
and the hotels packed with officers.
20 We were very lucky to get under
cover at all. A few days previously
the Germans had occupied the town.
the stan having made their h%eadquar-
ters at this same chateau. The cham
Der maid left in charge of the house
1.-THE owner and his wife having fed
told W that the Germans had taken
/ away some valuable Gobelin tapes
tries; tho smaller tapestries had been
left. They had also taken away some
silver plate. but had left behind many
pieces Of considerable value.
We slept on the floor in the IL
brary. In a separate building. one OF
the finest private libraries l have ever
seen, containing several thousand vol
umes. A very elegant secretaire In
the library had been forced up. the
contents ransacked. and the top
wrenched OF and thrown on the door.
I had nothing to cover me with. and
- It was cold I slept very little.
We could hear the guns booming
the greater part Of the night.
Approach the Firing Line.
Starting out early in the direction
Of Scissors. we came upon the Thir.
teenth regiment of French artillery.
at but I'VE miles from the latter town.
We could hardly believe we were so
close to the firing line, but there they
we're. twelve guns (known as the Sew
enty-lve). pounding away across the
valley to where the Germans were In
trenched.
We stopped our auto at a respect
p able distance and approached the bat
teries on foot. The ammunition wag-
n and extra horses and men we're
all drawn up silent and motionless
behind a hedge a short distance from
the guns. There was no danger then,
- the Germans were replying only to
other French batteries lower down the
valley.
Very 500 the men not busy at the
guns began to surround US. begging
tobacco and cigarettes. 1t is an aw-
full thing for these poor soldiers to be
deprived of the comforting weed. I
saw a great deal Of this later, on the
0eld and ut hosDitals.